![Tesla faces hurdle in Germany as locals vote against factory expansion Tesla faces hurdle in Germany as locals vote against factory expansion](https://i0.wp.com/image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/107212249-1679402134072-gettyimages-1248921715-20090101230321-99-29003.jpeg?fit=%2C&ssl=1)
Employees at Tesla’s Berlin-Brandenburg Gigafactory work on the production line of the Model Y electric vehicle. The Tesla factory was completed and put into production on March 22, 2022.
Patrick Pulley | Image Alliance | Getty Images
electric car manufacturer Tesla It failed to win a local vote to authorize a major factory expansion at the company’s battery and car assembly plant in Brandenburg, Germany.
German state broadcaster DW first reported The vote revealed that Tesla would need to clear “approximately 250 acres of forest in a rural community of fewer than 8,000 people adjacent to a nature preserve” to expand.
Tesla’s planned expansion in Grünheide, about an hour’s drive from Berlin in the Brandenburg district, includes the design of a rail freight terminal and storage facilities that could help Tesla avoid the need to include existing freight rail lines in the area. relies on other logistics providers within the company and helps them avoid production suspensions due to parts shortages.
The vote was reportedly non-binding New York TimesLocal officials will reportedly try to find other solutions.
The German factory temporarily halted production for about two weeks earlier this year, with executives saying Houthi attacks on Red Sea ships caused or exacerbated local parts shortages.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, Tesla reported that the factory, known as the Berlin Brandenburg Factory, had annual production capacity Produce 375,000 of the company’s Model Y vehicles. The company also said in its most recent quarterly filing that its international manufacturing facilities, including Germany, allow Tesla to “increase customer satisfaction with its vehicles in local markets by reducing shipping and manufacturing costs and eliminating the impact of adverse tariffs.” Affordability” “.
While Tesla remains Europe’s best-selling brand, it faces competition from more battery-electric models within and outside the region.
According to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, sales of new pure electric passenger cars in Europe increased by 29% in January compared with the same period last year. Germany and France are currently the two largest pure electric vehicle markets in Europe.
In January, Tesla’s sales accounted for 1.7% of the total European passenger car market, including pure electric, hybrid and internal combustion engine models.
Tesla shares, which have fallen more than 20% year to date, were unchanged at midday Wednesday at about $193 a share.
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