People here are being taken for a ride.
Tesla will make sure that this is a gemstone for the area,
for Germany, for Europe, and for the world.
We oppose the Tesla plant here in Grünheide.
We can't afford to carry on this way.
Multibillionaire Elon Musk wants his company Tesla to expand
the Gigafactory in Germany.
And knock down parts of this forest -
turning what was once
a sleepy little German town upside down.
It's a battle of David versus Goliath.
24-year-old Roman is ready to climb up to his current home:
He has been living in a treehouse in the forest for the past month.
First of all, I love forests.
I always feel deeply happy in the woods.
Ever since I got here, I've also felt fully grounded.
But a part of this forest is to be cut down –
to expand a factory that is building climate-friendly electric cars.
A contradiction, says Roman, who is set to start
his master's specializing in environmental protection.
He and others are occupying the trees as a form of
civil resistance to Tesla.
Many of the activists cover their faces when the cameras are on
– Roman’s name is also only an alias.
Tesla is great at selling what they’re doing as a solution.
As a green alternative to what we already have.
But we can't afford to carry on this way.
In the long term, not everyone will be able to have a car.
Why are parts of this forest in danger?
Let’s run through it:
In 2019, Elon Musk announced that Tesla would be coming
to Grünheide, a small town just east of Berlin.
Musk bought land from the state of Brandenburg
to build a massive factory.
This plant produces Tesla’s Model Y
for the European and international market.
A mid-range SUV, which was the world's
best-selling car last year.
Currently, Tesla produces around 300,000 electric cars
per year at Grünheide and wants to more than triple this number.
Upscaling the production process would require Tesla to expand
the Gigafactory, knocking down a part of the forest
for a logistics center and a train station.
This is something Grünheide resident Manuela Hoyer will not stand for.
We met her because she founded a local citizens’ initiative and
is campaigning loudly against any further expansion.
Since day one, she’s been fighting against the Gigafactory’s
destruction of the environment, as she calls it.
The young people living in the camp have become
her natural allies.
It's great that so many young people are committed to preserving
the forest and water.
Most of this forest and the area up ahead is in
a drinking water protection zone.
Not just the trees are a point of concern: In the ground beneath
lie vital water supplies.
If these were to be contaminated, tens of thousands of people
might find themselves without drinking water, she fears.
It's a battle of David versus Goliath.
It's a fight that just makes you feel powerless
and angry at times.
In a recent poll held in Grünheide, over 60% of citizens voted against
Tesla’s plans to expand the plant.
Even though Tesla has since scaled down its plans, the company is still
set on expanding its facility.
Here we are – standing in front of this darned factory.
What didn't they understand about the survey showing the residents of
Grünheide didn't want an expansion?
And we’ll continue to fight it!
Tesla should stay on the site that's already been ruined
and not clear any more forest.
We want to hear Tesla’s side of the story – but our
interview requests go unanswered.
The company is infamous for not replying to media requests.
However, what is known is that they built a brand-new
industrial water filtration system.
It allows the Gigafactory to recycle almost all of
its industrial wastewater.
But despite Tesla’s environmental efforts, the Gigafactory continues
to face heavy resistance.
In March, a power mast was set on fire.
A radical leftist group claimed responsibility for the attack,
which halted production at Tesla for days, costing the company millions.
Elon Musk called the group the – quote –
'dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth'
for stopping the production of electric vehicles,
and visited the plant in Grünheide.
Hey, Deutschland rocks!
Giga Berlin, for the win!
The attack was condemned by local authorities and marked
the biggest escalation so far.
We want to hear an expert’s take on the environmental situation and meet
water scientist Martin Pusch.
He says, the area has been heavily impacted by climate change and
despite recent rains is usually one of the driest regions in Germany.
It's unusual to build a factory in a water-protection area.
And people are worried about Tesla now.
The body of water where the factory is located is one of the few
we have in this region.
If it were to become polluted, there would be nothing
to replace it with.
But the factory also has supporters
among the local population.
My name is Albrecht Köhler, I'm from Grünheide.
Innovation and the future are important to me.
And I think it's important and good that Tesla is here.
Albrecht Köhler is part of a different citizens’ initiative.
Together with his friend, Tobias Lindh, he follows and
documents the development of Giga Berlin.
Everyone's talking about Tesla.
Tesla also influences everything.
Tesla makes many decisions that provoke discussions
we can't do without.
They say one of their goals is to battle misinformation
that has been put out by some of Tesla’s opponents.
Their initiative is there to inform fellow citizens and enable
a fact-driven debate grounded on a scientific basis, they say.
Just like the protesters in the camp, they are also worried
about climate change.
Everyone always says electric cars can’t stop
climate change on their own.
That's true, but public transport can't either.
Nothing on its own can stop climate change.
We need lots of different solutions.
Transportation is one of the world’s largest contributors
to carbon emissions.
Electric vehicles are seen as part of the solution by many.
Tesla, which specializes in EVs,
is the world's most valuable car company.
Currently there are five Gigafactories operating
around the world.
Tesla’s Gigafactory in Germany opened in 2022 and is
the only one in Europe.
Tesla will make sure that this is a gemstone for the area,
for Germany, for Europe, and for the world.
The plant has generated economic growth in the region.
Around 12,000 people currently work at Tesla in Grünheide alone.
Tesla is such a big name, even Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz
showed up for the opening.
Electromobility will shape the mobility of the future –
that is clear, here today.
Despite the support from the highest levels of government,
the 9,000 people actually living in Grünheide have
very mixed opinions on Tesla.
Many people we met, who refused to speak on camera,
said there was a tear running through the fabric of the town.
Families and friends are divided into separate camps.
Some criticize Tesla, others the activists.
Yes, I think it's a shame – but if it brings any benefits to
Grünheide and the region, I'd say yes.
I was basically in favor of Tesla coming here.
I still stand by that, because it can only
advance the region.
I was actually a bit against the expansion though
because I think they should use the space they already have first.
Rather than protesting, they should be trying to get
one of the jobs Tesla's offering!
They've probably never worked a day in their lives.
They should work for 48 years, like I did.
They're all just layabouts, good-for-nothings!
I've got to get going!
This is where two worlds clash.
On their way to work in the Gigafactory, Tesla workers
have to pass by anti-Tesla protesters.
Very few of them ever stop at the info stands to chat
with the activists.
It’s difficult for Roman to find people to talk to,
so it’s just him – and the car.
The funny thing is, if you'd asked me five years ago,
I would have said, ‘Tesla?
Amazing!'
Now, I have a different opinion.
I'm not such a car fan these days.
I think that we’re simply spoiling a lot of opportunities with
excessive individual transport.
What does it say?
Stop Tesla.
While filming in front of the main entrance, we are approached
by a Tesla employee.
Hello...
Deutsch? Englisch?
Just was wondering, what are you guys are filming?
What are you guys up to?
Which outlet you are from?
I’m from Tesla.
Are you from the press department?
So to say, we don’t really have a press department at Tesla.
So, usually our policy is – I mean, everybody has their own will here,
obviously, so they can do whatever they want – but we usually have
the stance that nobody really talks to the press.
Roman says it will be difficult to find common ground.
When asked what a solution could look like, he tells us the first step
for him is to stop Tesla’s expansion.
And then maybe someday, to end the production of EVs
and instead build trams, buses, and trains in what was once
Tesla’s Gigafactory.
But is that realistic?
There’s such power behind it: One of the richest people in the world
has decided this thing should go here, and people eat out of his hand.
He's also globally connected.
The richest people in the world generally have much more leeway,
many more contacts than we maybe have in our tree house.
And so he is back in his world – that is so different from
the giant Gigafactory.
The forest seems to be peaceful right now,
while the fight against Tesla continues.