autoevolution
 

Tesla Loses Water Supply at Giga Berlin Because Somebody Forgot to Pay the Bill

Tesla's plans to take over Europe's EV market appears to have suffered the weirdest of setbacks after the company lost the water supply at its construction site near Berlin on Thursday.
Tesla Giga Berlin 17 photos
Photo: Elon Musk on Twitter
Tesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior lookTesla Shanghai Gigafactory interior look
Tesla is currently building plants just as much as it is building cars. Elon Musk has always emphasized the importance of the infrastructure and the manufacturing process, and the Gigafactories are the best example of what he means. The plants are focused on ultimate efficiency both in regard to the actual output and also their environmental impact.

As you would imagine, you can't achieve that without efficient management that looks over things and keeps everything in check. The number of variables involved must be staggering, and yet a lot depends on it, so no excuses will be accepted.

Well, if reports from Germany are right, it seems like someone is going to have a lot of explaining to do after the company that provides the water for Tesla's construction site was forced to cut the supply after the EV maker failed to pay the bills.

At this point, you might be thinking "industrial sabotage". Tesla is on enemy territory there with all the German carmakers lurking in the shadows and waiting for any opportunity to hinder the American company's efforts. Surely they could oil the hand of somebody at that water supply company and convince them to turn the faucet off, right?

Well, no, this seems to be all Tesla's doing. German publication Heise says that several reminders had been issued and, after a 14 days grace period expired, they took the standard decision of cutting off the supply. "Tesla is not treated differently from others," said a spokeswoman from the water company, quoted by Heise. The construction site is operating on a provisional connection to the water supply as the final approval for the project is still pending.

The Giga Berlin is supposed to start production next year and should have an output of 500,000 units per year, with the possibility of extending that even further. Putting the construction work on hold even for a few hours is probably going to cost Tesla more than all the water it's going to consume over the entire building process, which is what makes this situation even more ridiculous. According to Strausberg-Erkner, the water provider, the supply will be reopened the moment payment is made.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Vlad Mitrache
Vlad Mitrache profile photo

"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories