German Court Orders Tesla to Stop Clearing Land at New Factory Site

A German court has stopped work at the site of Tesla’s first factory in Europe due to environmental concerns.

The Higher Administrative Court for Berlin-Brandenburg ordered Tesla to stop clearing trees until the court can consider an environmental group’s appeal.

A lower court told Tesla last week that it could clear the trees as it tries to ready ground for the factory build. However, a group called Green League Brandenburg appealed, saying the factory could potentially pollute the area.

Tesla’s factory near Berlin will manufacture both batteries and cars, starting with the upcoming Model Y SUV. The company hopes to open the factory next year.

 

[GrisLightning]

Am I cynical or was this already approved for BMW and now that it's tesla it's more complicated? If I had to guess one auto manufacturer to go bankrupt in the future though BMW is getting high on that list

 

[jfabula]

Oh my god, no.
Germany has access to so many highly skilled German engineers. Not saying German engineers are better, just mean to say that there more of them in Germany.
Also Germany has a highly skilled, experienced workforce dealing with export issues.

Isn't it that Tesla head car design is German??

 

[kennethowens]

A German court has stopped work at the site of Tesla’s first factory in Europe due to environmental concerns. The Higher Administrative Court for Berlin-Brandenburg ordered Tesla to stop clearing trees until the court can consider an environmental group’s appeal. A lower court told Tesla last week that it could clear the trees as it...
[WPURI="https://teslamotorsclub.com/blog/2020/02/17/german-court-orders-tesla-to-stop-clearing-land-at-new-factory-site/"]READ FULL ARTICLE[/WPURI]

I've lived in Germany for many years and they're really concerned about the environment you couldn't even wash your car outside like we can here so I'm not surprised

 

[dsnows]

Am I cynical or was this already approved for BMW and now that it's tesla it's more complicated? If I had to guess one auto manufacturer to go bankrupt in the future though BMW is getting high on that list

Clearing of the trees was already approved for a paper manufacturing plant. In fact, that's why the trees were planted. Not sure about BMW but, Tesla was also already approved to clear the trees by local regulators. Unfortunately, can't stop a crazy group from filing a law suit.

 

[Mr T]

Do we think the embedded Deutschland auto industry is going to just welcome Tesla without exerting a bit of their political influence?

 

[radami1]

According to the interview (linked above by T B) with the head of Grüne Liga, only 47 hectares had been cleared by the time the court's injunction stopped work.

GL's concern, they say, is not to stop Tesla but to make sure that all proper procedures have been undertaken before any more trees are removed. The time limit for public input in the proceedings ends March 5, after which the relevant authorities must decide whether or not to allow work to continue. that could be a big problem because Tesla wants to get the initial 90 hectares cleared before the early March start of nesting season for certain birds that would presumably be disturbed by the noise, machinery, and people at work in the area.

According to the interview, the Bavarian group who also are complaining has nothing to do with Grüne Liga, but is against all green energy projects, so presumably opposes Tesla itself.

47 hectares is 116 acres

 

[brucet999]

47 hectares is 116 acres

Good catch.
Since the area to be cleared was to be 91 hectares, I misread Sagebrush's post as 90.5 hectares. His 90.5 acres would indeed be close to half the area planned for clearing.

 

[BlackPearl2023]

Should have chosen The Netherlands

That wouldn't make any difference with our CO2/construction policies.

 

[Flux Capacitor]

The irony is palpable.

Bet they would not have stopped the work for a Mercedes Diesel engine factory...

 

[HVM]

"Tesla’s work at Giga Berlin may continue as early as next week, according to Brandenburg Minister of Economics Jörg Steinbach in a recent interview. He believes that the German court will ultimately rule in favor of Tesla, allowing the electric car maker to resume its tree-clearing activities in Brandenburg."

Tesla Giga Berlin's work poised to resume next week following temporary halt

 

[Lasttoy]

I lived in Germany for 12 years, the crazy Greens can stop anything. They got shot by police when the new airport runway construction started in Frankfurt. The Tesla site had bats that had to be removed before the trees could be cut. It will take time to overcome the law suits. The Greens cause havoc all the time there, they have seats in the Congress. Not like here in USA, where there is NO Green party.

 

[SageBrush]

I'm curious if anybody happens to know ---
Were the WWII bombs in the area cleared of trees ?

 

[Uncle Paul]

The law suits were not filed to stop pollution, or the clearing of the trees, but to stop Tesla from building a factory.

Reality is that Tesla is just replacing a tree factory (farm) with a car factory.

Heard that fully 1/3 of the entire German population is somehow involved with the current ICE auto industry. It is critical to transition from gas to electric drive to remain competitive. Otherwise the mighty German industrialization will be cut in 1/2.

 

[mikegre]

One would think Tesla would have sorted this out beforehand.

 

[Darren Donovan]

The irony is palpable.

Same thought I had this morning seeing a Tesla mobile service ICE van, Lol.

 

[brucet999]

I'm curious if anybody happens to know ---
Were the WWII bombs in the area cleared of trees ?

There were reports of some ordnance located and marked, an estimate based on average density of UXB in other areas that 25 bombs might be found on the full site.

I have not read of any bombs having actually been removed.

 

[brucet999]

The law suits were not filed to stop pollution, or the clearing of the trees, but to stop Tesla from building a factory.

The head of Grüne Liga said that they were suing to be sure that the complete process was followed, but made no explicit claim of environmental damage, just asking for the issue of disturbing bats and ants (no kidding; ants) to be studied. If the court agrees, then the project will be delayed considerably.

 

[mongo]

Complaint against Giga Berlin dismissed.

@GF4Tesla..️️.build #GigaBerlin. on Twitter

 

[HVM]

One would think Tesla would have sorted this out beforehand.

How to F**k you can do that? Wait for final approval, do you even know German bureaucracy... NIMBYs can make complaints any time.

Also interesting comment at German court lifts freeze on Giga Berlin building, forest clearing can resume - Electrek:

-Tesla Coil
"Note that the second complainant "environmental" group that did not agree to settle with Tesla (VLAB of Bavaria) is actually a right wing organization, denying climate change, being against wind energy and arguing that diesel cars are the most environmental friendly ones, and supported by extreme right wing party AfD."

 

[Incredulocious]

I lived in Germany for 12 years, the crazy Greens can stop anything. They got shot by police when the new airport runway construction started in Frankfurt. The Tesla site had bats that had to be removed before the trees could be cut. It will take time to overcome the law suits. The Greens cause havoc all the time there, they have seats in the Congress. Not like here in USA, where there is NO Green party.

From electrek:
“There was swift backlash against the halt by some groups, including national Green politicians. Oliver Kirscher, a Green party vice chairman in the Bundestag, said in support of the project (translated through deepl):

‘To turn a pine wood plantation into a battlefield is absurd. This has nothing to do with nature conservation! We need investment in sustainable infrastructure and future-proof industry and we must also make land available for this. We have an unprecedented extinction of species in Germany, but that has nothing to do with Tesla-Giga-Factories or wind energy. We need nature and species protection where it can make a difference and not proxy disputes based on pine plantations’.”

Also, note this:
“Brandenburg Green League was joined by another group, the Association for Landscape Conservation and Species Protection in Bavaria (VLAB). Despite their green-sounding name, VLAB is a group which was formed to oppose the installation of wind turbines and solar power systems in Germany, and support the use of fossil fuels for energy. They are also associated with some groups that deny climate change.

After the freeze, Brandenburg Green League came to an agreement with Tesla and agreed to withdraw the complaint, but VLAB did not approve of the agreement and thus the complaint stayed active. Brandenburg Green League has distanced themselves from VLAB for this reason.”