Tesla Berlin Expected to Break Ground on Gigafactory 4 Before Approval Next Week

 Tesla Berlin is expected to break ground on Gigafactory 4 before its purchase agreement is approved. Tesla enthusiast @Gf4Tesla shared the news via Twitter. If the automaker does intend to start construction on GF4 this early, it may meet expectations for Model Y production in 2021.

“Tesla is likely to start at [its] own risk even before the approval if a positive decision can be expected. This is permitted by the Federal Immission Control Act for projects of public interest,” said Environment and Agriculture Minister of Brandenburg Axel Vogel. 

@Tesla construction starts even before approval.!!!!
Tesla has reached an agreement with the Brandenburg government on the purchase contract for the plant in #Grünheide.
Minister of Economics : “We are on schedule. "
👌👍 https://t.co/rGrThywCnm

— #Gf4 #Gigafactory4 (@Gf4Tesla) December 12, 2019

The next-gen automaker seems to be going full steam ahead with Gigafactory 4, much like Tesla China did with the Shanghai factory. Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach said, “We are on schedule. The building area is expected to be cleared by mid-March [2020].”

The all-electric car maker will reportedly pay a sum reaching the double-digit millions for the 300-hectare piece of land where Gigafactory Berlin will be built. “The area of the country is sold at the market value customary in the market,” said Minister Steinbach. 

According to BZ-Berlin, the purchase agreement for the land could be signed later this week. The Brandenburg Finance Committee is expected to approve the purchase agreement by Wednesday, December 18. Tesla Berlin may not receive EU funding from the settlement because there were "no cross-subsidies for the company due to a cheaper price,” stated Minister Steinbach. 

Once the purchase agreement is approved, Tesla should submit a 2,000-paged application for approval of the plant to the State Environmental Agency by Friday, December 20. 

News of Tesla breaking ground so early on Gigafactory 4 aligns with recent information from enthusiast Morten Grove, who has been keeping a close eye on the company’s movements in Europe. Grove received a tip from an inside source close to the matter about Tesla's Model Y production expected to start in 2021. 

Tesla technicians and staff are reportedly already familiarizing themselves with the Model Y, which has been making rounds in Europe. Grove's inside source also told him that Tesla plans to start a technical training program presumably for its future employees in Q1 2020. 

⚠️Model Y News from trusted source⚠️
Model Y is in Europe; currently in Münich Germany & was in Tilburg Netherlands last.
Tesla is touring the car so European technicians & staff can get a closer look & a techincal training program established in Q1 20@ModelYendofICE @teslawelt pic.twitter.com/FITZUrO8Bi

— Morten Grove 🚢 (@mortenlund89) December 11, 2019

Tesla’s Gigafactory 4 could be quiet beneficial to Berlin and its surrounding area Brandenburg. The Berlin factory is predicted to create around 8,000 new jobs in the area, 3,000 of which could be filled in the early months of its construction. 

There have also been rumors about Tesla preparing to produce its own battery cells in Gigafactory 4. At the same time, the Federal Government in Germany plans to reduce the country’s dependence on Asian battery suppliers soon.

Tesla’s Gigafactory 4 could make significant waves in Europe’s EV market, similar to Gigfactory 3 in China--which is expected to revive the electric car market in the country. With GF4, Tesla is moving further and further into the global market, and its supportive community seems to be excited to see the results of its growth.

Featured Image Credit: @vincent13031925/Twitter

H/T: @Gf4Tesla