Elon Musk laughed at the idea of Tesla using too much water. Now it’s a real problem

A sign designates a "water protection area" at an entry gate to the Tesla factory construction site in Gruenheide, Germany, which may over tax the area's already depleting water supply. — Bloomberg

When Elon Musk was asked last year whether the factory Tesla Inc. was constructing in Germany would deplete the area’s water supply, he broke out in bellowing laughter and called the notion "completely wrong.”

Six months later, water is one of the primary reasons the plant still isn’t producing vehicles.