February 28 - Tesla is expected to receive final approval for car production at its Berlin factory this week (March 3 or 4), according to German news site Der Tegesspiegel. The company is preparing for a grand opening scheduled for March 22 or 23 that will include the delivery of the first German-made Model Ys.

Der Tegesspiegel's report noted that Brandenburg state Premier Dietmar Woidke's "Task Force Tesla" met last Tuesday to discuss final approval for the production of the Tesla plant. The meeting lasted only 20 minutes, but the results were positive: Tesla's Berlin factory will no longer face major challenges to production.

Preparations for the Berlin factory's grand opening are reportedly underway. The facility is scheduled to officially open on March 22, 2022, but that date could be pushed back to March 23. Brandenburg police are also reportedly making the necessary preparations for the event.

Similar to the grand opening of the first phase of the Shanghai plant, the official opening of the Berlin plant will also include the delivery to customers of the first Model Y built in the location. A total of 30 German-built Model Ys are expected to be delivered to customers at the official launch event at the Berlin plant.

Tesla built the first phase of the Berlin plant at its own risk, using more than 20 preliminary approvals. So far, the company has even produced preproduction cars that are not allowed to be sold to consumers. According to observations by Tesla fans in the area, the company has built more than 1,000 "made in Germany" Model Ys out of the 2,000 pre-production cars it is allowed to make.

The approval process for the Berlin plant to open has been slow. The approval, which Elon Musk, the company's chief executive, had claimed would be ready last summer, has now been delayed by about nine months, amid a complicated approval process, strong opposition from environmental groups and the impact of Tesla adding a battery factory to the facility.