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Live Updates: Tesla Giga Berlin final environmental permit press conference
After two years of construction, Tesla Gigafactory Berlin has secured its final environmental approval. The approval was discussed by Brandenburg Minister-President Dietmar Woidke during a press conference today.
A background of Tesla Giga Berlin, as well as the delays that hit the project along the way, have been discussed in our previous coverage from earlier today. Click here to access our backgrounder on Tesla’s Giga Berlin project.
But today, it’s all about Giga Berlin’s final environmental approval. The following were the topics discussed during the press conference, as well as some notable updates and quotes during the press conference (Quotes provided by Google Translate unless otherwise stated).
A press release has been sent out by Brandenburg about Tesla Gigafactory Berlin’s final approval. The following are some of the highlights from the document.
Potsdam/Frankfurt (Oder) – Today, Friday (March 4), the State Office for the Environment (LfU), which is responsible for immission control approval procedures, issued the approval for the Tesla factory in Grünheide (Oder-Spree district) in Brandenburg and handed it over to the project developer.
The approval notice will shortly be published in the official gazette for the state of Brandenburg, in the local daily newspapers and on the internet. The notice of approval is available for two weeks from the date of publication in the municipality of Grünheide (Mark), the town of Erkner, the Spreenhagen office and the seat of the administration of the Oder-Spree district in Beeskow as well as in the State Office for the Environment in Frankfurt (Oder) inspection off. The period of one month during which objections to the approval can be raised begins with the end of the exhibition. At the same time, the approval notice is published on the Internet on the EIA portal of the state of Brandenburg, where it can be viewed until the end of the objection period.
The project, which was approved with the 536-page decision, includes the plan for the production of up to 500,000 vehicles per year, aluminum smelting plants and an aluminum foundry, plants for surface treatment, heat generation, and storage. The facility also includes battery cell production, an operational wastewater treatment plant, a fire brigade equipment house, a high-bay warehouse, as well as laboratories and workshops.
The Tesla approval process is unusual in several ways. In a comparatively short time, the State Office for the Environment inspected and approved not just a factory, but an entire industrial area with several large-scale plants and repeated public participation.
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06:55 a.m. PST – Grunheide Mayor Arne Christiani highlights that Tesla’s work is a Herculean task. He also points out that Giga Berlin will provide opportunities, particularly jobs, in the area. Commenting on how the electric vehicle facility could benefit the region, the official stated that Tesla bringing Giga Berlin to the area is similar to “winning the lottery.”
06:52 a.m. PST – Jorg Steinbach takes the stage. He speaks about how important Giga Berlin is to the region. Brandenburg, after all, was not that prolific for high-profile investments before. With Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin, the state is now high on the list of locations that companies are looking at for industrial projects. Tesla’s presence has already signaled the development of an entire integrated supply chain.
06:50 a.m. PST – With the final approval now secured, Tesla now has to secure its operational permit for Giga Berlin’s Model Y production. About 400 conditions and requirements have been defined in the permit, which may seem like a lot, but are really not many, according to Vogel. The permit includes 23,700 pages of applications (HT Alex Voigt).
06:49 a.m. PST – Vogel reiterates that the final permit for Gigafactory Berlin is an “intermediate step.” He also praised those who were responsible for the approval of Giga Berlin, as they did not lose sight despite all the noise surrounding the project. “Those responsible for the approval have not been deterred by the media and political attention to the project. [We] have checked the approval requirements in this process,” Vogel remarked.
06:48 a.m. PST – Alex Vogel takes the stage and discusses the meticulous process involved in the approval of Gigafactory Berlin. “It couldn’t have been done faster, but we have to say that every procedure was carried out within the framework for federal German law approval,” he said.
06:46 a.m. PST – The Minister-President did highlight, however, that while the approval of Tesla Giga Berlin is a good day for the state of Brandenburg, it should not take away from the grave situation in Ukraine, which is currently being attacked by Russia. “I very much hope that this criminal attack by Putin on Ukraine will end as quickly as possible,” Woidke said.
06:45 a.m. PST – Minister-President Woidke highlights that the approval process of Giga Berlin was a challenge for Germany. “You know (this) was also doubted across Germany at the time. Is it even possible in Germany to meet the requirements, is it possible within two years to get the third-largest automobile factory in Germany (approved)? That’s what we’re talking about there, after all, building it up and making it a success…. I learned a lot from this project, yes. I also learned that (while) planning and approval is possible in Germany, I also have to change a lot. That is a discussion that we will continue at the federal level,” the Minister-President said.
06:41 a.m. PST – Almost 3,000 Tesla employees are already working daily in Gigafactory Berlin (credit to Alex Voigt for this translation)
06:40 a.m. PST – Minister-President Woidke notes that the approval of Giga Berlin was a mammoth task for Brandenburg. “I do believe that today, this March 4th, is a big step into the future for Brandenburg… I’m firmly convinced that in 20, 30, 40 years, if you look at the history of Brandenburg, there will be a time before Tesla and a time with Tesla,” Woidke said.
06:35 a.m. PST – Minister-President Woidke confirmed that the final construction permit for Gigafactory Berlin has been issued and given to Tesla.
06:30 a.m. PST – The press conference begins. Introductions are made. Brandenburg Minister-President Dietmar Woidke’s Tesla Team are introduced. Appreciation is extended to every member of “Task Force Tesla,” as each one was pivotal in getting the facility’s approvals passed.
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Elon Musk clapped back at France’s decision to withhold the approval for Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised system, projecting a clear and blunt message to French Transport Minister Phillippe Tabarot, after he publicly rejected the technology in its current form.
Tabarot outlines several concerns with Tesla Full Self-Driving in a detailed video statement, where he said, “The safety trade-offs are not yet sufficient to authorize it as it currently stands,” he said. He emphasized that FSD is not a true self-driving system and that the driver remains fully responsible.
Key issues Tabarot also brought up included allowing speeding when surrounding traffic exceeds limits and what he believes are insufficient guarantees of driver attention during complex urban maneuvers such as lane changes, intersections, and roundabouts.
Delaying the approval of FSD in France will cost lives
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 22, 2026
While acknowledging technological progress and France’s support for autonomous innovation, Tabarot stressed that deployment must prioritize road safety. He noted ongoing technical discussions with Tesla, the Netherlands, and other European partners, with further ecosystem meetings planned for the fall.
Musk’s rebuke highlights the human cost of regulatory caution. Tesla’s latest safety reports provide compelling data supporting accelerated adoption. In the most recent 12-month period, vehicles using FSD (Supervised) recorded one major collision per approximately 5.1 million miles driven, dramatically better than the U.S. national average of one crash per 698,000 miles.
Even Tesla vehicles driven manually with active safety features outperform the average by a wide margin. These figures come from billions of real-world miles of telemetry, showing FSD vehicles involved in far fewer incidents than both manual Teslas and the broader U.S. fleet.
Critics argue Tesla’s comparisons require careful scrutiny regarding reporting thresholds and fleet demographics, yet the data consistently positions FSD as a potential lifesaver. With road fatalities remaining a leading cause of death worldwide, Musk contends that proven safer technology should not face prolonged bureaucratic hurdles.
France’s measured approach reflects the broader European regulatory caution, which many, especially Musk, have been critical of in the past. However, as autonomous systems from Tesla and competitors like Waymo demonstrate superior safety in independent studies, pressure is mounting for harmonized approvals.
Musk’s warning carries the belief that every month of delay may equate to avoidable tragedies on European roads.
In a striking revelation that underscores the lucrative crossover between Big Tech and space exploration, Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, disclosed a massive $94.1 billion equity stake in SpaceX following the rocket company’s blockbuster initial public offering earlier this year.
The disclosure came in Alphabet’s quarterly filing, marking the first time the long-held private investment has been publicly valued at market prices. Google was an early backer, investing alongside Fidelity in 2015 with roughly $500-900 million at a time when SpaceX was valued around $12 billion.
That bet has delivered extraordinary returns, roughly a hundredfold, transforming a strategic play on satellite internet and launch capabilities into one of Alphabet’s largest assets.
Google, $GOOGL, has said they hold $94 billion in SpaceX, $SPCX, shares after IPO.
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) July 23, 2026
Of the total holding, approximately $80 billion remains subject to short-term post-IPO lockup restrictions, preventing near-term sales. An additional $14.1 billion faces longer-term restrictions, extending into the third quarter of 2027. This structure limits immediate liquidity but protects against market volatility as SpaceX transitions into public trading.
The SpaceX position contributed significantly to gains in Alphabet’s broader investment portfolio, which also includes a major stake in AI leader Anthropic. Combined, these holdings helped drive nearly $100 billion in investment gains during the second quarter, providing a substantial boost to net income amid ongoing AI spending pressures.
Analysts view the disclosure as validation of Alphabet’s venture strategy beyond its core search and cloud businesses. The investment aligns with deeper ties, including reported multi-billion-dollar deals for AI computing capacity on SpaceX infrastructure. As SpaceX advances Starship flights, Starlink expansion, and ambitious Mars goals under Elon Musk, Google’s stake positions it to benefit from the commercialization of space.
For Alphabet, the windfall highlights how patient, forward-looking bets in transformative sectors can yield outsized rewards. While lockups temper short-term impact, the holding cements SpaceX as a cornerstone of Alphabet’s diversified portfolio in an era where aerospace, AI, and connectivity increasingly intersect. Investors will watch closely as restrictions lift and SpaceX’s public performance unfolds.
In early 2026, Tesla made a bold strategic pivot: it largely eliminated the option to purchase Full Self-Driving (FSD) software outright and shifted to a subscription-only model. The change, effective around mid-February, ended the one-time fee that had previously ranged as high as $15,000 and later dropped to $8,000. Instead, customers would access FSD (Supervised) for $99 per month in the U.S.
At the time, skeptics questioned whether locking customers into recurring payments would hurt adoption or alienate buyers who preferred ownership of the feature. Tesla bet that a lower barrier to entry, seamless integration at purchase, and the ability to cancel at any time would drive higher uptake.
The results from Q2 2026 speak for themselves: the decision has been a resounding success, delivering the largest quarterly growth in FSD subscriptions in the company’s history.
Tesla FSD subscriptions went up 56% in Q2 2026 to 1.48 million, an increase of 200,000 from Q1 2026.
Tesla added more FSD subscribers in Q2 than in any quarter in its history. pic.twitter.com/jTciTD2JqW
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 22, 2026
According to Tesla’s Q2 shareholder update, active FSD subscriptions reached 1.48 million globally by the end of June 2026. That represents a 56 percent increase year-over-year and a 15.6 percent jump from the prior quarter. Tesla added roughly 200,000 new subscriptions in the period alone—the biggest single-quarter gain on record.
North America led the charge, with more than 55 percent of new vehicle deliveries including an FSD subscription at the time of purchase, a record attach rate for the region.
Tesla explicitly noted that “more customers [are] opting for subscription at the time of vehicle purchase,” crediting the model shift and prominent placement of the option in the ordering process. Subscriptions now contribute meaningfully to ancillary revenue, helping offset pressure elsewhere in the business.
The financial upside is substantial: At $99 per month, 1.48 million active subscriptions generate approximately $146.5 million in monthly recurring revenue. Over a full year, that equates to roughly $1.76 billion in annualized recurring revenue (ARR) from FSD subscriptions alone, assuming steady retention and no major pricing changes.
These figures represent pure, high-margin software revenue. Unlike vehicle sales, which carry production costs, warranty obligations, and supply-chain risks, FSD subscriptions flow largely to the bottom line once the software is developed and deployed over-the-air.
Tesla does not break out exact FSD subscription revenue in its filings (it sits within “Services and Other”), but the category grew 50 percent year-over-year in Q2, with executives highlighting subscriptions as a key driver.
The subscription model offers several structural advantages. It lowers the upfront cost of a new Tesla, potentially broadening the buyer pool and supporting vehicle demand, especially important amid fluctuating EV market conditions. It creates a predictable revenue stream that compounds as the fleet grows and more owners try (and stick with) the software.
Legacy one-time purchasers still exist, but new growth is overwhelmingly subscription-based following the February cutoff.
Early data also suggests improving retention and satisfaction, as well. Tesla has rolled out iterative FSD updates, including v14 features, and expanded availability to additional markets. Recent regulatory approvals in parts of Europe have further boosted interest, with owners in newly enabled countries eager to activate the software they had been waiting for.
FSD is still supervised; regulatory hurdles for true unsupervised autonomy persist in many regions, including the United States, and competition in advanced driver-assistance systems is intensifying. Yet the Q2 numbers validate Tesla’s bet: by removing the large upfront commitment and making FSD accessible via subscription, the company has accelerated adoption faster than many anticipated.
What began as a controversial switch-up has become a clear win. With nearly 1.5 million subscribers, record attach rates, and nearly $1.8 billion in potential annual recurring revenue already in view, Tesla’s FSD business is transitioning from a promised future to a tangible, fast-growing profit engine.
If the momentum continues, and especially if unsupervised capabilities unlock robotaxi opportunities, the subscription flywheel could become one of the most valuable assets in Tesla’s portfolio.
Elon Musk claps back at France’s Tesla Full Self-Driving approval delay
Google’s massive stake in SpaceX will shock you
