As reported by The Wall Street Journal, workers at Tesla’s Austin factory were forced to work for several months in temperatures up to +38°C and in «constant fog» due to a faulty giant door of the foundry — at the same time, the company «ignored the problem, increasing production of Tesla Model Y in 2022».
According to workers interviewed by WSJ, conditions have worsened due to «emission of toxins into the air» who were letting the furnace door open. While Tesla executives allegedly ignored the employees’ reports, not considering them significant — the rest of the staff did not report the problems because they were worried about potential dismissal
The newspaper also reports that Tesla allegedly discharged hazardous wastewater from its production facilities containing paint, oil, and other chemicals into the city sewer system at the time.
The WSJ notes that the conclusions in the article were drawn after a detailed review of emails between Texas regulators and Tesla, as well as interviews with former employees and other documents, including a letter sent by a whistleblower to the Environmental Protection Agency. Tesla has not yet responded to the media’s request for comment.
At the same time, this is not the first time that Elon Musk’s companies have been suspected of having a negative impact on the environment. In September, SpaceX was fined almost $150,000 for discharging wastewater into wetlands near its Texas launch pad back in 2022, and in February Tesla paid $1.5 million to settle the lawsuit on charges of mishandling hazardous waste at plants in California. There were also questions about transportation of hazardous substances by Neuralink.
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