Tesla's Musk blames bureaucracy for German gigafactory delays
Reuters
Published May 17, 2021 06:55AM ET
Updated May 17, 2021 12:58PM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) -Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk called for cuts to German red tape on Monday as he said it was unclear when exactly the first electric car would roll off the production line of its planned plant outside Berlin.
Last month Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) delayed the opening of its first European gigafactory to late 2021 from an initial July 1 date after adding plans to also establish a battery cell plant on site as well as a lengthy approval processes..
"It's hard to predict with precision cause you can only make the cars when all of the pieces are here," Musk said during a visit to the Gruenheide site in the German state of Brandenburg.
"It looks like we're able to start production end of this year," Musk added.
Home to traditional carmaking rivals Volkswagen (DE:VOWG_p), Daimler (OTC:DDAIF) and BMW, Germany is also known for its complex regulation and bureaucracy.
"I think there could be less bureaucracy, that would be better," Musk told reporters at the Gruenheide site, adding that rules were "immortal".
Brandenburg's Economy Minister Joerg Steinbach had earlier said that Musk would be visiting, adding no meetings with either him or state premier Dietmar Woidke were planned as the visit was mainly "technical in character".
"There should be some kind of active process for removal of rules. Otherwise, over time, the rules will just accumulate and you get more and more rules until eventually you can't do anything," Musk said.
German newspaper Tagesspiegel said that the Tesla CEO and founder's plane had landed in Berlin late on Sunday.
Get The News You Want
Written By: Reuters
Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.