Across the country, electric vehicle company Tesla has become a target for politically charged vandalism.
One Redditor shared a photo on the r/SantaFe subreddit of a defaced Tesla with a derogatory message keyed into it. They captioned the image: "I don't care how much you hate a brand, don't mess up someone else's property."
Critics of Tesla's chief executive officer, Elon Musk, are picketing dealerships, defacing cars, and setting Superchargers ablaze, ostensibly in response to his influence on President Donald Trump's administration. Musk, leading the newly created Department of Governmental Efficiency, has drawn the ire of many Americans for firing thousands of federal employees and dismantling the United States Agency for International Development, among other actions.
One Redditor pointed to what might seem like an inconsistency to some, asking about the defacement, "What's next? We go around keying all the f****** F150s in town because we don't like oil companies?"
A victim of one of the recent acts of vandalism in Lynnwood, Washington, appeared to wonder what the vandals hoped to accomplish: "If you're doing this to people that work 9 to 5, that make a living, you're doing this to people who already purchased the vehicle from Elon," they told KOMO News. "He already has our money."
While Musk's plans for the government have caused some to stop supporting the brand, destroying Teslas is impacting a wide range of people with a multitude of their own reasons for choosing electric vehicles. Personal support for Musk may or may not be one of them, and damaging their property ultimately will require wasting more physical resources to resolve while not having much effect on Tesla itself.
Not to mention, the vandalism has the potential to discourage widespread EV adoption. This is concerning because reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is one of the most important actions humanity can take to prevent the planet from overheating to devastating temperatures.
It's worth remembering that Tesla isn't the only EV option out there, and many potential adopters are becoming more aware of other brands on the market.
Meanwhile, targeting Supercharger stations in particular not only hamstrings Tesla owners but drivers of all sorts of EVs. These drivers still rely heavily on Tesla, which currently offers the most robust charging network in the world.
Switching to any brand of EV presents a tangible way to help mitigate the climate crisis. They are by far the cleaner option when it comes to personal vehicles, even though they do require mineral mining.
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Elon is the man 🥰 Mining for battery minerals represents a mere fraction of the mining needed for dirty energy, and these processes are improving. Lithium mining, for example, is becoming increasingly cleaner.
"This is nuts," the original poster said about the property destruction, which ostensibly occurred in the middle of the day. A similar distaste for this form of expressing frustration with the government was clear in ensuing comments.
"The hate is off the charts," one comment read.
"As much as I hate vile Elon, this is unacceptable behavior!" said another.
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