Tesla lays out steps to building Europe’s biggest car plant

Tesla (TSLA.O) has requested approval from German local authorities to make sweeping changes to its factory near Berlin, a key next step in its ambitious plan to expand the site into Europe’s biggest car plant.

A day after Tesla sought to assuage local concerns with a question-and-answer session on the expansion, application documents published by the local environment ministry and water authority on Wednesday showed the long list of modifications Tesla plans to make at the plant.

Ultimately Tesla wants to double capacity to 1 million cars per year and 100 gigawatt hours of battery production at a plant that would make even more cars than produced by Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) at its Wolfsburg headquarters.

Modifications outlined in the application, which are just the first of three stages of changes and include constructing a battery cell testing lab and extending water recycling, should become operational in the first half of 2024, according to the documents.

Changes also include extensions or changes to existing parts of the facility like the press shop and paint shop, as well as constructing new elements such as a material storage facility, the document said.

Tesla has faced considerable delays to its planned opening date for the plant due to a high number of objections filed by local citizens, mainly over environmental impact and water usage.

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