Production at the plant of Tesla in Germany was unexpectedly stopped after a power outage caused by a suspected arson attack. The incident that occurred early Tuesday led to a widespread power outage affecting the factory and the surrounding area, impacting roughly 60,000 residents.
Brandenburg police were quick to respond to the fire. Fortunately, it did not harm the plant’s structure. Despite this, the power disruption forced a halt in production and the evacuation of employees.
According to officials, the plant is expected to remain offline for several days, with losses potentially running into the high hundreds of millions.
The local power provider, Edis, managed to restore electricity to most of the region by the afternoon. However, Tesla’s facilities and a nearby warehouse remained without power, expected to last until the week’s end.
Musk took to social media to express his frustration, specifically targeting “eco-terrorists” whom he believes are behind the attack. His comments reflect the growing tension between environmental activists and industries they perceive as harmful to the planet.
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.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 5, 2024
Who’s Actually Behind the Attack?
State authorities have initiated a thorough investigation into the matter, with Brandenburg’s interior minister, Michael Stübgen, denouncing the attack at the plant of Tesla in Germany as a serious threat to the electricity infrastructure and promising consequences.
Hours after the attack, a left-wing group named Vulkan Gruppe claimed responsbility. They published an open letter on a website saying “Switch off for Tesla,”. “A Tesla is a status symbol, statement and propaganda at the same time: for contempt for humanity, boundless destruction through ‘progress’ and an imperial, patriarchal way of life.” the letter said.
Interestingly, this is not the first time a group under the name Vulkan Gruppe has targeted Tesla’s operations in Germany. A similar attack in 2021 disrupted the construction site for the factory. Recent local votes in Grünheide have shown community resistance to Tesla’s expansion plans, though these are nonbinding.
The attack on Tesla’s German plant shows the vulnerabilities of modern manufacturing facilities to acts of sabotage. The incident serves as a reminder of the need for enhanced security in big companies like Tesla.
Image Source: BBC
