The Tesla factory in Europe has started production: when will the first models be delivered

Tesla will hand over the first Model Y SUVs to customers at a Gruenheide event, which is expected to be attended by CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla will deliver the first cars from its long-delayed European factory next week, German media said.

Deliveries are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, March 22, when an opening ceremony is scheduled to be attended by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Tesla received final approval for the Gruenheide plant near Berlin earlier this month, subject to conditions. The plant has so far been built with temporary permits.

The $ 5 billion factory is key to Musk’s ambitions to defeat European market leader Volkswagen.

“I expect Elon Musk to be there on Tuesday,” Joerg Steinbach, Brandenburg’s economy minister, told Handelsblatt. “When the gigabyte starts operating, the first cars will be handed over in the presence of Elon Musk,” he said.

Tesla’s long-awaited moment

The factory is scheduled to produce more than 500,000 battery-powered electric vehicles a year, starting with the Model Y model, while its battery plant will generate more than 50 gigawatts a year.

Musk originally wanted production to begin on July 1, 2021, however, the approval process was delayed as Tesla added a battery factory to the factory’s request, adding to the delays caused by environmental objections.

The plant’s approval includes many conditions that Tesla must meet when it comes to using water and air pollution control, two areas of major concern for local environmental groups who fear the plant will have a negative impact.

After multiple delays and complaints from Musk about the German bureaucracy, the company is now facing another possible disruption due to supply chain problems caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.