Elon Musk has slammed an ‘extremely dumb’ suspected arson attack on Tesla’s gigafactory in Germany that has caused several millions of pounds worth of damage.
Workers were evacuated today after a power outage that led to the evacuation and shutdown of the EV plant.
Unknown perpetrators are suspected of deliberately setting fire to a high-voltage transmission line, according to the Interior Ministry in the state of Brandenburg.
The early morning fire caused the power supply to fail to the surrounding towns, including Grünheide, where the Tesla factory is located. An investigation has been launched into the incident at the plant where 12,500 people work.
Police said they had been made aware of an emailed claim of responsibility, which they were examining, German news agency dpa reported.
The report said a far-left group called Volcano Group said it was behind the fire, accused Tesla of ‘extreme exploitation conditions’ and called for the ‘complete destruction of the gigafactory’. It was not immediately clear who the email was sent to or who was behind the group.
Referring to the possible attackers, Musk, who owns about 13 per cent of the Tesla stock, wrote on X 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,’ he added, using the German words for ‘extremely stupid’.
The Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin. Unknown perpetrators are suspected of deliberately setting fire to a high-voltage transmission line
Fire brigade and police units work in the area of the damaged high-voltage line, near the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin on Tuesday
Tesla factory fire brigade checks a plant building at the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, on Tuesday
Andre Thierig, who manages the plant, estimated damages caused by the arson attack on power lines near the site would be in the ‘high, nine-figure area’.
‘We don’t expect to be able resume production this week,’ he said. ‘We hope to find out whether we can restart at the beginning of next week.’
Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen said initial findings indicate the fire was intentional, according to the German news agency dpa.
‘If the initial findings are confirmed, it will be a perfidious attack on our electricity infrastructure,’ Stübgen said.
The power outage at the Tesla factory comes as environmental activists have been staging a protest in a forest near the plant against plans by Tesla to expand.
The ‘Stop Tesla’ protest has seen dozens of activists put up tents and built treehouses, some of them several meters above the ground – a tactic used in previous German environmental protests.
Police works next to a damaged pylon after Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin halted production and was left without power after suspected arson set an electricity pylon ablaze, near Steinfurt, Germany, on Tuesday
Police investigators work in the area of the damaged high-voltage line, near the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday
Tesla factory fire brigade checks a plant building at the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday
Tesla’s production plant in Gruenheide outside Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday
Tesla factory fire brigade checks a plant building at the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday
An activist climbs a tree to set up a tree house in a forest to protest against the expansion of the Tesla Gigafactory, in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday
Tesla factory fire brigade checks a plant building at the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday
Tesla opened the factory in March 2022 – launching a challenge to German automakers on their home turf.
The company now wants to expand the facility to add a freight depot, warehouses and a company kindergarten. Those plans would entail felling more than 100 hectares (247 acres) of forest.
That has drawn opposition from environmentalists and some other local groups, who also worry about possible effects on the area’s water supply.
In a nonbinding vote in mid-February, residents of the municipality rejected Tesla’s plans, which still need approval by local authorities.
