Tesla stops production at Berlin factory after arson attack by activists

Tesla has stopped production at its Berlin factory after a group of activists set fire to an electricity pylon servicing the factory and nearby towns.

The activists, who call themselves the Volcano Group, published a 2500-word letter claiming responsibility for the attack while calling CEO Elon Musk a “technofascist”.

It accused Tesla of "consuming earth, resources, people, workers and in return spitting out 6000 SUVs, killer cars and monster trucks each week".

The letter was signed Agua De Pau – the name of a volcano in the Azores – and described the arson attack as a "gift" to mark this year's International Women's Day (8 March).

Musk has responded to the attack, posting on 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."

According to German news agency DPA, Michael Stübgen, the interior minister of the Brandenburg region, said the fire appeared to be intentional.

He said: “If the initial findings are confirmed, it will be a perfidious attack on our electricity infrastructure."

The fire didn't spread to the factory itself but did leave it and the surrounding towns without power, because of heat damage to a high-voltage transmission line.

In the letter, the activists broke down exactly how they damaged the pylon: "We started the fire big and high with lots of car tires to weaken the steel structure and cause the mast to become unstable ... this can lead to buckling effects, twisting or deflection. That was our intention."

All of the facility's 12,500 workers were evacuated and sent home but were told the building is in a "safe state".

In day-to-day operation, the facility produces the Tesla Model Y crossover and battery cells for all Tesla EVs.

The attack came after Tesla revealed plans to expand the manufacturing facility – which it opened in March 2022 – to include a freight depot, warehouses and a kindergarten for workers' children. 

The expansion was halted by a 'Stop Tesla' campaign, in which protestors erected tents and built treehouses - a tactic said to be used frequently in German environmental protests - after concerns were voiced about the area's water supply and the felling of nearly 250 acres of forest.