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Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, stopped by Grünheide last September
Photo: ODD ANDERSEN / AFP
In the debate about the Tesla plant that is currently under construction in Grünheide near Berlin, the dispute between the TV magazine »Frontal21« and Group boss Elon Musk has entered a new round.
After a media scolding from Musk via Twitter against the ZDF magazine on Wednesday, the editors asked the top manager to face an interview on Thursday.
The issue at stake is how much water the new plant uses to build electric cars and the batteries that go with them.
In the article in the magazine criticized by Musk, the head of the Strausberg-Erkner water association, André Bähler, said that the drinking water supply was "sacrificed on the table of gifts to economic policy."
Tesla denies impending drinking water shortage
The company denies that the Tesla production will lead to restrictions on drinking water and relies on expert opinions.
Musk also personally denied possible water problems.
“Basically, we're not in a very dry region.
Trees wouldn't grow if there wasn't water, ”Musk said.
"I mean, we're not in the desert here."
Tesla estimates a maximum water consumption of 1.4 million cubic meters per year for the plant - at full capacity of 500,000 vehicles.
The value was reduced by 30 percent through water-saving measures.
This is the estimated maximum requirement under the most unfavorable conditions, in regular operation the consumption should be significantly lower.
Before the interview request to Musk via Twitter, Musk had tweeted on Wednesday evening: "Wow, shame on ZDF Info!"
He was referring to a post in the Tesla fan blog "Tesmanian", in which allegedly incorrect reporting by the ZDF was criticized.
Corona infections on the Tesla construction site
In the meantime, the construction site for the planned factory also hit the headlines because a "double-digit" number of employees had been infected with the corona virus, the Oder-Spree district announced on Thursday.
The responsible health department is therefore in close contact with Tesla.
It was to be expected that one of the largest construction sites in Germany would not be left out in a pandemic that was just accelerating again, said a spokesman for the district.
According to an industry insider, Tesla has set up its own test center on the construction site and carries out regular employee tests there.
In addition, there are extensive safety and hygiene measures.
According to information from the dpa news agency, the number of employees is in the "low four-digit" range.
According to previous plans, Tesla wants to start producing vehicles in the car factory near Berlin in July.
Tesla boss Musk also wants to build the world's largest battery factory on the site.
In industry circles there is talk of investments in the mid single-digit billion range - and that even without battery production.
caw / dpa-AFX
