Tesla opens European factory
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has opened the doors to the company’s first European factory in Tilburg in the Netherlands.
The new 77,648sqm facility that sits near the Belgian border, will be assembling Tesla Model S cars destined for the UK and the rest of Europe, with the aim of improving waiting times for new orders with up to 450 cars per week likely to be made there.
The factory is the first in Europe to include an indoor test track, measuring 750 meters in length and it will be used to simulate different road surfaces as part of the quality control process checking noise, vibration and harshness levels.
Tesla’s autonomous driving Autopilot systems will also be checked on the track before the cars are sent to their new owners.
The cars won’t be manufactured in Tilburg, however the battery pack, power train and rear axle will all be installed there, after they are dispatched from Tesla HQ in Fremont, California.
