Environment concerns hit Tesla’s giga plant in Berlin

In Berlin, a David and Goliath-style battle is playing out between electric carmaker Tesla and environmental campaigners who want to stop its planned “gigafactory”. “When I saw on TV that the Tesla factory was going to be built here, I couldn't believe it,” said Steffen Schorch. The 60-year-old has become one of the faces of the fight against the US auto giant’s first European factory.

“Tesla needs far too much water, and the region does not have this water," said the environmental activist, a local representative of the Nabu ecologist campaign group.

Demonstrations, legal action, open letters -- residents have done everything in their power to delay the project, supported by powerful environmental campaign groups Nabu and Gruene Liga. Tesla was forced to temporarily suspend forest clearing last year after campaigners won an injunction over threats to the habitats of resident lizards and snakes.