Possible Arson Causes Tesla to Temporarily Shutter Gigafactory Berlin
We’ve heard of automakers shuttering factories for production issues and parts shortages over the last few years, but Tesla’s recent shutdown is a new one. The automaker said it shut down production at its Gigafactory Berlin due to a potential sabotage attack, which left the facility without power.
Local news reported that people set fire to a high-voltage power pole on Tuesday morning, causing power outages for around 2,000 people and Tesla’s factory. The automaker has obtained security for the facility but has not said when it expects to reopen.
Tesla is thought to be the target of the attack due to the presence of protesters and some negative interactions with the local community. Residents of the town where the factory is located recently voted against letting Tesla expand its footprint, which would require several acres of forest to be cleared. Additionally, activists set up in the forest to prevent the project from moving forward.
The company has taken steps to address the issues at hand in the expansion proposal, namely cutting water usage and replanting the trees it cuts. Though Tesla has facilities in other countries, the Berlin location is the only one on the European continent. This isn’t the first shutdown in recent times, either, as it had to temporarily shutter the factory due to issues receiving cargo from ships traversing dangerous waters near Yemen.
[Image: Tesla]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Too bad the factory wasn't full of SCE to AUX's SpaceX club and the rest of his Elon blowing buddies.
"Hey! I've seen this one! [Germany used it to justify sending its troops into
PolandUkraine.]" Marty McFlySome sort of "green terrorist" group.
Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).
Burning things to save the environment. Some things never change. Saw this 20 years ago while working in a wrecking yard. Someone torched a dozen Suburbans in protest and we ended up with most of them.