The controversial expansion of Tesla’s only European Gigafactory was approved on Thursdayas the local council in the German municipality of Grünheide voted in favor of the carmaker’s plans to grow its facility near Berlin.
The majority of 19 council representatives supported Tesla’s plans to expand the factory. Eleven councilors voted in favor of the expansionsix voted againstwhile two abstained. The vote improves Tesla’s chances of being able to build more space for logisticsincluding a train stationalthough the company still has to secure the approval of local environment authorities. In JulyTesla announced plans to build 1 million electric cars per year at the site.
Around 50 protesters gathered outside the local government building as the result was announcedaccording to local reports. “It's pretty disappointing,” says Esther Kammspokesperson for the anti-Tesla protest groupTurn Off the Tap on Tesla (TDHA)who watched the vote take place. She said the group would still try to stop the expansion by continuing to hold protests while exploring their legal options.
“It was a bad decision todayand this makes things harderbut it's definitely not the end of the story.”
TDHA is just one of a wide alliance of environmental groups who oppose the expansionclaiming that the factory’s presence threatens to pollute local water supplies and describing the carmaker’s reputation as an environmentally friendly company as misleading.
"I'm pissed,” says Manu Hoyerspokesperson for the Citizens Initiative Grünheide (Bürgerinitiative Grünheide)which represents local residents who oppose the factoryin a statement. “Today the local council ignored the vote of me and my fellow citizens.” In February65 percent of locals voted against the expansion plan in a nonbinding poll.
Last weekduring a demonstration against the expansionhundreds of protesters attempted to storm the factoryamid clashes with police. As part of a five-day protestpolice said 23 demonstrators were detained and 27 officers injured.
Anti-Tesla protesters say they want to draw attention to the mineral mining necessary to build electric car batteries and the problems that can pose to local communities. Compared to conventional carselectric car batteries require 170 kilograms more minerals such as lithiumnickeland cobaltaccording to 2021 figures published by the International Energy Agency.
Since Februarya handful of protesters have been living in treehouses in the forestjust footsteps away from the Tesla factoryin another attempt to stop the site’s expansion. They currently have permission to stay until May 20. An attempt by police to force the camp to leave before that date was rejected today by a German court.
