Tesla will close its factory near Berlin on Friday in anticipation of protests against a planned expansion. The decision to halt production lines was made in January, but all employees will be asked to stay home on Friday due to the expected protests. The factory normally operates Monday through Friday, so Friday being a public holiday in Germany creates a bridge day between the holiday and the weekend. The protests, organized by a coalition named Disrupt, are in opposition to Elon Musk’s plans to increase the production capacity of Tesla’s only European factory, citing concerns about deforestation and water supply strain.
A senior manufacturing director at the Tesla factory confirmed a planned one-day production shutdown on Friday. The protests are scheduled to start on Wednesday and continue for four days, leading to disruptions in production schedules. Police in the German state of Brandenburg, where the plant is located, are prepared for potential disruptions and criminal acts during the protests. The factory is currently capable of producing over 375,000 electric cars a year, but Disrupt argues that electric cars are not a solution to combating carbon emissions, citing the environmental impact of producing electric vehicles, particularly in terms of resource consumption and ecological footprint.
Disruptions are expected to continue as no buses or trains will run to and from the factory between Thursday and Sunday due to the anticipated protests. This is the second time in as many months that protests have affected operations at the plant, with a previous arson attack on a high-voltage electricity pylon causing a week-long closure. The group responsible for the attack, the “Volcano Group,” claimed that they sabotaged the plant to address their concerns about environmental impact and resource consumption related to Tesla’s production of electric vehicles. Tesla and Disrupt have not responded to requests for comment regarding the planned protests and factory closure.
The planned one-day shutdown of Tesla’s factory near Berlin on Friday is in response to anticipated protests against the expansion of the facility. The decision to halt production was made in light of the planned demonstrations by anti-capitalist protest groups voicing concerns about deforestation and strain on local water supply. The protests are set to begin on Wednesday and continue for four days, raising concerns about disruptions to production schedules. Police in the state of Brandenburg are prepared for potential disturbances during the protests and are taking measures to ensure both peaceful and non-peaceful outcomes are managed effectively.
The protests are part of ongoing opposition to Elon Musk’s plans to increase the production capacity of Tesla’s only European factory, with concerns about environmental impact, particularly related to the ecological footprint and resource consumption of electric vehicle production. Disrupt, the coalition behind the protests, argues that electric cars are not a solution to reducing carbon emissions, citing issues with the mining of lithium for EV batteries. The factory is currently capable of producing a substantial number of electric cars annually, but the protests are expected to cause disruptions to normal operations, with the closure of the factory on Friday and limited transportation services to and from the facility during the protest period.
