Angry at Musk?... Tesla Arson Incidents Continue in the US
Published 06 Mar.2025 09:06(KST)
Fire Breaks Out at Tesla Charging Station... Suspected Arson
"Possible Link to Negative Sentiment Toward Musk"
Arson Incident Also Occurred in Germany Last Month
Amid a series of arson incidents targeting Tesla in the United States and Germany, an analysis has emerged suggesting a connection to negative sentiments toward Elon Musk, the CEO.
On the 4th (local time), Elon Musk attended President Donald Trump's speech to the U.S. Congress. AP=Yonhap News Photo by AP
원본보기 아이콘On the 5th (local time), Yonhap News cited the Littleton Police Department on the outskirts of Boston, Massachusetts, reporting that at around 1:10 a.m. on the 3rd, a fire broke out at a Tesla charging station located on the grounds of a large shopping center, prompting police and fire departments to respond. At the scene, several Tesla chargers were emitting smoke amid the flames, and responders contacted the electric company to request a power shutdown at the charging station.
Additionally, a fire occurred at another nearby charging station, resulting in a total of seven chargers being burned. There were no casualties from the fire. Fire authorities determined from initial investigations that the fire was intentionally set. The police are receiving witness reports through an arson hotline. Local media outlets, including The New York Times (NYT), suggested that some people's resentment toward Musk could be linked to the incident.
Earlier, on the 24th of last month, an arson incident also occurred at a construction site in Marzahn, eastern Berlin, Germany. Subsequently, an anonymous post claiming responsibility for the arson was uploaded to the left-wing community Indymedia. The author stated, "Fifty hectares (50㎡) of forest near Gr?nheide, close to Berlin, are being cleared for the expansion of the Tesla Gigafactory. This is for a freight station to transport Tesla electric vehicles," targeting the railway construction leading to the Tesla factory.
Tesla is pushing to expand its factory in Gr?nheide to increase production capacity, and the state railway company DB was building a freight-only train station near the factory to transport Tesla vehicles. However, environmental groups opposed this, saying, "The Tesla factory is causing the disappearance of local forests and water shortages." In March of last year, a fire suspected to be arson occurred at a nearby transmission tower, cutting off electricity supply to the Tesla factory for a week.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.