Tesla’s Brandenburg factory becomes site of “Giga-Fest”

BERLIN – From blinking lights and booming loudspeakers to sprawling stages and a Ferris wheel, Tesla’s factory near Berlin has been turned into a festival site for a one-day regional fair on Saturday, hosted by the CEO Elon Musk.

The fair, which is expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors with Brandenburg residents as a priority, will start at 10 a.m. and bands and DJs will “keep the party going” late into the night, according to the official event website.

Musk hopes to get the green light to start production at the site in the coming weeks, which, at its peak, will produce 500,000 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) per year, more than double the German production of BEV in 2020. .

ELON MUSK SAYS TESLA’S HQ WILL MOVE TO AUSTIN. ARE THE NEXT CALIFORNIA VENTURE CAPITAL TRANSACTIONS?

The company also submitted plans to invest 5 billion euros ($ 5.8 billion) in a 50 GWh capacity battery plant next to the site, surpassing Volkswagen’s planned 40 GWh site in Salzgitter. .

While Tesla has repeatedly reminded critics that the site will bring Germany significantly closer to its electric mobility goals, some locals and environmental groups are unhappy with the disruptive approach of the US CEO which they say goes against the grain. of German corporate culture.

The last consultation on public concerns about the site ends on October 14, after which the Environment Ministry will decide whether to reject or approve it. The Brandenburg Minister of the Economy pinned the odds of approval at 95%.

Drone footage posted to Twitter within 24 hours of the show’s start showed preparations were well underway, with sound checks of booming techno beats, lighting tests, and festival tents set up next to rows of Tesla cars.

Tesla received approval from local authorities to have 9,000 people on site at a time despite pandemic-related restrictions limiting large gatherings to 5,000, after presenting a plan on how he would keep the city safe. COVID event, authorities said.

Participants have been given a time slot for a 1.5-hour tour of the factory and must provide proof of a negative COVID test, vaccination or recovery, depending on the admission ticket.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

“We invite you to explore our factory along our production lines. You will have the chance to see how tons of raw metal are melted, pressed and assembled to build our Model Y,” the post said.

($ 1 = 0.8649 euros)