As we reported in a previous piece, Tesla has confirmed that the California-based company will be building another Gigafactory plant soon, but this time in Europe. This was confirmed by CEO Elon Musk yesterday at a press conference in Germany, following Tesla’s acquisition of automated-production specialists Grohmann Engineering.
Tesla is banking on its acquisition of Grohmann to expedite its current production speeds, as it begins pre-production work on the massively-popular Model 3 sedan. Without confirming a specific location for the Gigafactory, Musk said that a location would be identified in the new year. Speculation has us believe that the Tesla facility should be relatively close to the Grohmann factory in Prüm, Germany. The new site will be called ‘Gigafactory 2,’ as the existing plant in Fremont is now being called ‘Gigafactory 1.’
Speaking on bringing Tesla production to Europe, Musk said “This is something that we plan on exploring quite seriously, with different locations for very large scale Tesla vehicle, battery, and powertrain production.” Though the Prüm facility will not be producing vehicles (Tesla has reiterated that ‘Tesla Grohmann Automation’ is a factory development site, and not an actual factory), Tesla may seek to break ground on a new production facility in the area.
Following the acquisition of Grohmann, Tesla expects to create 1,000 jobs in the town in the next two years, with expansion of the automation facility pretty much confirmed for the near future. The developments in automated EV production that will come from the engineering firm will most likely be first applied at the existing Gigafactory in Fremont, California, the current home of Tesla production. The advances here will be crucial to achieving the economies of scale required for the carmaker to continue production and development of more affordable cars, aimed at making Tesla ownership more accessible to the masses.
For more information on Tesla, check out our Showroom.
