PingWest reported on August 16th, citing Sina Tech, that TSLA whistleblower Martin Tripp tweeted internal emails, photos, and vehicle identification numbers, claiming these are evidence of defects in TSLA's battery manufacturing process. He further stated that TSLA's products are also imperfect, posing a risk to driver safety.
Tripp alleges that TSLA's Gigafactory took dangerous shortcuts in its manufacturing process, and that Musk was directly aware of this but did not intervene. He tweeted that the listed vehicle identification numbers refer to specific vehicles using damaged batteries that should never have been installed in the first place. This is the first in a series of tweets.
Tripp also posted photos on Twitter claiming that TSLA was storing waste in the open-air parking lot and on trucks at the Gigafactory, instead of in temperature-controlled warehouses. He also shared screenshots showing large amounts of waste inside the plant.
Tripp has been embroiled in a fierce legal battle with TSLA, after TSLA CEO Elon Musk accused Tripp of leaking confidential information and false information about the company's production activities to the media, and of hacking into the company's internal systems. Tripp has retaliated by filing a whistleblower complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
A TSLA spokesperson stated:
"As we've stated before, these assertions are false. Tripp himself has absolutely no knowledge of the TSLA vehicle safety matters he's making. No damaged batteries have been used in the Model 3 vehicles, and all vehicle identification numbers use safe batteries. It should be noted that there has never been a battery safety issue in any Model 3 vehicle to date."
