Tesla’s European Gigafactory near Berlin has ceased operations until further notice following what CEO Elon Musk described as an “extremely dumb” suspected arson attack nearby, leaving the facility without power on Tuesday.
The attack, southeast of the German capital, ignited an electricity pylon close to the site but did not spread to the Tesla facility, which represents the U.S. electric vehicle maker’s inaugural manufacturing plant in Europe. Production at the Gigafactory is expected to remain halted at least until early next week, resulting in estimated losses in the high hundreds of millions of euros. Approximately 1,000 vehicles were left unfinished on Tuesday alone.
While a company official refrained from confirming whether this incident would impact plans to double capacity at the site, he condemned what he perceived as negative sentiment towards Tesla. Emergency services have extinguished the blaze, and power to the surrounding communities has largely been restored, indicating progress in mitigating the effects of the suspected arson attack.
Source: Reuters