FINANCIAL TIMES

Carmaker rolls back on hail-busting cannons after farmers say they sparked a drought

22 August 2018

VW’s Puebla plant in Mexico is the second largest in its global portfolio © Bloomberg

Volkswagen is reversing course on the use of controversial weather-altering technology at a

major Mexican car plant after local farmers complained that the system caused drought by

preventing rainfall.

The German carmaker had installed hail cannons, which fire shockwaves into the atmosphere,

at its Puebla site to prevent the formation of ice stones that had been damaging finished vehicles

parked outside its facility.

But local farmers said the devices, which were set to fire automatically under certain weather

conditions, caused a drought during the months that should have been Mexico’s rainy season.

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Thank you to  Lori F and Rachael M for sending in this article.