German Construction Company Arikon Will Build Tesla Gigafactory In Brandenburg

March 6th, 2020 by Steve Hanley

Tesla may have plans in mind for its newest factory in the German state of Brandenburg near Berlin, but someone has to actually build the thing. That someone will be German construction company Arikon, according to German news source EFahrer. The company is well versed in project management, and has expertise in all phases of large construction projects, from civil and electrical engineering to infrastructure and environmental technology.

When Tesla needed someone to come in and clear the trees from the construction site, Arikon answered the call, using 36 harvesters and 18 forwarders to complete the work ahead of schedule (and before any more court challenges could materialize). In the process, it created 400 nesting sites nearby. Specialists were brought in to move anthills and relocate reptiles. More than three times as many trees will be planted to offset the loss of trees at the construction site.

Arikon already has construction machinery onsite to begin building the new factory, which is know as Giga Berlin. March 5 was the deadline for local residents to file objections to the plan to build the new factory. There is to be a final meeting on March 18 that should lead to final approval of the project, but construction may begin sooner with the understanding that if final approval is not forthcoming, the land will have to be restored to its prior condition.

Assuming all goes according to plan, groundbreaking is scheduled to take place on March 19 with Elon Musk on hand to personally lay the first stone of the foundation. After that, Arikon will take over building the actual factory to Tesla’s specifications. Presumably, some of the lessons learned in the construction of Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai, China, will be incorporated into this latest facility.

Construction in Shanghai proceeded seven days a week, but in Brandenburg, the machines will stand idle on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, in accordance with local practice. There are some customs and regulations even Elon Musk must honor.

The plan is to have new Tesla Model Y and Model 3 vehicles rolling off the assembly line by the end of next year.









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