Tesla grilled on plans to expand Berlin site to Germany's largest car factory

BERLIN – Tesla on Tuesday sought to assuage local residents concerns over the EV maker's planned expansion of its factory near Berlin that would make the site Germany's biggest car plant. Tesla currently builds about 5,000 Model Y electric SUVs a week at the plant in Gruenheide. The company aims to double annual capacity to 1 million vehicles a year and add 50 gigawatt hours of battery production capacity, though it has not provided a timeline. The Model Y was the region's best-selling car in the first half, with 125,000 units sold, according to analysts Dataforce. "Water isn't a Tesla problem - it's a general problem," said 68-year-old local resident Matthias Handschick.