The environmental association which is known as the NABU just gave up on their lawsuit against Tesla. This decision by the NABU does not eliminate all potential issues with Giga Berlin for Tesla, but it is a big step in the right direction.
The NABU decided to pull back their lawsuit against Tesla because they didn’t think it was a winnable one. They also didn’t want to spend the money according to their statements.
A weight off Tesla’s shoulders
Even though many believe the claims of the NABU would not have standing in a court of law, the reality is that this lawsuit could have dragged on for many months. The renunciation of the lawsuit allows Tesla to focus its energies towards other areas such as getting site approvals and actually building cars. This is the kind of victory Tesla needed after some of its upcoming vehicles have been delayed.
Why the NABU didn’t have good odds at winning this lawsuit
The NABU claims they didn’t want to spend too much money on this lawsuit. However, money problems may not be the root of why they made the decision they did. The Berlin Brandenberg Higher Administrative Court didn’t believe the lawsuit had legal standing. The bottom line here is that if the NABU thought they could win, then they would have kept trying.
Where Tesla was and where this is going
In June, the public and the news outlets didn’t know exactly where this lawsuit would go. The weird thing about this is that the environmental agency's concerns seemed to address things that they believed could happen as opposed to things that actually happened. For example, Tesla was told to stop testing machines in the foundry and paint shop over fears of a coolant accident. There were also concerns about Tesla interfering with a drinking water protection area.
Timetable for production
An exact date cannot be pinpointed as of yet, but Tesla is expected to be able to start production before the end of the year. Some sources suggest Tesla could start production as early as October.
Image: Tesla
Daniel Cappo reports Tesla developments at Torque News. He has had a passion for cars ever since age five when his grandparents let him drive their old golf cart around their property in Upstate NY. He has attended numerous auto shows, and even got the chance to drive a Ferrari California on the track. Ever since Tesla opened up a dealership at his local mall, he's been an avid follower of their cars and technology. Dan has a B.S. in Public Communication from U Vermont. Follow Daniel on Twitter and LinkedIn for daily Tesla News.