Tesla says it cut down 500,000 trees for German Gigafactory

Tesla recently received approval to expand its factory to produce up to 1 million vehicles per year.

An environmental group claimed that Tesla had cut down around 500,000 trees since it began building its German Gigafactory, resulting in an increase in carbon emissions by 13,000 tonnes. In response, Tesla claimed it had planted more than 1 million trees by 2024 as part of a massive reforestation plan.

Kayrros reports that Tesla cleared 813 acres of forest between 2020 and May 2023 (when construction at the site ends). This amount of deforestation is said to be equivalent to driving an internal combustion engine car for 33 million miles (53 million kilometers), or 3,000 cars in operation for a full year.

Read: Activists use treehouse to block Tesla’s German Gigafactory expansion plans

Tesla’s German factory has been plagued by controversy in recent years. Last month, the local environment ministry approved the expansion of the factory to double annual production to 1 million vehicles, sparking new protests. In May, nearly 800 demonstrators stormed the factory.

“Greenwashing has become increasingly common in recent years,” Kayrros president and co-founder told The Daily Beast. “The public is rightly skeptical of any ‘green’ claims made by large, powerful companies… Only satellite imagery can tell us who is telling the truth.”

While it’s no secret that Tesla had to cut down trees to build its new electric vehicle assembly plant, the automaker says it has planted more than 1 million trees in Germany to offset the trees that were cut down. In a video posted to X in July, Tesla claimed it had replanted an area equivalent to 450 football fields. The trees are mostly deciduous, but there’s also a variety of species, including hardwoods, cherry, hornbeam, and lime trees.

Of course, one could argue that 1 million new trees won’t absorb nearly as much harmful CO2 as 500,000 mature trees, but Tesla is at least working to offset some of the damage it’s causing.