Tesla Berlin Gigafactory Battery Fire Halts Production

21 Aug 2025

Tesla Berlin Gigafactory Battery Fire Halts Production

Battery cell conveyor malfunction triggers evacuation and production shutdown on August 18, 2025

Tesla's European manufacturing operations faced another significant disruption this week when a fire broke out in the battery pack production area of its Berlin Gigafactory on Monday, August 18, 2025. The incident, caused by a conveyor system malfunction, forced a complete evacuation of workers and halted production for over 24 hours.

The Incident: Conveyor System Failure

The fire began at approximately 3:00 PM local time on Monday in a building where Tesla manufactures battery packs for its Model Y vehicles. According to the Oder-Spree district spokesperson, the incident occurred when "several battery cells fell from a conveyor belt on the first floor through a shaft into the ground floor."

The Brandenburg State Office for the Environment (LfU) provided specific details about the scale of the incident. A total of 512 battery cells were affected when "several stacks" of cells fell from the conveyor system. According to German newspaper Handelsblatt, this quantity "corresponds to about two-thirds of a complete battery pack for a passenger car."

The fire was contained to the transport system on the ground floor, where the fallen cells ignited. Tesla uses both CATL LFP cells for the Model Y base variant and NCM cells from LG Energy Solution for Long Range versions at the Brandenburg facility, though officials did not specify which cell type was involved in the incident.

Emergency Response and Evacuation

Tesla immediately evacuated all employees from the affected building, including workers in both battery pack production and drive unit assembly areas housed in the same structure. The company's emergency response procedures were activated, and it took several hours to fully extinguish the fire.

Critically, no injuries were reported during the incident. Tesla's safety protocols ensured all personnel were safely evacuated before any harm could occur. The company has not yet disclosed what caused the conveyor system malfunction that led to the cells falling.

Environmental Impact Assessment

Environmental officials confirmed that no environmental damage occurred as a result of the fire. The firefighting water was "fully contained within the building," according to district officials, preventing any contaminated water from leaking into groundwater supplies.

Tesla implemented all measures outlined in the emergency plan previously agreed upon with local water authorities and WSE (the regional water management authority). A specialized cleaning company was contracted to remove the firefighting water and clean affected areas, though officials have not confirmed whether this work has been completed.

Production Impact and Recovery

The fire caused immediate disruption to Tesla's European production schedule. Operations ceased completely on Monday afternoon following the incident, affecting the facility's ability to manufacture Model Y vehicles for European markets.

Recovery began gradually on Tuesday, with operations resuming in phases:

Tuesday Recovery Timeline:

Afternoon: Drive unit assembly operations restarted
Battery pack assembly: Remained offline throughout Tuesday
Displaced workers: Attended training sessions and first-aid courses while awaiting production restart

The staggered restart reflects the need to thoroughly inspect and potentially repair the conveyor systems in the battery production area before resuming full operations.

Context: Berlin Gigafactory's Challenging Year

This latest incident adds to a series of challenges faced by Tesla's Berlin facility in 2025. The factory, which opened in March 2022 as Tesla's first European production site, has been the target of ongoing environmental protests and activist attacks.

In March 2024, the facility suffered a more serious disruption when suspected eco-activists attacked power infrastructure, causing nearly $1 billion in damages and forcing a complete shutdown for several days. The "Volcano Group" claimed responsibility for that attack, stating their goal was to shut down Tesla operations entirely.

Environmental activists have established permanent protest camps around the facility, opposing Tesla's expansion plans and arguing that the factory threatens local water supplies and forest ecosystems. Earlier this year, satellite analysis showed that 500,000 trees were felled for the factory's expansion, intensifying local opposition.

Operational Significance

The Berlin Gigafactory represents Tesla's most crucial European asset, described by the company as its "most advanced, sustainable and efficient facility yet." The plant recently celebrated producing its 500,000th Model Y, just days after its third anniversary.

Tesla plans to increase the facility's capacity to produce one million electric vehicles annually in the coming years, making operational reliability critical to the company's European expansion strategy. Any extended production disruptions directly impact Tesla's ability to meet growing European EV demand and compete with established automakers in their home market.

Industry Implications

The conveyor system failure highlights the operational complexities of large-scale battery manufacturing. As the EV industry scales production to meet global demand, incidents like this underscore the importance of robust manufacturing processes and redundant safety systems.

The quick containment and lack of injuries demonstrate that Tesla's safety protocols functioned effectively, but the production impact shows how even minor equipment failures can have significant consequences in highly automated facilities.

For the broader EV industry, the incident serves as a reminder that battery manufacturing involves handling large quantities of energy-dense materials that require specialized safety procedures and equipment designed to prevent and contain fires.

Tesla has not yet announced when full production will resume at the facility or provided details about the investigation into what caused the conveyor system malfunction that triggered this latest disruption.