According to satellite analysis, Elon Musk’s Tesla cleared approximately half a million trees to construct its massive Berlin electric car factory.
Data from environmental intelligence firm Kayrros indicated that around 329 hectares of local woodland were cut down between March 2020 and May 2023 to expand the facility, equating to about 500,000 trees.
Construction on the plant, which can produce 500,000 electric vehicles annually, began in 2020, and the official opening will take place in 2022. It is Tesla’s only “gigafactory” in Europe.
The significant environmental impact revealed by the satellite images shared with the Guardian is expected to rekindle controversy surrounding the factory.
The project has already sparked protests from left-wing environmental groups, who have accused Elon Musk of harming local wildlife and contaminating the drinking water.
For months, dozens of protesters have occupied the forests surrounding Tesla’s Brandenburg site.
In March, the site was targeted in an arson attack that temporarily halted production when an electricity pylon was set on fire.
Musk criticized the attackers, who identified themselves as the Volcano Group, calling them the “dumbest eco-terrorists.” He remarked at the time, “Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, is extrem dumm [German for extremely stupid].”
In July, Tesla received approval from the German government to further expand the Gruenheide plant on the outskirts of Berlin, doubling its production capacity to approximately one million vehicles per year.
Antoine Halff, chief analyst at Kayrros, told the Guardian: “The Tesla factory in Germany has resulted in significant tree felling. However, this needs to be weighed against the benefits of replacing internal combustion engine cars with electric vehicles.”
He noted that the lost trees would contribute around 13,000 tonnes of CO2—roughly the same amount emitted by 2,800 internal combustion engine cars on average.
“So, that’s just a fraction of the number of electric cars Tesla produces and sells each quarter,” Halff explained. “There are always trade-offs, so it’s important to understand the terms of those trade-offs.”
Elon Musk has acknowledged the trade-offs involved in achieving net zero during the transition to greener energy sources, stating that “we should not demonize oil and gas in the medium term.”
He has also claimed that the urgency expressed by climate change activists is “exaggerated in the short term.”
