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Tesla's only European factory is getting back to business after an arson attack shut it down

A red Tesla outside a Tesla showroom.
Tesla's German gigafactory was reconnected to the electricity grid late yesterday. JOHN THYS / Getty
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Tesla's German Gigafactory is getting back to business — earlier than anticipated — after an arson attack forced it to shut down for roughly a week.

Production is slowly resuming, CNN reports, after local energy company E.DIS reconnected the factory to the electricity grid late Monday.

The factory, located outside Berlin, is Tesla's only plant in Europe.

The March 5 attack, which far-left activists claimed responsibility for, dealt a huge blow, given it employs 12,500 people and produces 1,000 cars per day, according to Reuters. The location produces Model Y SUVs and battery cells.

Tesla initially thought the factory might be closed through this week, according to CNN, though it's unknown when production will resume as normal.

The so-called Volcano Group took responsibility for the attack.

They set fire to an electricity pylon near Tesla's plant and took credit for sabotaging the company on the website kontrapolis.info, writing that Tesla "consumes earth, resources, people, workers and in return spits out 6,000 SUVs, killer cars and monster trucks each week."

Elon Musk called the group "eco-terrorists" on X. "Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm," he wrote.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

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Geoff Weiss
Geoff Weiss is a senior reporter on Business Insider’s tech team, where he covers Nvidia and AI infrastructure. His reporting focuses on the business of AI compute, emerging startups, and the people and strategies shaping the industry.Previously, Geoff was on the media desk, covering YouTube and Netflix, and themes like the intersection of Hollywood and the creator economy. His work on Netflix’s video podcasting ambitions and Mr Beast’s lessons for Hollywood won second and first prize, respectively, at the 2025 LA Press Club Awards.Prior to joining Business Insider, Geoff was the senior editor of Tubefilter and a staff writer at Entrepreneur. He graduated from New York University with a degree in English Literature.He can be reached at gweiss@jkmperu.com, on Signal @geoffweiss.25, and on LinkedIn. Have a tip? Use a personal email address and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.