Elon Musk visited the Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin on Wednesday. The factory was forced to suspend production last week after a suspected arson attack caused a power outage.
Photos showed Musk arriving at a factory in Germany’s Brandenburg state, waving to workers and speaking on a stage in a tent where workers had gathered to greet him.
Local media also reported that Mr. Musk told the crowd “I love you” in German, but that further comments were drowned out by factory vehicles parked in front of the journalists and blaring music.
Tesla employees wait for the arrival of Tesla chief Elon Musk outside the Tesla Gigafactory near Grünheide, Germany, on March 13, 2024.
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Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk arrives at the Tesla factory in Grünheide, Germany, Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
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Tesla CEO Elon Musk (right) holds his son X×A-XII during a visit to the company’s electric car factory in Gruenheide, near Berlin, eastern Germany, on March 13, 2024.
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Local media, citing state officials, said Musk will meet with regional politicians during his trip to Germany. CNBC could not independently verify the report.
Last week, the Gigafactory lost power and had to temporarily halt production after a suspected arson attack at a nearby power substation. Tesla said the incident was aimed at it. In a statement on social media platform.
The left-wing extremist group Vulcan Group claimed responsibility in a letter posted online, criticizing Tesla’s environmental capabilities. Local authorities continue to investigate the incident.
The Brandenburg factory is slated for expansion, but the project has faced significant resistance from local residents and environmental groups who say it would mean deforestation in the area. Activists set up camp near the factory in protest.
Banners with the words “Elon” and “Elov” are hung at the “Stop Tesla” movement’s camp in a pine forest near Fanschleuse, near the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg factory.
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The power plant was able to return to the grid earlier this week. Production at the Gigafactory resumed on Wednesday, Michaela Schmitz, head of the factory’s works council, told local radio channel rbb24, as translated by CNBC.
Employees received their full salaries during the production stoppage, she added.