Photo: Tesla
Tesla, SpaceX, and Elon Musk continue to provide assistance to Ukraine in various ways to help the country and its people survive during this difficult time. Musk's companies supply SpaceX Starlinks and Tesla Powerwalls to Ukraine, provide free charging in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, and also promise to keep paid jobs for workers from Ukraine who are forced to return to the country to protect it.
After Russia's aggressive invasion of the territory of the sovereign state of Ukraine, the troops of the invaders continue to commit atrocities, destroying infrastructure, communication towers, and killing the civilian population. The whole world has come together to support the Ukrainians and help them survive. Elon Musk's companies, Tesla and SpaceX, continue to provide assistance however possible. They took a number of measures, which were shared in more detail by Sr. Director, EMEA at Tesla, Joe Ward and Director People, EMEA at Tesla, Mariam Khalifa.
On Monday, Tesla sent out an email to employees in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, which was received by CNBC. According to it, Musk's companies have done and continue to do a lot to provide support to the Ukrainians. So Tesla employees who are Ukrainians and who are asked to return to their homeland to defend their country will continue to receive a salary from Tesla for at least three months. After that, the company plans to re-evaluate the Russian-Ukrainian war and the situation of its employees in order to decide what else is needed.
In addition, Tesla employees were also praised in the letter for helping SpaceX deploy the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine. Volunteers from the Giga Berlin and Germany Service team responded quickly to test, configure, package, and ship several hundred Starlink devices. This process was done at "Tesla speed," in less than three days.
"On top of this the Energy team supplemented the Starlink roll out with a fleet Powerwalls," wrote Tesla. Tesla employees used inverters and charging cables donated by local Tesla certified installers to assemble the Starlink and Powerwall systems. They also made AC cables from scrap metal from Tesla's new factory to power Starlink equipment.
There are about 5,000 Tesla owners in Ukraine and they can get their vehicles charged for free at some Superchargers in Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. This enables refugees to reach safe places in Europe.
Here is the full text of the email:
Hi Team,
Sharing this message from Joe Ward and Mariam Khalifa:
As you know, Tesla is committed to do the right thing. Whilst the situation in Ukraine is evolving, we wanted to share with you what actions are being taken to support those impacted by the conflict.
Many folks have reached to understand how they can contribute, which is awesome. It's important we show them how we as a company are helping, what resources we have in place, and how they can also proactively support themselves. Big thanks to all of the teams that have contributed to these efforts so far – true Tesla spirit on display.
*As a priority HR EMEA team members have been connecting with employees impacted as well as their managers to ensure we check in. We will continue to ensure we provide meaningful and targeted support for our employees.
For any Tesla employees who is a Ukrainian national and has been asked to return to Ukraine for active duty as a reservist, we will maintain their employment and salary for 3 months, with a view to assessing after this period as needed.
*Tesla has opened free Supercharging at stations bordering Ukraine to support those impacted by the recent invasion. Within hours of implementation, Tesla emailed local owners announcing that several Supercharger stations near Ukraine could be used by Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicles, free of charge. Although Tesla does not officially operates within Ukraine, any of the country’s estimated 5,000 Tesla owners can access free Supercharging at select stations in Poland, Hungary Slovakia.
*Tesla teamed up with SpaceX to provide coverage expansion for its Starlink services to help provide an alternative internet infrastructure.
*Volunteers across the Giga Berlin and Germany Service team responded quickly on Sunday to test, configure, pack and ship several hundred Starlink units which have already been gratefully received by Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister. In true Tesla fashion, the solution has been put together in less than 3 days.
*On top of this the Energy team supplemented the Starlink roll out with a fleet Powerwalls. The system included PV inverters given by our Certified installer network, pre-made DC cables given by one of our Supercharger Installation Partners and AC cables made out out of scrap from Giga Berlin. All of it assembled by a team of (40+) volunteers from across the EMEA organization, committed to doing what they can to support.
*In addition, we have reinforced Tesla EMEA Employee Assistance Programme. The Programme offers counseling and numerous resources and support for employees.
Lastly, employees can of course support by making cash donations to reputable relief organizations responding in Ukraine, this is not an exhaustive list and you can of course make donation to an organisation of your choice.
UNCHR
UNICEF
Red Cross
World Food Program
World Health Organization
If you have any further thoughts or ideas with regards how we can be supporting our employees and those impacted by the crisis, please do not hesitate to connect with us.
© 2022, Eva Fox | Tesmanian. All rights reserved.
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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
