Tesla under pressure: New water contract causes protests in Grünheide!

Tesla under pressure: New water contract causes protests in Grünheide!

What's going on in Grünheide? Tesla recently signed a new water contract with the Strausberg-Erkner water association, which allows the company to recycle wastewater. However, this decision causes a lot of discussion. Critics fear that the automaker's water consumption could have a negative impact on the region's drinking water supply. What is particularly explosive is the fact that the location is partly in a water protection area. Despite these concerns, no major problems with the drinking water supply have occurred in three years, as NTG24 reports.

According to Tesla, the company has already reduced water consumption in the factory in Grünheide, so that the wastewater now corresponds to standard household sanitary wastewater. Tesla also states that 100 percent of its wastewater is recyclable. That sounds like a good step in the right direction. But the critics cannot be calmed down so easily. An alliance called “Turn off Tesla” recently protested against the new water contract on the sidelines of a water association meeting.

Protests and resistance

Around a dozen Tesla opponents showed banners like “Stop Tesla” and “Turn off the tap to Tesla – we’ll stay there!” presence and made clear their concerns that the car factory poses a threat to the water protection area. While the protest remained peaceful, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop. However, Tesla emphasizes that water consumption in its Brandenburg factory is below the average for the electric car industry, as T-Online notes.

What is encouraging for Tesla is that sales figures in China continue to be strong. However, this is in contrast to the declining numbers in Europe, which increases the likelihood of a further correction in their share prices. This situation could explain why Tesla shares have fallen almost 20 percent this year to $325.31.

Water scarcity and the future of electric cars

The issue of water consumption is not just a local problem. In a larger context, water scarcity due to raw material extraction threatens to create bottlenecks for electric cars worldwide, as ecomento.de explains. As long as water consumption in industry is not regulated sustainably, the dispute over the water supply of Tesla and other companies will remain a hot topic.

It is questionable whether Tesla can actually end the protests with the new water contract, as the ideological conflicts between the company and its critics remain strong. The political activities of the company boss Elon Musk are particularly exacerbating the situation. The future remains exciting for the Brandenburg region – both in terms of water supply and the development of the electric car market.