The attack, carried out by what Elon Musk described as the "dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth," has left the factory without electricity and disrupted the lives of over 60,000 residents in Brandenburg and parts of Berlin.

The destructive act targeted a high-voltage power mast near the Tesla factory, setting it ablaze and severing the lines between the mast and the substation. As a result, the factory lost power and backup systems failed, leading to the suspension of production. Andre Thierig, the plant's senior director, estimates that the economic loss for Tesla due to the production stoppage and subsequent ramp-up could reach the "high hundreds of millions" of euros, as approximately 1,000 vehicles per day cannot be manufactured.

All 12,500 employees were forced to leave as Grünheide's ventilation system was knocked out by the attack. The local grid operator now faces the challenge of repairing the damage, a process that could take several days. Thierig informed reporters that production is not expected to resume this week.

The Volcano Group, a relatively unknown band of saboteurs, released a statement in which they claimed responsibility for the attack. In their statement, they expressed their desire to bring about the "liberation from the patriarchy" by destroying Tesla's Gigafactory and targeting Musk personally. Astonishingly, the perpetrators have managed to evade arrest thus far.

This incident marks yet another setback for Tesla's only European factory. Previously, local residents voted against the expansion of the Grünheide factory in a non-binding referendum, resulting in protesters camping in the surrounding woods to prevent any clearing attempts. Moreover, a recent report by Stern magazine revealed that Tesla has been polluting the water supply with harmful levels of phosphorus and nitrogen compounds, alarming the Brandenburg government.

As Tesla faces the challenge of repairing the extensive damages caused by the arson attack, there may be a silver lining for the company. The temporary halt in production may help reduce inventories of unsold Teslas in Europe, potentially alleviating the need for further price incentives.

The Bra