The land outside Berlin is being cleared to build the Tesla battery plant. — dpa
BERLIN: In what would likely be a world first for a car factory, Tesla's newest plant may end up doubling as a massive nightclub.
Tesla boss Elon Musk is apparently considering bringing the spirit of Berlin's famous clubbing scene to his company's new factory outside the German capital.
"Tesla should have a mega rave cave under the Berlin Gigafatory [sic]," the celebrity entrepreneur who founded the electric car maker wrote on Twitter early Tuesday, asking netizens to respond in an online poll.
The new site, dubbed a gigafactory by the Silicon Valley giant, is to start producing around 500,000 battery-powered cars annually starting next year, under the plans. It is located in Gruenheide in the rural state of Brandenburg which surrounds Berlin.
Around 400,000 people had weighed in on Musk's rave suggestion within around five hours, with 89.3 per cent saying they would like to see the car factory double up as an underground party location.
"With an epic sound system and woofers the size of a car," Musk added.
As with many of Musk's tweets, it is unclear whether his suggestion is meant to be taken seriously.
Musk is known for his irreverent approach to Twitter communications — something which has landed him in legal trouble in the past, for example when he called a British diver who saved trapped Thai schoolboys from a cave "pedo guy," or in making subtle reference to marijuana when discussing the company's share price.
Many hotspots in Berlin's vibrant club scene are already housed in disused factories.
With or without its own on-site clubbing location, the Tesla factory in Brandenburg is already causing some concern among locals, particularly environmentalists.
A spokesman for the state environment ministry noted on Monday that over 360 people have officially challenged the plans to build the plant. Construction has not yet begun at the site.
