So a factory opening needs a permit first. Who knew?
https://www.businessinsider.co.za/tesla-berlin-gigafactory-delays-july-opening-date-2021-7
Since beginning work on the sprawling plant in early 2020, Tesla has faced setback after setback over issues like environmental impact and permitting. It all means that Tesla is way behind schedule in opening up the factory, the cornerstone of its European strategy where it plans to churn out half a million cars annually.
Elon Musk vs. German bureaucracy
Tesla has hit one bureaucratic slowdown after another since it broke ground in the small town of Grünheide, near Berlin.
In December, Tesla was forced to temporarily stop constructing parts of the plant after it failed to pay a €100 million deposit on time. In June, it had to resubmit permit applications to account for a battery-production facility. The public now has until August 16 to review the documents and file any objections, according to the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment.
This whole time, Tesla has been building the factory under a series of provisional permits - at its own financial risk - as it waits for full approval from the environmental authority in Brandenburg. Theoretically, it would have to dismantle the plant if the project isn't given the green light, and it's unclear when Tesla will get full authorisation.
Tesla has gotten fed up with the delays. In April, the company sent a letter to the Brandenburg state government complaining about the "irritating" approval process that had begun 16 months earlier, Bloomberg reported.
TSLA has the opportunity to poach engineering talent in Germany with its inflated stock as currency. Also, Germany has a superior access to the supply chain.
However, The Volkswagen ID3 market just needs to be protected for a little while longer.
