Tesla’s factory outside Berlin, Germany, could be shut down for days due to a suspected arson attack on the local power grid, costing the automaker more than $100 million.
The fire did not spread to the Tesla factory and no one was injured, but employees were evacuated. Thousands of residents in the area were also briefly without power.
An activist group calling itself the Volcanoes blamed the fires in a letter posted online on Tuesday. Authorities have not confirmed their involvement, Reuters reported. The group claimed that a similar fire broke out near the site in 2021.
The group says they undermine Tesla because the company “devours the planet, resources, people, labor, and produces 6,000 SUVs, killer machines, and monster trucks every week. Our gift of March 8 is to shut down Tesla.” Pull.” Because the total destruction of the Gigafactory and the consequent eradication of ‘techno-fascists’ like Elon Musk is a step on the road to liberation from patriarchy. “
CEO Elon Musk wrote in an article (in German) postal On his social media platform X, the arsonist was “extremely stupid”.
The factory is Tesla’s only one in Europe, and its first few years were fraught with controversy. Ahead of its 2021 opening, construction has lagged behind as locals haggle with Tesla over environmental concerns. Last month, Tesla’s plan to expand its factory was also rejected by a public vote. But it’s critical to Tesla’s operations on the continent, as the company currently produces about 6,000 electric vehicles a week.
