MUSK FRETS ABOUT DELAY IN OPERATIONS OF TESLA PLANT IN GERMANY

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk expressed hope that cars will be rolling off the line at the carmaker's new factory outside Berlin by the end of 2021, but said during his trip to Germany that it was hard to predict, in part because of bureaucratic hurdles, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Musk told German broadcasters that it was hard to predict because production couldn't start until all the parts had arrived at the Gruenheide factory, which lies to the west of Berlin.

Echoing criticism expressed by Tesla a few weeks ago about the approval process for the factory and the fact that there was no timetable on a decision for final approval, Musk also told broadcasters there "could be less bureaucracy, that would be better."

Tesla had originally planned to begin manufacturing the Model Y compact sport utility vehicle at the site in July; however, that start date is looking unlikely as the state environmental agency has decided that the application for project approval has to be submitted to the public again because Tesla wants to include a battery factory as well.

Tesla's first-quarter annual report said that the project is on track to begin production and deliveries by the end of the year. Musk arrived in Germany late on Sunday, May 16, 2021.

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