Elon Musk recently announced that Gigafactory 4 will be established in the Berlin Area. The Tesla CEO later added that the upcoming Berlin factory will focus on batteries and powertrains. Surprisingly, he also revealed that the facility will start with Model Y production.
Based on Musk’s tweet on November 13, plans for Gigafactory 4 are taking root. According to the Tesla CEO, Gigafactory 4 will be starting production with the Model Y instead of the Model 3 as initially expected. GF4 will manufacture batteries and powertrains as well, which suggests that Model Y parts will be produced within the same location, much like the Model 3 in Gigafactory 3.
Will build batteries, powertrains & vehicles, starting with Model Y
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2019
According to a previous Tesmanian article, Tesla is already looking for employees for Gigafactory 4. All the positions are related to general operations, like engineering, construction, operations, and manufacturing, shared @Ray4Tesla via Twitter.
Elon Musk made his Gigafactory 4 announcement after speaking at the Golden Wheel Award show in Germany. He expressed his thoughts on German engineering and art.
“Everyone knows that German engineering is outstanding, for sure. That’s part of the reason why we are locating our Gigafactory Europe in Germany. We are also going to create an engineering and design center in Berlin because Berlin has some of the best art in the world,” Musk said.
Tesla Germany puts Tesla in the three most dominant regions with the best manufacturing and most desire for EVs. Tesla strategy for global EV dominance is rapidly taking shape. $tsla
— Ross Gerber (@GerberKawasaki) November 12, 2019
Berlin is home to facilities of well-known automotive brands like Daimler, VW, BMW. So, with GF4, Tesla will be closer to some of the most esteemed car manufacturers in auto history. It will be interesting to see how Gigafactory Europe helps Tesla find its place among the sea of renowned automakers in Germany.
The Model Y crossover and Model 3 sedan share 75 percent of their components, so Tesla will not be starting entirely from scratch in Gigafactory Europe. The all-electric automaker has likely already learned a lot of new information--in terms of production--from its Fremont and Shanghai factories.
Tesla may apply some of its gathered knowledge to GF4. So, Tesla’s Berlin-based factory may end up being the electric car maker's most efficient one. After all, Tesla is known to constantly adapt, change, and transform itself so it can make better cars in a more efficient manner.
About the Author
Claribelle Deveza
Longtime writer and news/book editor. Writing about Tesla allows me to contribute something good to the world, while doing something I love.