FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) said it had resumed tree cutting in Gruenheide, Germany so it can construct its first European car and battery factory following moves by environmentalists to stop local deforestation.
A worker clears trees at the area where U.S. electric vehicle pioneer Tesla plans to build a Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse
“Tree clearance is proceeding in an orderly manner,” Tesla said on Friday. There were no environmentalists holding up the process, Tesla’s spokeswoman Kathrin Schira said in a statement.
The U.S. electric carmaker last November said it will build a factory in Gruenheide in the eastern state of Brandenburg near Berlin, creating up to 12,000 jobs, a decision that was initially lauded as a vote of confidence in Germany.
Tesla wants to start production in 2021, but environmentalists have exploited legal loopholes in the planning process to halt felling of trees until an…
Source Reuters Tech News
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