A 250 kg WWII bomb was found at Tesla Gigafactory Berlin site
A 250 kg World War 2 bomb was found at the site of Tesla’s planned expansion of Gigafactory Berlin. It will have to be detonated.
Tesla has been trying to expand its Gigafactory Berlin, but it has been facing some opposition.
Earlier this year, the local residents of Grünheide, the municipality where Tesla Gigafactory Berlin is located, have voted against the expansion of the plant, which requires more than 100 hectares of forest to be cleared.
Local officials have given their approval nonetheless.
Activists also occupied the forest to try to stop the expansion from happening. However, the worst has been an actual attack on the grid that resulted in Tesla having to shut down the factory temporarily.
Now, Tesla is facing another issue: a bomb.
In the context of the previous sabotage, a bomb might sound treating, but we are actually talking about an old WWII bomb – nothing malicious.
RBB reports that the authorities have confirmed they found a 250 kg WWII bomb at the site of Tesla’s expansion.
They plan to detonate the bomb this weekend:
The bomb cannot be transported and is expected to be detonated on site between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, as the Public Order Office and the Brandenburg Interior Ministry confirmed on Thursday. The exact exclusion zone for the detonation is not yet known; a zone of about one kilometer is usually set for similarly large bombs. According to an employee of the Public Order Office, two state roads will be closed on the day of the detonation, but the A10 motorway and the RE1 railway line will remain open.
Tesla will have to temporarily shut down production this weekend as a precaution.
The protesters who are occupying the forest have been notified. Officials said that it’s their responsibility to leave.
There’s currently an ongoing effort to find old ammunition at the expansion site, which is a normal part of the construction process for parts of Europe that were heavily bombarded during the war.
Tesla is looking to expand the plant to support the production of future vehicles at Gigafactory Berlin, which currently only produces Model Y.
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CASE CE is responding to government regulations that are pushing industries towards a zero-emission future by developing a new line of all-electric equipment – which now includes a new, 3.8 ton compact wheel loader.
Last week, CASE Construction Equipment introduced the 12EV, an all-electric 3.8 ton compact wheel loader with a 1.5 ton payload capacity that the company says demonstrates its commitment to zero emissions and alternative fuel solutions.
These new electric vehicles mean more choices for CASE customers, enabling them meet their carbon footprint reduction targets and eco-efficiency goals while providing power and performance on par with their conventional, diesel-powered offerings.
The CASE 12EV comes equipped with a 23 kWh, cobalt-free, lithium-ion battery sends power to a 17 kW motor that delivers drive to the axles, as well as a 22 kW motor that powers the hydraulic system for the loader arms and bucket cylinder. The battery pack is good for up to six hours of continuous operation (depending on load). It can charge overnight on 220V Level 2 charging, or from 10 to 80% on a DC fast charger in just under an hour.
But wait, there’s more!
The 12EV wheel loader is the third production BEV from CASE, following the introduction of the CX15EV and the CX25EV mini excavators that weigh in 1.5 and 2.5 tons, respectively. The excavators are powered by 21.5 kWh and 32.3 kWh battery packs, respectively, sized to enable “full shift” runtime.
CASE showed off its full line of electric excavators at a UK earlier this summer, the first time UK equipment operators and other stakeholders a chance to sample the battery electric machines and learn about a variety of other carbon reducing initiatives, including sustainable charging and waste management.
Electrek’s Take
We had the chance to interview CNH (CASE/New Holland) chief innovation officer (CIO) Marc Kermisch on the Heavy Equipment Podcast a few weeks ago, where we discussed the impact of automation and electrification on construction and agriculture, the lack of new farm and equipment operators, alternative fuels, and more. You can check that out, below, and let us know what you think of CASE’s sustainable roadshow in the comments.
SOURCE | PHOTOS: CNH/CASE CE.
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Fifty million miles. Eighty million kilometers. Two thousand laps around Carl Sagan’s pale blue dot. However you measure it, there’s no denying it: Volvo Trucks have driven a whole lot of battery-electric miles!
Since Volvo Trucks began delivering its first generation of all-electric semi trucks to customers in 2019, the trucks have dramatically reduced fleets’ harmful carbon emissions, reduced their operating costs, and improved the working environment for drivers with smoother, quieter, and cleaner operation.
How much cleaner? Volvo claims that covering the same fifty million distance with equivalent diesel-powered trucks would have consumed more than 25 million liters of diesel fuel and more than 68,000 tons of carbon dioxide.
It pays off to be an early adopter – transport companies with electric trucks have a strong competitive advantage when being able to offer emission-free transport to transport buyers.
“I am happy to see how transport companies are embracing the benefits with electric trucks in daily operations,” says Roger Alm, President Volvo Trucks. “The transport sector represents 7% of global carbon emissions and battery-electric trucks is an important tool to reduce the climate footprint. Thanks to many early adopters we can already now see the huge potential with this technology.”
We’ve come a long way
Since 2019, Volvo Trucks’ global deliveries of electric trucks increased grew to 1,977 Class 8 trucks in 2023 (up 256% from the year before, and still growing, as the company sees continued interest from customers in 2024). In addition to sheer numbers, Volvo has market share. In Europe, more than 50% of electric truck buyers chose a Volvo during Q1 of ’24 – fully 56%, in fact, with a 44% share of electric trucks sold in the US, as well.
“Not only transport companies, but also buyers of transport – and logistic services are signing up to SBTi (Science Based Target initiative), and are starting to demand sustainable transport solutions from their providers,” says Alm, about the 3,500 electric Volvo semis sold in 45 countries (so far). “This is yet another driver of the shift to electric trucks.”
Electrek’s Take
I talked about the head start companies like Einride and Freightliner had in developing autonomous driving for commercial trucks even as companies like Walmart and McDonald’s are turning to Tesla’s competitors instead of waiting for its Semi in today’s episode of Quick Charge – and I didn’t need Reuters to tell me that.
That said, fifty million miles and five years is one heck of a head start.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Volvo Trucks, Reuters.
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