World’s largest Tesla factory victim of sabotage attempt

Tesla’s gigafactory in Berlin was targeted by arson in a sabotage attempt. Losses will reach hundreds of millions of euros for the manufacturer of electric cars.

This Tuesday, March 5, early in the morning, emergency services responded to a call reporting an electricity pylon on fire in the southeast of Berlin, near the company’s factory. Although the fire was quickly extinguished, the damage to the power lines caused a major power outage in the factory as well as in surrounding villages. The interruption is expected to last until the end of next week, according to a Tesla spokesperson.

A considerable shortfall

This is Tesla’s only factory in Europe, where Model Ys are produced. During the entire period when the installation will not be powered, no vehicle will be able to be built, resulting in a considerable loss of income for the manufacturer. On Tuesday alone, 1,000 vehicles remained unfinished.

A collective of environmental activists called Volcano Group claimed responsibility for the sabotage. “ We have set ourselves the goal of achieving the largest possible blackout of the Gigafactory “, he indicated, denouncing the “ extreme operating conditions » suffered by the workforce.

Elon Musk was quick to respond, calling the alleged culprits “ stupidest eco-terrorists on the planet » on X.com, formerly Twitter. “ Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, is extremely stupid “, he continued.

Germany’s industrial appeal takes a hit

“ Infrastructure is the lifeblood of the German economy “, said Martin Wansleben, director general of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “ Unfortunately, the protection of these infrastructures must be urgently adapted to the evolving security situation. It is essential that investors continue to view Germany as a safe country “, he added. Several technology giants, like Intel and TSMC, want to set up a factory across the Rhine.

Tesla, for its part, could decide to review its plans. The company wishes to expand the site by 170 hectares to increase its production capacity to one million vehicles per year.

Sources: Reuters, France 24