Tesla Gigafactory 4 to call Germany home, according to Musk
CEO Elon Musk reportedly announced the German location at an awards ceremony on Tuesday.
After years of behind-the-scenes planning and decision making, it appears Tesla has decided where it will build its European Gigafactory. According to reported comments from CEO Elon Musk , the electric-car maker will build the factory in Germany.
Electrek first reported on the news Tuesday and cited comments Musk made at a Golden Wheel automotive award ceremony. There, he reportedly said Tesla chose the "Berlin area" for what he called Gigafactory 4; the Tesla boss also said there are plans for an engineering and design center.
Roadshow reached out to Tesla to confirm the news Musk shared but the company did not immediately respond. However, Musk has since tweeted a supportive message that seemingly follows his comments.
This past August, reports surfaced suggesting Tesla had its eye on Germany for the Gigafactory, and at the time, the northwest part of the country was in the running. However, Musk originally made comments suggesting the German/French border was the optimal location. Berlin, in contrast, is closer to the border of Poland.
In addition to the announcement today, Tesla has already started posting job listings for the Berlin Gigafactory 4 site. The career website lists openings for construction, operations, manufacturing and other areas, though they don't include the Berlin location. Instead, they're listed as "remote."
Construction of Gigafactory 4 could begin rather quickly. Musk has previously said he wants the facility operational in 2021. Meanwhile, the automaker has begun preproduction at its new Chinese facility -- a crucial step for the electric startup. Locally made cars will avoid any tariffs.