In the midst of grief in the auto industry, the newly opened Tesla Berlin plant is expected to reach a production rate of 10,000 Model Y units per week in 2022.
According to local media reports, Tesla's Berlin plant finally opened officially in April. Despite the impact of the war and supply chain issues, Gigafactory Berlin is still producing hundreds of Model Ys per week and is expected to reach the goal of 1,000 vehicles per week at the end of April.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk personally flew to Germany in April to commemorate the first delivery from the Berlin plant and to show off his dancing skills but the real goal was to get local employees to prepare for a production surge.
Current production capacity is estimated at about 350 vehicles per week and will reach 1,000 vehicles per week by the end of this month while the official annual goal is to achieve a production capacity of 5,000 to 10,000 vehicles per week by the end of this year.
German media Automobilwoche pointed out that the total output of Tesla’s Berlin plant in 2022 may only be 30,000 Model Y units, far less than expected.
However, there is also good news here. According to internal sources, Tesla's Berlin plant will be shut down for three weeks in October this year in order to upgrade its production line, introduce new locally produced 4680 battery cells and bid farewell to the currently used 2170 battery cells.
Tesla's self-developed 4680 battery has greater total energy, a faster manufacturing process, and lower cost. Most importantly, it may be introduced into structural design to make the new battery a part of the chassis, saving space and weight. Thus, it is highly anticipated.
At present, only Tesla's Texas plant has begun to produce 4680 batteries which are said to have been loaded onto a small number of Model Ys, while the Tesla battery plant next to its Berlin plant is currently rushing at a rapid pace to finish work. So an officially start this fall appears to be a reasonable estimate.
Gigafactory Berlin's original total planned production capacity is 500,000 vehicles per year. In 2022, this number may be significantly reduced to 30,000 vehicles but if the goal of 10,000 vehicles per week can be achieved by the end of this year, it is equivalent to guaranteeing next year's annual output of 500,000 vehicles. However, troubled by chips and war factors, Tesla may have a hard time reaching its annual goal of 1.5 million vehicles.
(Image: Tesla)