Regressive crisis response in the context of the mobility transition: Tesla in Brandenburg

Tesla in Brandenburg

Abstract

The establishment of the Tesla factory in Brandenburg (Germany) stands as an example of the contradictions of ecological industrial policy under capitalism: while it is regarded as a symbol of technological progress and climate protection, it also exposes a complex conflict over environmental justice, social inequality, and the limits of the mobility transition. Drawing on Rahel Jaeggi (2023), this article argues that the case of Tesla in Grünheide illustrates how the current trajectory of the mobility transition constitutes a regressive form of crisis governance. The analysis shows that environmental transformations are often accompanied by social exclusion and ecological shifts. Moreover, the case exemplifies the inability of capitalist societies to fundamentally resolve their own crises: instead of addressing structural causes, ecological problems are absorbed into the logic of economic growth. The attempt to counter crises with the very mechanisms that produce them ultimately blocks substantial change.