The Gruenheide factory, a Tesla plant located outside Berlin, was forced to halt production on Tuesday following an apparent arson attack on an electricity substation. The incident left the factory and parts of the wider city without power, according to German newspaper Berliner Zeitung.
The attack was reportedly claimed by left-wing extremists known as the “Volcano Group” in a letter posted on the alternative news site Kontrapolis. The group’s message, translated by Google, stated, “We sabotaged Tesla, told,” and criticized the company’s environmental credentials.
Tesla has not yet commented on the incident. However, a company spokesperson confirmed that production had stopped and the site had been evacuated. Brandenburg police are investigating the incident as a suspected case of arson.
The incident comes amid Tesla’s expansion plans for the Gruenheide plant, which have faced opposition from local residents. The company aims to double its capacity for battery production and vehicle manufacturing, but plans to clear nearby trees for the expansion were recently voted down by locals.
Environmental activists have been protesting the expansion, with some occupying a forest near the plant. Last week, demonstrators built treehouses in the area in protest. The “Stop Tesla” campaign group has indicated that the occupation could last for a week or longer.
This is not the first time Tesla’s Gruenheide site has been targeted. In 2021, a fire broke out at the site while it was under construction, with the Volcano Group also claiming responsibility for that attack.
(Source: Financial Times | Automotive News Euro | Reuters)
