What began as a normal drive for one Tesla owner quickly escalated into a scary situation when another motorist aggressively merged into their electric vehicle. The entire unsettling incident was caught on camera.
Video footage of the chilling collision was shared on Reddit, showing a Jeep merging directly into the side of the Tesla, forcing the EV off the road. The situation escalated further when the Jeep driver attempted to leave the scene after the impact. Luckily, the original poster was able to follow the Jeep and eventually got the driver to pull over.
(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)
Some commenters said the crash appeared to be reckless driving, but others feared it was deliberate.
"It looks like they purposely rammed you," one commenter wrote. "That looked like a pretty aggressive merge."
Whether this particular collision was deliberate remains unclear. What is clear, however, is how valuable Tesla's built-in Sentry Mode surveillance system can be in moments like this, capturing footage that might otherwise be left to conflicting accounts.
"Say what you will about Tesla, but the multiple built-in cameras are pretty dope," one commenter wrote.
While accidents do inevitably happen on the road, anti-EV aggression raises uncomfortable questions in some cases. Although this particular incident happened two years ago, reports of EV vandalism persist — and Teslas are often singled out as targets.
This trend comes during a turbulent time for Tesla, with the company experiencing declining sales, falling stock, and heightened scrutiny around its leadership.
CEO Elon Musk has faced ongoing criticism over his political activity and public statements, including allegations of racism, sexism, antisemitism, transphobia, and spreading harmful misinformation.
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Public opinion of Tesla has been directly impacted by the CEO's polarizing persona. An August 2025 Gallup survey found that 61% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the controversial CEO.
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Save $1,000 this year 💸 EV vandalism — combined with reputational challenges for Tesla — risks slowing broader electric vehicle adoption, especially as Tesla ranks as one of the most influential EV makers in the world. Any slowdown to that transition is a setback for the planet.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that transportation is the largest source of planet-heating pollution in the United States. The EPA also noted that transportation-related pollution is linked to serious health concerns, including respiratory disease and certain cancers, particularly in densely populated urban areas.
Electric vehicles, unlike those powered by gas, do not emit tailpipe pollution, which makes them a critical part of efforts to curb rising global temperatures. While manufacturing EV batteries does require resource mining and energy-intensive processing, an Internetwork for Sustainability study showed that the pollution generated in manufacturing an EV is offset within eight years of driving.
As renewable energy expands and battery technology improves, the environmental benefits of EVs are expected to grow — unlike gas cars, which remain locked into polluting.
There are also clear money-saving advantages to owning an EV. Drivers save roughly $1,500 annually on fuel and maintenance compared to drivers of gas-powered cars. But those savings can disappear quickly if vehicles are damaged or targeted.
If vandalism and hostility toward EVs continue to go unchecked, they pose a costly burden for owners and a troubling obstacle to the wider shift toward cleaner transportation.
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