Vandals seem intent on making life difficult for electric vehicle owners.

A post on the r/TeslaModel3 subreddit shared the frustrating and costly damage inflicted on one Tesla owner's vehicle.

The car comes with a panel that covers the charging port when not in use, but the Redditor returned to find the panel ripped clean off the side of their vehicle.

Though Tesla Model 3 cars come equipped with Sentry Mode, described by Tesla as "an intelligent vehicle security system that alerts you when it detects possible threats nearby," the Redditor claimed that the perpetrator wasn't caught by the vehicle's cameras and sensors.

Electric vehicle owners seem to be targeted unfairly by vandals, with both charging points and vehicles receiving damage.

Understandably, some people are hesitant to make the switch to an EV if their brand-new car is at a higher risk of being scratched or tampered with. This vandalism can slow the widespread adoption of vehicles that are less harmful to the planet.

Though this damage may be a protest against Elon Musk's recent controversial involvement in American politics, it's unfair that the financial burden falls on everyday car owners most of the time. With every instance of anti-electric vehicle vandalism, people may be swayed away from switching to an EV and instead keep relying on dirty fuel sources such as gas and oil.

EVs are a tangible and accessible way to reduce pollution. While it's true that manufacturing and charging EVs causes waste, the carbon air pollution created by gas-powered cars is six times higher than that of EVs, according to research by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Lithium-ion batteries are also an environmental issue when it comes to EVs. Currently 7.7 million tons of material are mined for clean energy each year, per Sustainability by Numbers. However, a staggering 16.5 billion tons of coal, oil, and natural gas extracted every year, making the figures for clean energy pale in comparison.

Reddit users rallied around the original poster.

Which of these factors is your biggest obstacle to purchasing an EV? Cost concerns 💸 Range concerns 🪫 Performance concerns 😓 Already switched 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"People are the worst!" one person commented.

Another baffled Redditor remarked, "I dont understand why many people hate EVs. We are saving them and their kids by saving the environment."

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