Tesla Recycling Plant Catches Fire; Local Environmental Protestors Call for Immediate Stop to Production

Tired of Tesla fire stories yet?

Tesla vehicles have been and continue to be associated with battery fires and fires that are difficult to extinguish (see 1, 2). To be fair, battery fires and fires that are difficult to extinguish have also been reported with other company’s electric vehicles (EVs) as well (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Regardless, last week, a Tesla battery caught fire at a California utility substation and last night a major fire broke out at a Tesla recycling plant in Berlin.

From ZeroHedge:

Tesla’s German Gigafactory Catches Fire, Prompting Local Protestors To Call For Production Shut Down

by Tyler Durden

A major fire appears to have broken out at Tesla’s Berlin recycling plant, prompting a local group of environmentalists who have been fighting the company to call for Tesla to stop production.

Overnight electrek reported that Tesla’s on-site fire brigade called in help from the local fire department for an incident that took place at Gigafactory Berlin in the municipality of Grünheide.

Local news reported that a “a large pile of cardboard and wood caught on fire at the recycling facility located at the factory”. The report said that 800 cubic meters of paper, cardboard and wood caught fire.

The blaze took 50 firefighters “hours” to get under control. 12 firefighters from Tesla’s own brigade assisted with the fire. No injuries were reported and the fire did not spread to elsewhere on the facility.

But one blaze set off another: environmentalists, who have been fighting Tesla every step of the way on the German plant, are now calling for a stop in production. A group called the citizens’ initiative Grünheide (BI) is calling for an “immediate stop” to production, electrek writes.

A representative from the group commented: “Our worst fears have come true. We demand a production stop until the causes and circumstances have been clarified and all safety-related measures in the water protection area have been implemented.”

Tesla has not issued an official comment as of yet.

In addition to fires, Teslas have been associated with numerous other safety problems, some of which have led to fatal accidents, investigations lawsuits, and recalls (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22). High maintenance costs (see 1, 2) and security issues (see 1, 2, 3) continue to be identified with Tesla vehicles as well. Dangerous levels of biologically and environmentally harmful radiation emissions have also been reported in Teslas and other EVs (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Got pets? Radiation exposure from EVs (and other common sources) can affect them too.