Tesla Inc. has submitted an application to the German state of Brandenburg for the expansion of its Berlin superfactory (Giga Berlin), which involves the renovation and expansion of the existing factory site. According to the plan, the Berlin super factory will be able to produce cars at twice the current capacity.
A spokesperson for the Brandenburg State Environment Agency (LfU) revealed that Tesla has applied to expand its production capacity from the current 500,000 vehicles per year to 1 million vehicles per year, an application that was confirmed by a Tesla spokesperson. However, it is worth noting that the Berlin mega-factory is not currently producing at the rate of 500,000 vehicles per year.
Interestingly, Tesla states in its application that “the planning and production processes have been optimized by fully treating and recycling the wastewater generated during production, making the water consumption previously used as a basis and already contracted for sufficient for this expansion as well.” In other words, Tesla implies that it can produce 1 million cars with the same amount of water used to produce 500,000 cars.
The issue of water usage at the Berlin superfactory has been a sore point for the company since the plant was built. Critics argue that the area lacks water and that the Berlin megafactory threatens residents’ water supply. Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained during an early visit to the Berlin SuperFactory site that the facility will do everything it can to reduce and optimize its water consumption. Elon Musk also said that Tesla will be recycling as much water as possible.
