Plans to expand Tesla further into Europe are not going smoothly. Alongside a litany of other issues, the company's in-construction “Gigafactory” is set to be hit with a massive fine. Unfortunately, for the company, that's the least of their issues.
Tesla Gigafactory fine
Reported by Tagesspiegel newspaper, via Reuters, a German regional authority is preparing to fine Tesla for illegal construction. The newspaper states that the Brandenburg discovered that the company had constructed tanks on the environment without authorisation.
The “Gigafactory” has now been named from using the constructed tanks. However, Tesla may still have to answer for building the unsanctioned tanks in the first place. Furthermore, the company will possibly receive a hefty fine for their actions.
Tesla's factory’s building of unauthorised tanks comes after local complaints that the company isn't doing enough to protect the environment. In fact, local groups see the factory as a massive environmental concern for the area’s ecosystems.
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Local groups fight back
Tesla's Gigafactory building site has come under fire for its location. The company is building their factory on a site that overlaps a drinking water protecting zone and a nature reserve. Even to start their preliminary development, the company has started building in a way that endangers the local fauna.
After felling a large number of tress within their 740-acre building site, Tesla kept a single tree standing. Reported by The Washington Post, the company had to wait for a colony of bats to wake from hibernation before continuing.
At the time of writing, Tesla does not have permits to continue full production. As the company plans to add a battery production plant to the building, they've had to resubmit their plans.
Tesla will still face issues getting the new factory up and running, especially from environmentalists. If the factory does go ahead, there's no telling how much of an impact it could have on the local ecosystems.
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