Elon Musk recently clarified some details about Gigafactory 4’s water consumption on a Tweet sharing a report from Tesmanian writer Eva Fox. There have been protests against the EV automaker’s Brandenburg facility in Grünheide due to the impact GF4 could have on the community’s water supply.
Sounds like we need to clear up a few things! Tesla won’t use this much net water on a daily basis. It’s possibly a rare peak usage case, but not an everyday event. Also, this is not a natural forest — it was planted for use as cardboard & only a small part will be used for GF4.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 25, 2020
Due to the protests against GF4’s construction, those unsupportive of Tesla have started to stir the pot over Gigafactory 4’s environmental impact in the Brandenburg region. There are documents on the matter available to the public. However, the concerns over GF4’s impact on the local environment have still not quelled.
Elon Musk has stepped in to clarify a few points on the matter, including tree felling and water consumption of the upcoming facility. He explained that Tesla’s Brandenburg factory will not be consuming as much water as initially stated.
It seems that the net water usage reported before was an estimate of the maximum amount of water the factory could consume and was not the actual number it would use on a daily basis.
He also clarified that the trees in the GF4 forest were meant to be farmed. In particular, they were planted to be used as cardboard. This point has been stressed over and over again in the past but seems to be continuously ignored.
It must also be made clear that Tesla plans to replant just as many trees—if not more—as was cut down for Gigafactory 4. The quality of the trees may even be better than the ones removed for Tesla’s Brandenburg plant because they would be planted for a different purpose.
Elon Musk also confirmed that Tesla’s foundation for sustainability was the same mindset in place for Gigafactory 4. He reminded people who would listen that the EV maker’s new facility was designed with the environment in mind like every other product Tesla releases or creates.
There was never a doubt in my mind about that.
— #Gf4 #Gigafactory4 (@Gf4Tesla) January 25, 2020
Solar roof is also coming.
Right?@elonmusk
One Tesla enthusiast, @IheartTesla, added to the conversation saying, “If people could look at the big picture, they would realize that GF4 is going to have enormous benefits not only for the German economy but also for the environment.”
To which Elon Musk replied with, “For sure. Giga Berlin will build sustainable energy vehicles using sustainable energy, so net environmental impact will be extremely positive!”
Musk’s response to @IheartTesla reminded people that at the end of the day the EV tech company’s main goal is still to promote sustainable energy through its all-electric vehicles, batteries, and other tech.
Featured Image Credit: @Gf4Tesla/Twitter
