Tesla has set up new measures in Germany to avoid overzealous red tape, something it has fought hard to avoid since first entering the country in 2020 with the construction of Giga Berlin.
Tesla has established a new division for “approval for use under building law” within the country’s operations in Germany, a report from German media outlet rbb24 said.
The move is a reaction to recent red tape the company faced for driving over 100 piles into the ground in a parking lot at Giga Berlin. The piles were driven into the ground for the development of a solar array project at the factory.
While Tesla did not receive explicit permission from local authorities to install the piles, but the District of Oder-Spree admitted that the low insertion depth of the piles was not likely to interfere with groundwater quality.
Last week, Tesla and the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment met to discuss numerous moves made by the automaker at the plant that were not approved. The issue of the piles was the primary subject at hand, and Minister Axel Vogel said:
“The incident is just the last in a series of unauthorized construction measures and non-approved plant operation.”
Tesla is working to avoid these instances by establishing this new division, and Vogel’s office will monitor “whether sustainable improvements have occurred – i.e. whether such cases will no longer occur as a result.”
The piles join an issue that Tesla was presented with during the construction of a waste storage facility, which had not been approved. However, Tesla started constructing the facility and laid pipes underground without a permit.
To avoid future occurrences with conflict in terms of permitting and Tesla taking steps without receiving actual approval, Vogel said that monthly meetings with the Lower Water Authority, Tesla, and the Strausberg-Erkner Water Association are now being held.
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