Tesla will deliver the first Model Y cars coming out of the Gigafactory in Berlin on Tuesday. It is the first time that cars come off the line from the factory that has already cost five billion euros and has been delayed for years.
Tesla founder Elon Musk will be present at the opening. The company will then deliver the first 30 Model Y cars made at the Gigafactory in Grünheide near Berlin. The customers specifically get the Model Y Performance model, which costs 70,000 euros. New orders of cars rolling out of the factory are expected to be delivered in April. It is also the first time that this particular Performance model will be delivered in Europe.
The construction of the Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg has been delayed for some time. Tesla already presented plans for the factory at the end of 2019, but construction was delayed due to objections from environmental groups and local politicians. The complex ultimately cost about five billion euros. The property is located on a site of 300 hectares and has a total factory area of 227,000 square meters.
In the long term, the Gigafactory should produce 500,000 cars per year, with a total battery capacity of 50GWh. That is expected to take another three years. The factory currently employs 3000 people. That should eventually become 12,000.