Tesla Secures Green Light To Build More Test Cars At Giga Berlin

Tesla Inc TSLA has secured the green light to build more test cars at Giga Berlin, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing a spokeswoman for the environment ministry in the state of Brandenburg.

What Happened: The Elon Musk-led Tesla can build as many as 2,000 electric vehicles at Giga Berlin, up from 250 earlier.

The electric vehicle maker can use the vehicles for testing purposes and is not allowed to sell the cars. 

See Also: Tesla Giga Berlin Yet To Receive Production Greenlight Over Pending Documents

Why It Matters: Tesla’s Giga Berlin start-of-production date has been delayed by several months as the electric vehicle maker is still waiting for final approval from local authorities to commence commercial production.

The Austin, Texas-based electric vehicle maker and the relevant German authorities last month submitted all the requested documents for the final clearance.

A regional environmental ministry in Germany in November repeated an online consultation with local citizens to review objections related to Tesla’s Berlin manufacturing facility.

Musk has blamed German bureaucracy for the delay in the start of the production at the Berlin Gigafactory.

Tesla is reportedly expected to secure the nod to begin production in early 2022.

Price Action: Tesla shares closed 0.6% lower at $1,064.4 a share on Tuesday.