The Tesla Giga Berlin’s shuttle service, known as TESS, is facing a potential halt in the coming weeks, which would result in Giga Berlin ceasing the use of diesel trains to transport workers to the Model Y production facility. This move follows criticism from skeptics regarding Tesla’s use of diesel trains for Giga Berlin’s employees. The service has been successful so far, transporting about 3,000 passengers per day on approximately 26 trips, open not only to company employees but also to the public.
However, the service is expected to undergo a brief interruption as new battery electric trains are set to be introduced from July, requiring a software update. According to information from *Berliner Zeitung*, the contract between the Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) and Tesla is set to end in June, leading to the cessation of the diesel trains to Giga Berlin on June 14. The two diesel trains currently in use for Giga Berlin will be redeployed on other routes, with the train service to Giga Berlin planned to resume in the summer, likely around July 2024.
The new train service will feature battery electric rail cars from Siemens, which will require a software update, necessitating a break of several weeks for the Giga Berlin route. Despite the pause, this transition to battery electric trains aligns with Tesla’s focus on electric vehicles, with employees set to commute on electric trains after the interruption.