Tesla's German Plant Hits Snag

An online meeting for local citizens to express objections to Tesla's ($TSLA@US) huge factory near Berlin will be repeated over concerns the process did not comply with regulations. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at a visit to the factory site in Gruenheide on October 9 that he hoped to begin production in November, which looks increasingly unlikely as authorities first need to review the latest submissions before deciding whether to grant approval. The second meeting, only open to those who expressed an objection in previous public rounds but were not satisfied with the response from Tesla or the environmental ministry, will run from November 2 to 22. Authorities decided to repeat the process after environmental groups disputed that citizens were not warned far enough in advance that the meetings would be digital. In his 2-year battle to get production running at the site, Musk has expressed irritation at German laws and processes, arguing complex planning requirements were at odds with the urgency needed to fight climate change.