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Tesla announced its first European Gigafactory 1 year ago today: A timeline
One year ago today, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the automaker would open a production facility in Germany. Upon accepting an award at the Golden Steering Wheel awards alongside Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess, Musk shocked Tesla fans everywhere by revealing its intentions. But what has transpired for the electric automaker since then is a culmination of hard work, dedication, efficiency, and a little bit of luck, and Tesla has been able to erect several buildings of the facility just eleven months after the beginning of the construction process.
November 12, 2019: Elon Musk announces Giga Berlin
“Everyone knows that German engineering is outstanding, for sure. That’s part of the reason why we are locating our Gigafactory Europe in Germany. We are also going to create an engineering and design center in Berlin, because Berlin has some of the best art in the world,” Musk said at the Golden Steering Wheel Awards in Germany last year. Musk also stated that the Model Y would be the initial focus of the new Gigafactory’s production lines.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess exchange compliments at an award ceremony. (Credit: YouTube/AUTO BILD)
December 2019: Permits and Regulatory Approval
Tesla was working with the local government in Brandenburg to gain regulatory approval to begin ground clearing measures on the 741-acre plot of land that the automaker had purchased for a bargain price. After the land sale price was finalized, along with the permission of local authorities, Tesla could begin making progress on the land.
Credit: YouTube/J.-U. Koehler
January 2020: Ground clearing begins
After Tesla received preliminary approval, ground clearing began. While this sparked some controversy and concern from environmental groups, Tesla had already been planning to replace trees in areas surrounding Brandenburg, promising to replant three times as many trees as it had removed from the property. To be clear, the trees that were removed were of “inferior quality,” according to Grünheide Mayor Arne Christiani, as they were used for commercial cardboard production.
Credit: Emil Senkel
April 2020: Groundbreaking imminent, land preparation nears completion
On April 20th, Giga Berlin construction crews worked on the ground leveling and excavation of the land at the site. With only 90 hectares of land free from the trees, Tesla had its work cut out. Just a few days before ground leveling, the final tree was removed from the land, making it completely clear of any trees, all while not harming any wildlife.
Credit: YouTube | Giga Berlin / Gigafactory4, build GIGABERLIN
May 2020: Foundational work gets approval, begins
Foundational work began appearing at the site in late May. Tesla had to abide by some guidelines to keep drinking water protected and keep the noise down after 10 pm. Aquifers were also installed to protect any groundwater, which was a growing concern among local residents.
Credit: Twitter | @tobilindh
June 2020: Structures begin appearing, pillars and beams installed
The main pillars of the Drive Unit facility began appearing at the site, which were transported by train. Additionally, the installation of these pillars began just a few days later. It was the first structural portion of any of Giga Berlin’s facilities to be implemented, and prefabricated construction methods contributed to an accelerated construction effort at the site.
Credit: Twitter | @tobilindh
August 2020: Body In White construction begins, Drive Unit facility nears completion
The rapid pace of construction was evident as the Drive Unit facility neared completion, and the Body-in-White facility started construction. With pillars and beams being installed just two months prior for the first time, the rate of construction was certainly impressive. There was still plenty of work to go, however.
The Northern wall of the Drive Unit is nearly completed. (Credit: @gigafactory_4 on Twitter)
September 2020: Elon Musk’s First Visit to Giga Berlin
In a long-overdue visit because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Musk detailed Model Y redesign and battery cell production at the facility. Met with a warm reception, Musk’s first visit to Giga Berlin included visits with local politicians, including vocal supporter Jörg Steinbach, an economic minister.
Credit: @tobilindh | Twitter
Today: Where does Giga Berlin’s progress stand?
Currently, both the Drive Unit and Body-In-White facilities are constructed, with interior fittings being installed. Flooring and machinery have yet to make its way into these facilities, but progress is well ahead of schedule. While Tesla still lists Giga Berlin’s starting production date as Summer 2021, some of those in Europe have stated that deliveries could be expected in Q1 or Q2 2021.
Tesla expanded its new Full Self-Driving program, which gives people the opportunity to experience the company’s suite, in Europe.
Tesla recently launched an opportunity for Europeans to experience Full Self-Driving, not in their personal vehicles, but through a new ride-along program that initially launched in Italy, France, and Germany back in late November.
People could experience it by booking a reservation with a local Tesla showroom, but timeslots quickly filled up, making it difficult to keep up with demand. Tesla expanded the program and offered some additional times, but it also had its sights set on getting the program out to new markets.
It finally achieved that on December 9, as it launched rides in Denmark and Switzerland, adding the fourth and fifth countries to the program.
Tesla confirmed the arrival of the program to Denmark and Switzerland on X:
Now available in Denmark & Switzerland
🇩🇰 https://t.co/IpCSwHO566 https://t.co/V2N5EarLNX
— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) December 9, 2025
The program, while a major contributor to Tesla’s butts in seats strategy, is truly another way for the company to leverage its fans in an effort to work through the regulatory hurdles it is facing in Europe.
Tesla has faced significant red tape in the region, and although it has tested the FSD suite and been able to launch this ride-along program, it is still having some tremendous issues convincing regulatory agencies to allow it to give it to customers.
CEO Elon Musk has worked with regulators, but admitted the process has been “insanely painful.”
The most recent development with FSD and its potential use in Europe dealt with the Dutch approval authority, known as the RDW.
Tesla says Europe could finally get FSD in 2026, and Dutch regulator RDW is key
Tesla said it believes some regulations are “outdated and rules-based,” which makes the suite ineligible for use in the European jurisdiction.
The RDW is working with Tesla to gain approval sometime early next year, but there are no guarantees. However, Tesla’s angle with the ride-along program seems to be that if it can push consumers to experience it and have a positive time, it should be easier for it to gain its footing across Europe with regulatory agencies.
News
Tesla ramps hiring for Roadster as latest unveiling approaches
Tesla published three new positions for the Roadster this week, relating to Battery Manufacturing, General Manufacturing, and Vision Engineering.
Tesla is ramping up hiring for positions related to the Roadster program, the company’s ultra-fast supercar that has been teased to potentially hover by CEO Elon Musk.
The company seems to be crossing off its last handful of things before it plans to unveil the vehicle on April Fool’s Day, just about four months away.
Tesla published three new positions for the Roadster this week, relating to Battery Manufacturing, General Manufacturing, and Vision Engineering. All three are located in Northern California, with two being at the Fremont Factory and the other at the company’s Engineering HQ in Palo Alto.
Technical Program Manager, Battery Manufacturing
Located in Fremont, this role specifically caters to the design of the Roadster to factory operations. It appears this role will mostly have to do with developing and engineering the Roadster’s battery pack and establishing the production processes for it:
“You will foster collaboration across design engineering, manufacturing, quality, facilities, and production to align with company priorities. Additionally, you will understand project opportunities, challenges, and dependencies; translate scattered information into concise, complete messages; and communicate them to every team member. As the business process development lead, you will develop, maintain, and implement tools and processes to accelerate battery manufacturing execution, achieve cross-functional alignment, and deliver highly efficient systems.”
Manufacturing Engineer, Roadster
Also located in Fremont, this role also has to deal with the concept development and launch of battery manufacturing equipment. Tesla says:
“In this role, you will take large-scale manufacturing systems for new battery products and architectures from the early concept development stage through equipment launch, optimization, and handover to local operations teams.”
Manufacturing Vision Engineer, Battery Vision
This position is in Palo Alto at Tesla’s Engineering Headquarters, and requires the design and scale of advanced inspection and control systems to next-generation battery products:
“You’ll work on automation processes that directly improve battery performance, quality, and cost, collaborating with world-class engineers in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.”
Developing and deploying 2D and 3D vision and measurement systems from proof-of-concept to deployment on high-volume battery manufacturing lines is part of the job description.
Roadster Unveiling
Tesla plans to unveil the Roadster on April 1, and although it was planned for late this year, it is nice to see the company put out a definitive date.
Musk said on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast in late October:
“Whether it’s good or bad, it will be unforgettable. My friend Peter Thiel once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars, but we don’t have flying cars. I think if Peter wants a flying car, he should be able to buy one…I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product unveil ever.”
Production should begin between 12 to 18 months after unveiling, so we could see it sometime in 2027.
Investor's Corner
Tesla Full Self-Driving statistic impresses Wall Street firm: ‘Very close to unsupervised’
The data shows there was a significant jump in miles traveled between interventions as Tesla transitioned drivers to v14.1 back in October. The FSD Community Tracker saw a jump from 441 miles to over 9,200 miles, the most significant improvement in four years.
Tesla Full Self-Driving performance and statistics continue to impress everyone, from retail investors to Wall Street firms. However, one analyst believes Tesla’s driving suite is “very close” to achieving unsupervised self-driving.
On Tuesday, Piper Sandler analyst Alexander Potter said that Tesla’s recent launch of Full Self-Driving version 14 increased the number of miles traveled between interventions by a drastic margin, based on data compiled by a Full Self-Driving Community Tracker.
🚨 Piper Sandler reiterated its Overweight rating and $500 PT on Tesla $TSLA stock
Analyst Alexander Potter said FSD is near full autonomy and latest versions showed the largest improvement in disengagements, from 440 miles to 9,200 miles between critical interventions pic.twitter.com/u4WCLfZcA9
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 9, 2025
The data shows there was a significant jump in miles traveled between interventions as Tesla transitioned drivers to v14.1 back in October. The FSD Community Tracker saw a jump from 441 miles to over 9,200 miles, the most significant improvement in four years.
Interestingly, there was a slight dip in the miles traveled between interventions with the release of v14.2. Piper Sandler said investor interest in FSD has increased.
Full Self-Driving has displayed several improvements with v14, including the introduction of Arrival Options that allow specific parking situations to be chosen by the driver prior to arriving at the destination. Owners can choose from Street Parking, Parking Garages, Parking Lots, Chargers, and Driveways.
Additionally, the overall improvements in performance from v13 have been evident through smoother operation, fewer mistakes during routine operation, and a more refined decision-making process.
Early versions of v14 exhibited stuttering and brake stabbing, but Tesla did a great job of confronting the issue and eliminating it altogether with the release of v14.2.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also recently stated that the current v14.2 FSD suite is also less restrictive with drivers looking at their phones, which has caused some controversy within the community.
Although we tested it and found there were fewer nudges by the driver monitoring system to push eyes back to the road, we still would not recommend it due to laws and regulations.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.2.1 texting and driving: we tested it
With that being said, FSD is improving significantly with each larger rollout, and Musk believes the final piece of the puzzle will be unveiled with FSD v14.3, which could come later this year or early in 2026.
Piper Sandler reaffirmed its $500 price target on Tesla shares, as well as its ‘Overweight’ rating.
Tesla expands new Full Self-Driving program in Europe
Tesla ramps hiring for Roadster as latest unveiling approaches
