Tesla halts manufacturing at German manufacturing unit after assault claimed by far-left group | EUROtoday

Issued on: 05/03/2024 – 19:49

3 min

Tesla proprietor Elon Musk tweeted in German that the assault was “extremely dumb”, whereas the corporate mentioned it will value it a number of hundred million euros and it was unclear when manufacturing would possibly resume.

Emergency companies had been known as within the early hours of Tuesday to studies of a burning electrical energy pylon southeast of Berlin, near the Tesla plant.

The blaze was extinguished however harm to the strains knocked out energy to the US carmaker’s manufacturing unit, in addition to surrounding villages.

After police mentioned they’d launched an investigation into suspected arson the act was claimed by far-left activists from the so-called Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

“With our sabotage, we have set ourselves the goal of achieving the biggest possible blackout of the Gigafactory,” the group mentioned in an announcement posted on a far-left web site.

The activists highlighted issues concerning the environmental influence of the plant and the native water provide, at a time when Tesla is in search of to develop the location.

An outfit going by the identical identify claimed accountability for an arson assault on the ability provide of the Tesla plant in 2021, in response to a report from home intelligence companies the identical yr.

The newest assault was extremely disruptive, with greater than 12,000 staff on the website presently unable to do their jobs.

“We currently have no clear visibility when we can start production again,” plant supervisor Andre Thierig instructed a press convention, including that the damages will attain the “high, nine-figure area”.

Musk mentioned on X, previously Twitter, that “these are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals.

“Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist ‘extrem dumm’.”

‘Serious offence’

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser mentioned that such an assault “is a serious criminal offence that cannot be justified by anything.

“If a left-wing extremist motive is confirmed, then this will be further proof that the left-wing extremist scene does not shy away from attacks on critical energy infrastructure.”

The energy outage is the most recent drawback to hit the manufacturing unit.

In January, most manufacturing was halted on the website for 2 weeks because of a scarcity of components following delivery delays brought on by Yemeni insurgent assaults within the Red Sea, a significant commerce route.

Tesla’s German plant began manufacturing in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and development course of dogged by administrative and authorized obstacles.

Tesla needs to develop the location by 170 hectares (420 acres) and increase manufacturing as much as a million autos yearly to feed Europe’s rising demand for electrical vehicles and tackle rivals who’re shifting away from combustion engine autos.

But the plans have irritated native residents, who voted in opposition to the mission in a non-binding poll final month.

After the vote, Tesla mentioned it may need to rethink the plans.

“We recognise that the citizens of Gruenheide have concerns in connection with the planned expansion of the site,” the corporate mentioned.

Forest camp

Environmental activists against the enlargement of the manufacturing unit run by Elon Musk’s firm lately arrange a camp in a wooded space close to the plant.

Protestors on the forest camp, located in an space of forest that the carmaker must raze if the enlargement goes forward, share most of the locals’ objections to the manufacturing unit.

As nicely as deforestation, the activists say there’s a risk to native ingesting water provides.

Stop Tesla, the group behind the protest camp, mentioned Tuesday it had “no information” about the reason for the fireplace and shared its “solidarity with the workers at Tesla and the local residents”.

Tesla has loads of complications elsewhere.

In Sweden, a strike by Tesla upkeep and restore staff has lasted greater than 4 months over its refusal to signal a collective wage settlement.

In January, the corporate reported decrease fourth-quarter working earnings regardless of increased revenues, whereas warning of slower quantity development this yr.

(AFP)