Tesla shuts down Gigafactory Berlin after suspected sabotage results in power outage
Tesla had to shut down Gigafactory Berlin today after a significant power outage that may have been caused by sabotage.
It has been a difficult couple of weeks for Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin, the automaker’s only factory in Europe.
First, it had to halt production due to supply issues amid problems with cargo ships getting through the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait due to the civil war in Yemen.
Then, it was the local residents of Grünheide, the municipality where Tesla Gigafactory Berlin is located, voting against the expansion of the plant, which requires more than 100 hectares of forest to be cleared.
On top of it, environmental activists set up camp in the forest outside the factory to try to stop the expansion last week.
Now, Tesla had to stop production and evacuate the factory today amid a potential sabotage of its power supply.
According to a report by DW, unknown people set fire to a high-voltage pylon between Steinfurt and Hartmannsdorf early on Tuesday morning – resulting in about 2,000 people losing power, including Giga factory Berlin.
The state of Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) spoke of a “perfidious attack” on the electricity infrastructure.
No one claimed the attack yet, but Tesla is rumored to be the target based on the location of the attack and the timing as environmental activists have been calling for action against the company.
Tesla told local media in Germany that it secured the factory, but it’s not clear when it can restart production due to the power situation.
DW reported:
Tesla said all measures had been taken to secure the production facilities but that, after consultation with the electricity provider EDIS, the company did not expect production to restart quickly.
Tesla produces Model Y, the first electric vehicle to become the best-selling car in the world, at Gigafactory Berlin.
Electrek’s Take
As I said last week when the treehuggers set up camp at the expansion site, Tesla shouldn’t be at the top of your list if you are an environmentalist.
If it is, and if you are willing to go as far as setting fire to electrical infrastructure, I have to question your motive.
Tesla has addressed the two main concerns of environmental activists with the Giga Berlin project: water usage and deforestation. It has significantly reduced its water usage needs and committed to replanting more trees than it removes.
When it produces a new EV at the factory, that EV converts polluting gas mileage into cleaner electric mileage. This is a net positive.
Setting fire to high voltage pylons is a net negative.
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First Solar just cut the ribbon on a huge new factory in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, and it dwarfs the New Orleans Superdome. The company’s $1.1 billion, fully vertically integrated facility spans 2.4 million square feet, or about 11 times the size of the stadium’s main arena.
The factory began production quietly in July, a few months ahead of schedule, and employs more than 700 people. First Solar expects that number to hit 826 by the end of the year. Once it’s fully online, the site will add 3.5 GW of annual manufacturing capacity. That brings the company’s total US footprint to 14 GW in 2026 and 17.7 GW in 2027, when its newly announced South Carolina plant is anticipated to come online.
The Louisiana plant produces First Solar’s Series 7 modules using US-made materials — glass from Illinois and Ohio, and steel from Mississippi, which is fabricated into backrails in Louisiana.
The new factory leans heavily on AI, from computer vision that spots defects on the line to deep learning tools that help technicians make real‑time adjustments.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry says the investment is already a win for the region, bringing in “hundreds of good-paying jobs and new opportunities for Louisiana workers and businesses.” A new economic impact analysis from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette projects that the factory will boost Iberia Parish’s GDP by 4.4% in its first full year at capacity. The average manufacturing compensation package comes in at around $90,000, more than triple the parish’s per capita income.
First Solar CEO Mark Widmar framed the new facility as a major step for US clean energy manufacturing: “By competitively producing energy technology in America with American materials, while creating American jobs, we’re demonstrating that US reindustrialization isn’t just a thesis, it’s an operating reality.”
This site joins what’s already the largest solar manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere: three factories in Ohio, one in Alabama, and R&D centers in Ohio and California. Just last week, First Solar announced a new production line in Gaffney, South Carolina, to onshore more Series 6 module work. By the end of 2026, the company expects to directly employ more than 5,500 people across the US.
Read more: First Solar pours $330M into a new South Carolina solar factory
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No, it’s not the new Bolt. GM’s design team previewed a new high-riding “sporty Chevrolet EV” that should be brought to life.
Is Chevy launching a new sporty EV?
This is the all-electric vehicle Chevy should sell in the US. General Motors’ design team released a series of sketches previewing a sporty new Chevy EV.
Although it kinda looks like the new 2027 Chevy Bolt EV as a higher-sitting compact crossover SUV, the design offers a fresh take on what it should have looked like.
The new Bolt is essentially a modernized version of the outgoing EUV model with a similar compact crossover silhouette. Nissan adopted a similar style with the new 2026 LEAF as buyers continue shifting from smaller sedans and hatchbacks to crossovers and SUVs.
Will we see the sporty Chevy EV in real life? It’s not likely. For one, the “exploration sketch” is by GM China Advanced designer Charles Huang.
GM Design posted the sketches on its global social media page, but the caption read “Sporty Chevrolet EV for the China Market.”
It’s too bad. The Bolt could use a sporty sibling like an SS variant. Chevy introduced the Blazer EV SS (check out our review) for the 2026 model year, its fastest “SS” model yet. Packing up to 615 horsepower and 650 lb-ft of torque, the Chevy Blazer SS can race from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds when using Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode.
Will the Bolt be next? I wouldn’t get my hopes up. And if GM does bring the sporty Chevy EV to life, it will likely only be sold in China. Like all the fun cars these days.
What do you think of the design? Would you buy one of these in the US? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
While deliveries of the 2027 Bolt are set to begin in early 2026, Chevy is offering some sweet deals on its current EV lineup, including up to $4,000 off in Customer Cash and 0% APR financing for 60 months.
Ready to test drive one? You can use our links below to find Chevy Equinox, Blazer, and Silverado EVs at a dealership near you.
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Environment
Podcast: Electricity is the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss electricity becoming the base currency, Tesla Robotaxi crashes, the new Porsche Cayenne EV, and more.
The show is live every Friday at 4 p.m. ET on Electrek’s YouTube channel.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends at around 5 p.m. ET, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the podcast:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 4:00 p.m. ET (or the video after 5 p.m. ET:
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