A Tesla driver was left shocked after reviewing surveillance footage from their car.
The video was shared in the subreddit r/TeslaModel3. It showed someone exiting a nearby vehicle in a Target parking lot and using what appears to be a permanent marker to obscure one of the Tesla's side cameras (click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear).
The Tesla owner noticed something was up after parking their car in a lot in Huntington Beach, California. They decided to check the car's Sentry Mode video — a built-in security system that records nearby motion. The owner discovered that the person in the next parking space had attempted to vandalize their B-pillar camera with a permanent marker.
"It was scribbles that did not even cover the camera," the OP wrote.
"Those people are clearly … hateful- you don't touch other people's stuff," one Reddit commenter wrote.
Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated incident. Reports of EV vandalism and charging station damage have been increasing, often targeting Tesla vehicles. Experts say the trend comes from cultural tension surrounding clean energy — and in the case of Tesla, it's often linked to political feelings about CEO Elon Musk.
Similar acts of anti-EV vandalism have happened to public chargers and other EVs. When these actions happen, they can discourage people from switching to EVs and slow down our transition to cleaner transportation.
However, with more public awareness and community respect, we can hopefully reduce these incidents.
While battery production and charging still generate emissions, EVs have been shown to be much cleaner than gas-powered cars over their lifetime. The more drivers make the switch, the faster we can cut planet-heating pollution and our dependence on dirty energy. It also means cleaner air and better health for our communities.
Many commenters pointed out ways to remove the marker from glass, from alcohol wipes to dry erase marker. Others suggested legal action.
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Definitely 👍 "If you're really mad about it, you can press charges. License plate in plain view," one commenter wrote.
Another said, "Given the way the car works, blacking out the cameras should be treated the same legally as cutting someone's brake lines. The only thing it does is increase the likelihood of an accident."
As one commenter summed it up, "Just live your life and leave other people alone."
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