Tesla had no choice but to halt electric vehicle production at its Gigafactory Berlin in Germany on Tuesday until further notice following an alarming power outage caused by a suspected sabotage, Reuters reports.
Chief Executive Elon Musk called the alleged arson attack “extremely dumb,” leaving the production plant without power.
Suspected sabotage caused power outages
The suspected fire attack transpired southeast of the German capital, torching an electricity tower near the site. Fortunately, the fire did not reach the Tesla Giga Berlin, its first-ever production plant in Europe.
Nonetheless, the fire-induced power outage caused the Gigafactory to halt production until early next week at the earliest.
Unknown people reportedly set fire to a high-voltage electric pylon between Steinfurt and Hartmannsdorf to sabotage Tesla’s power supply.
Effect on Tesla
The power outage is estimated to result in losses of hundreds of millions of euros, with 1,000 Tesla electric vehicles left incomplete on the first day alone.
It will also significantly affect Tesla’s sales target this year, considering that the plant produces the Model Y – the world’s top-selling vehicle regardless of powertrain.
Apart from the significant adverse effect on Tesla, the suspected fire attack also resulted in approximately 2,000 people losing power (including Giga Berlin).
“This includes hospitals, homes for the elderly, where people may also be dependent on oxygen supply or similar, which is electricity-based.”
Joerg Steinbach, the economy minister of Brandenburg
Elon Musk’s remarks
Tesla Chief Elon Musk called the suspected arson “extremely dumb” on its social media platform X.
“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.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk
No one claimed the suspected arson yet, but some people suggest that Tesla is the target of the attack based on the location and the timing. For context, environmental activists have been opposing the Musk-led company’s expansion plans for the Giga Berlin.
Tesla assured people it had already secured the Giga Berlin’s safety, but it remains unclear when it can resume EV production due to the power outage.
