Musk's Tesla factory party in Berlin attracts fans and protests
Entrepreneur hopes to get the green light to start production at the site in the coming weeks

The first cars from Tesla's new Berlin factory (NASDAQ: TSLA) should roll off the assembly line as early as next month, CEO Elon Musk said on Saturday at the factory, but added that mass production will take much longer.
Musk hopes to get the green light to start production at the site in the coming weeks. The final hearing on public concerns about the site will end on October 14th, after which the Ministry of the Environment will make a decision.
"Getting production started is nice, but mass production is the hard part," Musk said to a cheering audience at a festival at the facility's location, which many people saw the talk live-streamed on social media. "It will take longer to mass-produce than it took to build the factory."
He said series production would be 5,000, or "hopefully 10,000" vehicles a day, and the battery cells would be manufactured there in large quantities by the end of next year.
He also defended the factory against criticism of its environmental impact, saying that it uses "relatively little" water and that battery cell production is "sustainable".
Some local residents and environmental groups are dissatisfied with Musk's approach, which they believe goes against German corporate culture.
"I would tell him to stop building electric cars and go to Mars," said Manu Hoyer, who led a small protest by local residents who oppose the project on environmental grounds because it would pollute drinking water.
The Brandenburg Minister for Economic Affairs estimates the chances that the factory will be approved at 95%.
Tesla has presented plans to invest 5 billion euros (5.8 billion dollars) in a battery factory with a capacity of 50 GWh near the site and thus the plant planned by Volkswagen (DE: VOWG_p) with a capacity of 40 GWh in To surpass Salzgitter.
Musk said Tesla was concerned that finding enough employees could be a problem and called for applications from "all over Europe".
He said he hoped the battery factory would reach serial production by the end of next year.
POPSTAR RECEPTION
The company offered 9,000 tickets for the festival, with residents of the state of Brandenburg being preferred.
"Look, Mom! A Tesla," shouted an excited 9-year-old boy named Emil, one of many children who were waiting with their parents for a 90-minute factory tour.
Fans cheered and laughed as Musk took the stage at sunset, welcoming him like a pop star.
"This day is unique," said Tesla fan Fred Schroeder. "The Tesla factory in Germany is being opened to the public for the first time. This is a very special day."
Another had traveled with his Tesla from Milton Keynes, Great Britain, even though he did not have a ticket. He said it was worth just seeing the grounds from the outside.
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