Tesla launched a new website Wednesday that offers some new details about its first factory in Europe.
Located in Grünheide and dubbed Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, construction of the facility is expected to begin in 2020 with production targeted for 2021.
Phase 1 will focus on production of Model Y, with a target capacity of 10,000 vehicles per week.
“We estimate that during Phase 1, we will employ up to 12,000 people, with roles being filled by local residents and employees from wider Europe,” Tesla says on the site. “We want the best talent collaborating and working together to achieve the mission.”
Tesla currently operates an assembly facility for Model S and Model X in Tilburg, the Netherlands. In addition, Tesla Grohmann Automation in Prüm, Germany, specializes in automation of Tesla’s production processes. The company currently employs around 5,500 people in Europe.
A lower court told Tesla last week that it could clear the trees as it tries to ready ground for the factory build.
Tesla’s efforts to build a factory have been challenged by a group of environmentalists that say the factory could potentially pollute the area. Tesla said on its website that it plans to replant an area three times the factory plot, with mixed trees native to their habitat and the potential to become an old growth forest, while working with environmental and other expert groups for the best possible outcome.
Tesla also said that Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg will have a solar roof and ambitious ‘Energiewende’ objectives.