Because of pollutants in the water
Tesla defends itself against accusations of environmental pollution
March 7, 2024, 7:08 p.m
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A media report suggests that Tesla is responsible for too many pollutants in Brandenburg’s groundwater. Elon Musk’s company counters with its own explanation for the high phosphate levels.
The US electric car manufacturer Tesla has rejected allegations of a lack of environmental protection. “For giga production per vehicle, only 2.28 cubic meters of water are required,” wrote Tesla manager Rohan Patel on X. That is a third less than the industry average, which is 3.68 cubic meters of water. Tesla uses up to 100 percent of the domestic water.
At the end of February, according to a “Stern” report, it became known that the wastewater levels for phosphorus from the factory had been several times above the official limit since it opened almost two years ago. The car manufacturer pointed out that the substance concentration is higher because Tesla saves water.
According to information from the “Tagesspiegel”, a wastewater report from the factory for last year states that Tesla used 451,654 cubic meters of fresh water. This is significantly below the amount of water per year agreed with the Strausberg-Erkner water association. According to the Ministry of the Environment, the energy company Leag used over 44 million cubic meters per year to cool the Jänschwalde power plant.
Production at Tesla interrupted for a longer period of time
Water is a contentious issue. Environmentalists have great concerns because the plant is partly located in a water protection area. Tesla wants to expand production without using more water. The company is also planning to expand the site, but a clear majority of Grünheide residents spoke out against this in a survey.
Production at the Tesla factory will remain interrupted until the end of next week following an attack on the power supply. On Tuesday, previously unknown perpetrators set fire to an electricity pylon in a field that is also responsible for supplying the Tesla factory. The left-wing extremist “Vulkan Group” had declared that it was responsible for the attack. The group accuses Tesla of contaminating groundwater and using up huge amounts of the already scarce drinking water resource. Environmentalists have been protesting against the company in the forest near the factory since last week. They denied any connection with the attack. Around 12,500 people work at Tesla in Grünheide.