Tesla is expecting to see a wave of protests against its expansion plans at Giga Berlin in the coming days, and as a result will shut down production at the factory for an extra day this week.
According to an internal email to employees obtained by Handelsblatt, Tesla has directed all employees to work from home on Friday following a public holiday on Thursday. The email states that Model Y production will end after the late shift on Wednesday, and resume again with the late shift on Sunday that runs into Monday morning.
Since Tesla only runs it production lines at Giga Berlin from Monday to Friday, and with the planned shutdown for the public holiday on Thursday, Tesla will only be shutting down production for one extra day due to the protests.
During this period, employees will require approval from their manager to be onsite at Giga Berlin.
The protests, planned to start on Wednesday, include a significant rally at the factory gates on Friday as part of broader demonstrations targeting Tesla’s water usage and environmental practices. These events are expected to attract thousands of protestors, with the events organized by various activist groups, including the “Turn off Tesla” alliance and the anti-capitalist coalition “Disrupt.”
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Despite the protests, Tesla remains committed to its expansion plans for Giga Berlin, which will more than double the plant’s production capacity to over 1 million EVs per year and increase its battery production capacity from 50GWh to 100GWh per year.
The expansion plan has faced criticism for potentially impacting the local water supply and requiring the clearing of additional forest areas. A non-binding vote among local residents showed only 35% supported the plans. While the result of the vote does not have a direct impact on whether Giga Berlin’s expansion will ultimately be approved, the result does show that the company needs to do more to raise local awareness of its impact.
