Tesla's Berlin Gigafactory Is Making A Crazy Number Of New Cars

Tesla has reached a massive production milestone at its Berlin-based gigafactory. The company took to Twitter to announce its newly-opened German facility has built 1,000 examples of the Model Y SUV this week. The tweet, seen below, shows a large group of employees celebrating the achievement on the factory floor.

It's unclear whether this figure is a production anomaly or if Tesla Berlin will be able to sustain this figure for the rest of the year. If that's the case, the facility will be capable of producing as many as 52,000 vehicles a year - music to the ears of Elon Musk, who recently shared concerns about supply chain issues.

The world's richest individual said strong demand for Tesla products has created a backlog of unfulfilled orders. "The lead time for ordering a Tesla is ridiculously long...our problem is not demand, it is production."

This figure of 1,000 vehicles is impressive when you consider production only kicked off in March. There's still a long way to go for the German-based factory, which has had to contend with issues raised by German officials and environmental agencies. With enough employees to put the vehicles together, Gigafactory Berlin is reportedly capable of spewing out half a million vehicles per annum.

The Texas-based facility has also seen its fair share of challenges in recent months. Despite claims that the paint factory is ecologically sound, environmentalists have questioned where the plant's toxic waste will end up. One of Tesla's permits centers around a battery facility housed near the Lower Colorado River; many are concerned the fresh water supply may be tainted.

Getting back to Tesla's Berlin-based facility, Torque News reports Tesla was hoping to achieve this figure by April but was held back by the aforementioned bureaucratic roadblocks. What's more, production was reportedly pegged at 350 units a week a few months ago.

According to the publication, the paint shop was also a source of delay. Described as the "world's most advanced paint shop" by Musk himself, employees have had to adjust to the newly-adopted process. Still, customers will, at least, be able to order the Model Y in several new shades which the CEO said will "subtly change with curvature."

With this production milestone achieved so early, we anticipate the factory will be producing even more cars by year-end. At least waiting customers will be able to receive their vehicles quicker than anticipated. However, those wanting to place an order now should be aware that Tesla has raised its prices yet again. And that there have been real concerns over the finished product.