Tesla has once again demonstrated its commitment to sustainability, sharing a glimpse of its state-of-the-art water-recycling system at manufacturing facility Giga Berlin.
On Dec. 13, the automaker posted a photo of its wastewater treatment plant on X, formerly known as Twitter, and noted that "up to 100% of process water" is recycled.
Four large tanks and an extensive piping system are visible in the snapshot.
As detailed by Teslarati, the construction site of the Giga Berlin factory — located in the municipality of Grünheide in Brandenburg — drew protests over concerns about water consumption in 2020.
A pair of environmental groups later filed a lawsuit over the issue, but it was eventually dropped, with the cost of the suit one of the factors.
Despite Tesla's bumpy start in Germany, Brandenburg Minister of Agriculture Axel Vogel told BZ Berlin in October that the automaker only used around 79 million gallons of water in 2022 despite being approved for approximately 476 million gallons, per Teslarati.
Electric vehicles are better for the long-term health of the environment because their tailpipes don't release pollution that contributes to respiratory issues and the overheating of our planet. However, the manufacturing process can be more energy-intensive.
According to Automotive World, the typical car requires 39,000 gallons of water to produce, but the New York Times noted that "manufacturing electric vehicles is about 50 percent more water-intensive than traditional internal combustion engines" because of the battery.
Given that less than 1% of Earth's water is available for human use, per the Environmental Protection Agency, taking steps to conserve it is vital.
While scientists and companies have been developing solutions to reduce pollution and waste associated with EV batteries, it appears that Tesla's water-recycling system is one avenue to help make the EV production process even more sustainable as a whole.
"This is the real reason you guys are awesome … Bravo Tesla team!" one X user commented on Tesla's announcement.
"Reusing waste should have been an obvious part of manufacturing since its inception. Amazing to see bigger companies starting the ripple effect!" another person said.
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