Video

Tesla begins clearing trees at German Gigafactory 4 site ahead of groundbreaking event

(Credit: gigafactory_4/Twitter)

Crews in Germany have started preparations for the groundbreaking of Tesla’s Gigafactory 4. Recently-shared videos from the piece of land in Grünheide, Germany revealed that some trees are currently being cut down to make way for the upcoming electric car production plant.

Footage from @Gf4Tesla on Twitter shows trees being removed from the area along with the sounds of multiple chainsaws in the background. Trees must be removed from the forest by February 27, according to an environmental report on Gigafactory 4.

The report also indicates that a key focus is protecting the site’s extensive inhabitance of wildlife. Tesla must also set up reptile protection fences in January and perform a mandatory inspection of local caves to protect bats.

“Felling and clearing work in the forest must be completed by February 27 to avoidance ban (bird breeding). All trunks, stumps and branch cuts must be temporarily stored outside the planned construction site (pile) so that no birds settle there,” the report states on page 125.

Environmentalists have not been expected to protest or make any attempts at halting Tesla’s progress at the site. Tesla initially announced that deforestation would result in the company planting three times as many trees to replace those that have been cut due to Gigafactory 4’s construction.

Grünheide Mayor Arne Christiani has also stated that the trees located in this particular region are of “inferior quality.” This is a detail that he sees as one reason environmental groups are not focused on halting the removal of the forestry. Tesla seems focused on doing as little environmental damage as possible considering they are replanting three times as many trees and taking wildlife into consideration before starting the deforestation process.

Tesla purchased the 300-hectare lot that Gigafactory 4 will sit on after negotiating a price and finer details of the contract with the region’s officials. The company plans to begin producing the Model Y and Model 3 vehicles initially at rates of 3,000 vehicles per week beginning in July 2021, according to a recent report from the Brandenburg Gazette. Tesla has stated they plan to produce 500,000 vehicles at Gigafactory 4 annually.

The plans to build the European production plant were finally settled when Elon Musk was in Germany to accept an award that named the Model 3 as the “Best Midsize Car of the Year” in the country. Musk stated the site “will build batteries, powertrains & vehicles, starting with the Model Y,” shortly after accepting the award and announcing Gigafactory 4’s site.

Tesla begins clearing trees at German Gigafactory 4 site ahead of groundbreaking event
To Top