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Tesla’s 4680 battery plant in Germany shouldn’t delay Giga Berlin’s initial production dates
Tesla’s Giga Berlin production facility is going to have a 4680 battery cell manufacturing plant on site. While some media outlets claim a delay in the Giga Berlin timeline should be expected due to the battery facility being added onto Tesla’s application, there isn’t any evidence to indicate that Tesla’s electric vehicles will be produced any later than the company expects.
The Tesla Giga Berlin production plant project has been one of the most anticipated vehicle manufacturing facilities in recent memory. But what started as Tesla’s way to introduce its products on a wider scale to the European market has become a long and drawn-out game of chess between the California automaker and German regulators. The most recent move in the plans occurred several days ago when Tesla finally decided to add its planned 4680 battery cell manufacturing plant to its application, bringing on the idea that the car company would be able to produce and install its own in-house batteries into its industry-leading electric cars.
However, the inclusion of the cell manufacturing plant in the newly revised application gives some the idea that Tesla’s project in Germany could sustain further delays. However, Teslarati sources in Germany say that the project shouldn’t incur any further delays; it will just require more deliberation on the part of the German authorities, who have the ultimate say in the project’s progress. While Tesla executives have recently voiced their discontent for the timeliness of the approval process, the sources indicate that German regulators are already talking about the inclusion of the 4680 battery factory at the Giga Berlin property, meaning the process, while deliberate, shouldn’t affect Tesla’s timeframes for initial EV production.
Tesla’s 4680 battery cells were unveiled at the company’s Battery Day in September 2020. The cells differ greatly from the 2170 cells by offering more energy, range, and power through numerous developments made by Tesla’s battery cell team.
Tesla originally planned to have Giga Berlin up and running later this year, and Summer 2021 was a timeframe that was commonly mentioned within the automaker’s plans. However, the ultimate authority who has the final say in when the electric vehicle manufacturing facility is the State Environmental Agency, who will now have to backtrack slightly as the application for Tesla’s production plant will need revisions due to the newly-included 4680 cell building will need to be considered. There is no separate application for the 4680 plant. Instead, it is simply added to the already-existing “master” application for the Giga Berlin facility.
“If this additional investment now flows into the permit application, it goes without saying that the application documents must be revised, and then the approval authorities have the last word,” Dietmar Woidke, Brandenburg’s Prime Minister, said, according to Automobilewoche. “We are well-advised to do everything we can to ensure that the entire permit for car production in Grünheide runs in a legally secure manner. The further process is currently being discussed.”
Tesla Giga Berlin’s battery factory deemed “very important” investment by minister
Woidke is a supporter of Tesla’s project and called the inclusion of the battery plant “positive news” for Germany as a whole. The plant, when finished, will provide a substantial number of employment opportunities for German citizens and will provide a healthy economic impact in the area.
German regulators have already taken their time with preliminary approvals for the facility due to refined and deliberate examinations of all elements involved. Tesla has been doing all of the work on the property without anything more than these preliminary approvals. Effectively, Tesla is running an “at-your-own-risk” construction project in Germany, and if regulators decide in a few months they do not want an electric vehicle manufacturing plant to operate in the area, Tesla will be required to bring the land back to its original state, assuming all financial risk. This scenario, while relatively unlikely, would be a blow not only to Tesla but the electric vehicle movement as a whole, as the largest EV company in the world would be extracted from the largest EV market in the world.
Tesla has likely come to the conclusion that the Summer production and delivery timeframe is not going to be achieved. In its latest Earnings Call Update Letter that was released on Monday, April 26th, the company said:
“In Europe, buildout of Gigafactory Berlin is continuing to move forward, with production and deliveries remaining on track for late 2021. Machinery for paint, stamping, castings, etc., continues to be moved into the building. In the meantime, we will continue to increase import volumes to Europe.”
However, the 4680 cell plant shouldn’t prolong Tesla’s initial vehicle manufacturing efforts. While the initial timeframes for vehicle production have been pushed back from the Summer to the end of the year, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the 4680 plant’s inclusion will simply prolong Tesla’s construction efforts, and not necessarily the initial production effort’s start date.
News
Tesla owners in Sweden get direct attention from pro-union groups
As part of their efforts, the group has started distributing informational leaflets to Tesla vehicles across Stockholm, urging them to pressure the electric vehicle maker to sign a collective agreement.
Amid Tesla Sweden’s ongoing conflict with trade union IF Metall, a group of pro-union supporters has begun directing their attention to actual Tesla owners.
As part of their efforts, the group has started distributing informational leaflets to Tesla vehicles across Stockholm, urging them to pressure the electric vehicle maker to sign a collective agreement.
Leaflets on parked Tesla vehicles
As noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report, participants of the protest place yellow information slips on parked Tesla vehicles across parts of Stockholm. The slips resemble parking notices that contain information related to the unions’ ongoing strike against Tesla Sweden.
Participants involved in the activity said the leaflets were intended to inform consumers rather than target individual owners. The action was carried out in public areas, with leaflets placed on windshields of parked vehicles. When vehicle owners are present, organizers said they provide verbal explanations of the labor dispute.
Tesla has not commented publicly about the matter as of writing.
Recurring demonstrations against Tesla
The leaflet distribution effort follows weekly demonstrations that have taken place outside Tesla’s workshop and office in Upplands Väsby, where protesters typically gather to express support for a collective agreement. Those demonstrations have included informational outreach to customers and workers and, at times, police presence, according to prior reporting.
In a comment, one of the protesters stated that even Tesla owners must be concerned about the unions’ conflict with the electric vehicle maker. “You may think it doesn’t concern you, as you only drive a car. But it does, as we all have a responsibility for the rules in Sweden.
“We are not looking to hunt down individual Tesla owners. Rather, this is a way to spread opinion and increase pressure on Tesla. It should have some impact if several Tesla owners come in and say that you should sign a collective agreement,” one of the protesters stated.
Tesla has landed a massive deal to expand its charging infrastructure for heavy-duty electric trucks — and not just theirs, but all manufacturers.
Tesla entered an agreement with Pilot Travel Centers, the largest operator of travel centers in the United States. Tesla’s Semi Chargers, which are used to charge Class 8 electric trucks, will be responsible for providing energy to various vehicles from a variety of manufacturers.
The first sites are expected to open later this Summer, and will be built at select locations along I-5 and I-10, major routes for commercial vehicles and significant logistics companies. The chargers will be available in California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.
Each station will have between four and eight chargers, delivering up to 1.2 megawatts of power at each stall.
The project is the latest in Tesla’s plans to expand Semi Charging availability. The effort is being put forth to create more opportunities for the development of sustainable logistics.
Senior Vice President of Alternative Fuels at Pilot, Shannon Sturgil, said:
“Helping to shape the future of energy is a strategic pillar in meeting the needs of our guests and the North American transportation industry. Heavy-duty charging is yet another extension of our exploration into alternative fuel offerings, and we’re happy to partner with a leader in the space that provides turnkey solutions and deploys them quickly.”
Tesla currently has 46 public Semi Charger sites in progress or planned across the United States, mostly positioned along major trucking routes and industrial areas. Perhaps the biggest bottleneck with owning an EV early on was charging availability, and that is no different with electric Class 8 trucks. They simply need an area to charge.
Tesla is spearheading the effort to expand Semicharging availability, and the latest partnership with Pilot shows the company has allies in the program.
The company plans to build 50,000 units of the Tesla Semi in the coming years, and with early adopters like PepsiCo, DHL, and others already contributing millions of miles of data, fleets are going to need reliable public charging.
🚨 Pilot working with Tesla to install and expand Semi Chargers is a perfect example of two industry leaders working together for the greater good.
As more commerce companies expand into EVs, Semi Charger will be more commonly available for electrified fleets, making efforts… pic.twitter.com/VPLIYyq15b
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 27, 2026
Tesla is partnering with other companies for the development of the Semi program, most notably, a conglomeration with Uber was announced last year.
Tesla lands new partnership with Uber as Semi takes center stage
The ride-sharing platform plans to launch the Dedicated EV Fleet Accelerator Program, which it calls a “first-of-its-kind buyer’s program designed to make electric freight more affordable and accessible by addressing key adoption barriers.”
The Semi is one of several projects that will take Tesla into a completely different realm. Along with Optimus and its growing Energy division, the Semi will expand Tesla to new heights, and its prioritization of charging infrastructure.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s Boring Company opens Vegas Loop’s newest station
The Fontainebleau is the latest resort on the Las Vegas Strip to embrace the tunneling startup’s underground transportation system.
Elon Musk’s tunneling startup, The Boring Company, has welcomed its newest Vegas Loop station at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
The Fontainebleau is the latest resort on the Las Vegas Strip to embrace the tunneling startup’s underground transportation system.
Fontainebleau Loop station
The new Vegas Loop station is located on level V-1 of the Fontainebleau’s south valet area, as noted in a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal. According to the resort, guests will be able to travel free of charge to the stations serving the Las Vegas Convention Center, as well as to Loop stations in Encore and Westgate.
The Fontainebleau station connects to the Riviera Station, which is located in the northwest parking lot of the convention center’s West Hall. From there, passengers will be able to access the greater Vegas Loop.
Vegas Loop expansion
In December, The Boring Company began offering Vegas Loop rides to and from Harry Reid International Airport. Those trips include a limited above-ground segment, following approval from the Nevada Transportation Authority to allow surface street travel tied to Loop operations.
Under the approval, airport rides are limited to no more than four miles of surface street travel, and each trip must include a tunnel segment. The Vegas Loop currently includes more than 10 miles of tunnels. From this number, about four miles of tunnels are operational.
The Boring Company President Steve Davis previously told the Review-Journal that the University Center Loop segment, which is currently under construction, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. That extension would allow Loop vehicles to travel beneath Paradise Road between the convention center and the airport, with a planned station located just north of Tropicana Avenue.
Tesla owners in Sweden get direct attention from pro-union groups
Tesla lands massive deal to expand charging for heavy-duty electric trucks
