Tesla opens €100 million Berlin engineering centre with more than 250 staff

Opening in Köpenick

Tesla opened the Berlin Tesla Engineering Center in a converted old factory in Berlin-Köpenick on 4 November 2026. The site is about 30 minutes from Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg and is Tesla's third major engineering hub globally after Fremont and Shanghai, according to BASENOR, a Tesla accessories blog. Tesla Europe announced the opening the same day. The centre is running at partial operation for now.

BTEC consolidates four previously separate engineering sites into one campus with 30 dedicated labs, BASENOR reported. The first stage starts with more than 250 engineers and technicians. They come from Tilburg in the Netherlands and other laboratory locations. Tesla puts total investment at €100 million. Berlin's governing mayor, Kai Wegner, attended the opening ceremony on the afternoon of 4 November.

Tesla said the centre showed its long-term commitment to Germany as a strategic innovation location. BASENOR reported that Fremont anchors North American vehicle and powertrain engineering, while Shanghai supports China manufacturing and is increasingly a design and localisation centre.

What the labs will test

Engineers and technicians will work on materials, drivetrain and vehicle development. A large hall will run safety tests on vehicle components including airbags, and tests on battery cells.

Managing director Jan Brückner said Tesla developed some parts of the recently presented Tesla Roadster in Berlin.

"Wir sind hierhergekommen, um zu bleiben" ("We came here to stay"), Brückner said at the opening.

He also said Tesla serves all of Europe through Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg. He said having a site near the plant mattered. Reusing an old industrial ruin in Köpenick let the company move fast, he said. Tesla said the first permit application was filed in September 2025, about 14 months before the opening. The building is to be expanded further in the coming months.

Grünheide expansion

Grünheide is Tesla's only car factory in Europe. In mid-October, Tesla said it planned to double annual capacity there from a planned 500,000 vehicles to one million. It has not reached the 500,000 target. Tesla began hiring 1,000 new employees in the summer and has completed the first phase of that build-up, heise reported. Its German subsidiary expects a significantly rising production volume for the current year, according to its business report.

Wegner said Berlin and Brandenburg together form a growth region. He called for reliable framework conditions and described the engineering centre as a strong signal for Berlin as a place to innovate and do business.

What happens next

Tesla has applied for planning permission for a second stage that would raise the workforce to around 500 engineers and technicians, roughly double the first stage.