After Tesla founder Elon Musk proposed building the electric carmaker’s first European “gigafactory” in a forest outside Berlin, chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed it as proof of “how things can be achieved in a short time” in Germany’s former communist east.
Almost two years on, environmental protests and bureaucratic battles have frustrated the Tesla chief executive’s hopes to shake up Germany’s staid auto industry, delaying the grand opening by several months and leaving Musk pleading for an “active process” to speed up such tasks.
Yet there was a carnival atmosphere as the public was given a sneak peek inside the factory last weekend as part of a “county fair” aimed at engaging locals — with 9,000 people entertained by street performers, balloon artists and food trucks offering everything from empanadas to currywurst.