Tesla Gigafactory Berlin is about to receive its final environmental approval, with Brandenburg Minister-President Dietmar Woidke holding a press conference later today to discuss the milestone. It took a long time to get to this point, but after two years, it appears that Tesla’s Model Y factory in Germany is finally about to wake up.
Information shared with Teslarati indicates that the press conference later will be attended not only by Brandenburg Minister-President Dietmar Woidke. Other key personalities in Giga Berlin’s development such as Environment Minister Axel Vogel and Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) will also be present at the event.
Ulrich Stock, the department head responsible in the State Office for the Environment, Sascha Gehm, the First Deputy of the Oder-Spree district, and Arne Christiani, the Mayor of Grünheide, are also expected to be present at the press conference.
A quick refresher of what’s been happening in Giga Berlin can be found below.
Another permit after the final environmental approval
It should be noted that the final environmental approval is a massive step forward for Gigafactory Berlin. However, the final environmental approval does not mean that vehicle production could immediately start. An operating license is still required before Model Ys can be produced. Tesla must then meet further requirements before Giga Berlin’s Model Y production lines could start operations.
Teslarati has contacted several local government offices to inquire about the requirements that Tesla needs to submit to secure Giga Berlin’s operational license for vehicle production. Local government offices have so far declined to provide additional information, at least for now.
An ongoing water dispute
Giga Berlin has a lot of critics, and it has faced opposition over the years. Among the most notable talking points against Giga Berlin as of late is its water supply. Conservationists and local resident groups have expressed their fear that Giga Berlin will put the local water supply at risk. Legal action has been taken about the issue. Local water association Strausberg-Erkner (WSE) believes that Tesla’s water supply for Giga Berlin could still be terminated, but such a development may result in Tesla taking legal action.
Tesla is set to receive a supply of 1.4 million cubic liters of drinking water every year, though this may increase as Gigafactory Berlin expands its operations. It should be noted that a nearby coal mine and an oil refinery in the area are consuming far more water annually than Tesla. CEO Elon Musk has also said that Tesla will “recycle as much as humanly possible,” adding that he’s “pretty confident that (Giga Berlin) will be the most environmentally friendly factory in the world.”
A summary of delays
Gigafactory Berlin started its construction about two years ago, and initially, the facility seemed to be progressing at around the same pace as its sibling, Gigafactory Shanghai. Tesla also planned to start vehicle production in summer 2021, a target that was ultimately not met. This was partly due to several delays, which included a time when construction had to be paused due to hibernating snakes in the area. Tesla also faced much opposition from environmentalist groups who opposed the tree-cutting on the site. The EV maker responded by planting more trees than it had cut.
Even Tesla itself became a source of delays for the launch of Giga Berlin. Tesla moves at a very quick pace, and it updates its plans for its facilities accordingly. In Giga Berlin’s case, the company decided to add the construction and operation of a battery factory. This resulted in Giga Berlin’s applications requiring updates, causing further delays. Thankfully, most of Giga Berlin’s delays seem to have been dealt with for now, and the facility is in its final stages before it could start its operations.
Future plans
Tesla’s Gigafactories are ever-developing, and the same is true for Giga Berlin. As per information shared with German news agency rbb24, new applications for further expansion are expected to be submitted soon. Battery recycling facilities are also reportedly planned for the site, and so is a production line for Powerwall batteries, which may be equipped with cells that are produced in the Giga Berlin complex. Teslarati has attempted to confirm these reports, but local office representatives have declined to comment on the matter.
Giga Berlin’s press conference for the facility’s final environmental approval is expected to start at 3:30 p.m. CET (6:30 a.m. PST).
Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Elon Musk
SpaceX to launch Starlink V2 satellites on Starship starting 2027
The update was shared by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and Starlink Vice President Mike Nicolls.
SpaceX is looking to start launching its next-generation Starlink V2 satellites in mid-2027 using Starship.
The update was shared by SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell and Starlink Vice President Mike Nicolls during remarks at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.
“With Starship, we’ll be able to deploy the constellation very quickly,” Nicolls stated. “Our goal is to deploy a constellation capable of providing global and contiguous coverage within six months, and that’s roughly 1,200 satellites.”
Nicolls added that once Starship is operational, it will be capable of launching approximately 50 of the larger, more powerful Starlink satellites at a time, as noted in a Bloomberg News report.
The initial deployment of roughly 1,200 next-generation satellites is intended to establish global and contiguous coverage. After that phase, SpaceX plans to continue expanding the system to reach “truly global coverage, including the polar regions,” Nicolls said.
Currently, all Starlink satellites are launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The next-generation fleet will rely on Starship, which remains in development following a series of test flights in 2025. SpaceX is targeting its next Starship test flight, featuring an upgraded version of the rocket, as soon as this month.
Starlink is currently the largest satellite network in orbit, with nearly 10,000 satellites deployed. Bloomberg Intelligence estimates the business could generate approximately $9 billion in revenue for SpaceX in 2026.
Nicolls also confirmed that SpaceX is rebranding its direct-to-cell service as Starlink Mobile.
The service currently operates with 650 satellites capable of connecting directly to smartphones and has approximately 10 million monthly active users. SpaceX expects that figure to exceed 25 million monthly active users by the end of 2026.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s xAI and X to pay off $17.5B debt in full: report
The update was shared initially in a report from Bloomberg News, which cited people reportedly familiar with the matter.
Elon Musk’s social platform X and artificial intelligence startup xAI are reportedly preparing to repay approximately $17.5 billion in outstanding debt in full.
The update was shared initially in a report from Bloomberg News, which cited people reportedly familiar with the matter.
Morgan Stanley, which arranged the debt financing for both companies, has reportedly informed existing lenders that X and xAI plan to pay back the full amount of the $17.5 billion debt. Bloomberg’s sources did not disclose where the capital for the repayment would be coming from.
X, formerly known as Twitter, assumed roughly $12.5 billion in debt during Musk’s acquisition of the company. xAI separately borrowed about $5 billion through bonds and loans last June. The two firms merged last year under xAI Holdings.
Bloomberg noted that portions of the debt are relatively recent and may carry early repayment penalties. xAI’s $3 billion in high-yield bonds are expected to be redeemed at 117 cents on the dollar, reflecting a premium since the debt was expected to stay outstanding for at least two years.
X has been servicing tens of millions of dollars in monthly debt payments, while xAI has reportedly been burning approximately $1 billion in cash per month as it invests heavily in data centers, chips, and AI talent. That being said, xAI also concluded a funding round in January, where it raised $20 billion of new equity.
The repayment plans come as Musk consolidates several of his businesses. SpaceX recently acquired xAI, making it a subsidiary as the company explores plans for space-based data centers. The combined entity has been valued at approximately $1.25 trillion.
Bloomberg previously reported that SpaceX is targeting a confidential IPO filing as soon as this month, potentially positioning the private space firm for a public listing later this year. Representatives for Morgan Stanley declined to comment, and X and xAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin head calls out Handelsblatt’s claimed 2025 production figures
Andre Thierig, Senior Director of Manufacturing at Giga Berlin, published a detailed post on LinkedIn challenging several points made in the publication’s coverage of the Grünheide facility.
Tesla Gigafactory Berlin’s plant manager has publicly pushed back against recent reporting by German business publication Handelsblatt, which cited reportedly erroneous data about the factory’s production figures and financial performance.
Andre Thierig, Senior Director of Manufacturing at Giga Berlin, published a detailed post on LinkedIn challenging several points made in the publication’s coverage of the Grünheide facility.
In his LinkedIn post, Thierig called out Handelsblatt’s claim that 149,000 Model Y vehicles were produced at Giga Berlin in 2025. He noted that “the article is simply filled from front to back with false information and claims!
“I have to set the record straight here! In the last article about Tesla in Grünheide, the Handelsblatt speaks e.g. of 149,000 Model Ys built in 2025. WRONG!
“In 2025, we again produced over 200,000 vehicles. And this despite the fact that we stopped production in Q1 for the changeover to the new Model Y and then ramped it up again to 5,000 units per week over several weeks,” Thierig wrote.
He added that production increased each quarter in 2025 compared to the prior quarter and stated that more than 700,000 Model Y units have been produced at Grünheide since manufacturing began in 2022. For the first quarter of 2026, he stated that the factory is planning another production increase compared to the fourth quarter of 2025.
Thierig also questioned Handelsblatt’s reported 0.74% profit margin, writing that how the publication calculated the figure “remains reserved for their secret ‘calculation skills.’”
Beyond production data, Thierig highlighted Tesla’s broader footprint in Germany, stating that the company has invested more than €5 billion in Grünheide since 2020 and created nearly 11,000 permanent, above-tariff jobs. He added that Tesla is currently investing nearly €100 million into battery cell production at the site, which is expected to generate several hundred additional positions.
In a follow-up comment, Thierig noted that he did communicate with the publication’s editor-in-chief in an effort to “start fresh,” but he was informed that Handelsblatt’s current approach works just fine.
“Last year, I spoke to a representative of the Handelsblatt editor-in-chief and suggested that we “start anew” again. Handelsblatt turned down this offer on the grounds that their current approach works well for them,” Thierig noted.
Sönke Iwersen, Head of Investigative Research at Handelsblatt, responded to Thierig’s post, stating that the newspaper’s figures were based on Tesla’s own annual financial statements for the Grünheide entity.
He cited reported 2024 revenue of €7.68 billion, operating profit of €156.8 million, and net income after taxes of €55.6 million. Iwersen also referenced prior public comments from Elon Musk about Cybertruck demand, noting the gap between reported pre-orders and subsequent annual sales figures.
He also stated that the works council election eligibility figures Giga Berlin had dropped to 10,703 employees today from 12,415 two years ago.
“As far as production figures are concerned, these are figures from the data service provider Inovev. This is also stated in the article. Please compare this with Elon Musk’s information on demand for the Cybertruck. According to Musk, there were one million pre-orders. In the first year, 39,000 units were sold, in the second year 20,000. How can this be explained? With a million pre-orders?
“You yourself have repeatedly pointed out in recent months that no jobs would be cut in Grünheide because Tesla is different from the competition. Now a new works council is being elected in Grünheide. 10,703 people are eligible to vote. Two years ago, 12,415 people were eligible to vote. So there were exactly 1712 fewer from 2024 to 2026,” Iwersen wrote.
SpaceX to launch Starlink V2 satellites on Starship starting 2027
Elon Musk’s xAI and X to pay off $17.5B debt in full: report
