Driver reveals 'infuriating' scene at charging station in viral photo: 'This is why we can't have nice things'

Electric vehicle adoption is on the rise, but so is a frustrating obstacle for EV drivers: charger vandalism. 

A post on Reddit's r/Wellthatsucks community showed one instance of EV charger vandalism at the user's local station, saying "someone smashed all the chargers." The photo shows a clearly unusable charger screen severely smashed, with some cables hanging loose.

Commenters speculated about the vandal's motivation — whether it was frustration with EVs, a political statement, or even resentment toward Tesla CEO Elon Musk. But regardless of the reason, destruction at EV charging stations has become a growing problem with expanding EV infrastructure. 

Vandals steal cables for the valuable copper inside, while other acts of destruction have been nicknamed "Green Backlash" because it stems from anti-EV sentiment. Tesla vandalism has been on the rise in recent months as well, but as this charging station is not operated by Tesla, it seems unlikely to be a factor in this case. 

Vandalism at EV charger stations is certainly a bummer for local EV drivers, but it also slows down the widespread adoption of the technology. People considering making their next car an EV can lose confidence when they see smashed-up charging stations, as reliable charging access is a must for drivers.

The EV transition is a crucial part of cutting our reliance on gas and oil — gas-powered cars are one of the biggest sources of planet-heating pollution, which worsens extreme weather disasters like wildfires and floods and contributes to rising sea levels, not to mention worsening air quality.

Some EV critics argue that making and charging EVs still creates pollution. While that's true, studies show that even the least sustainable EVs are much cleaner than traditional gas-powered cars, causing roughly half as much carbon pollution per mile. 

And although we do need to mine materials for EV batteries, we extract billions more tons of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas each year, keeping us locked into a dirtier, unsustainable energy system — especially when compared to electric, which can be powered through "free" sources such as sunlight, geothermal heat, or wind and water movement.

EV company ChargePoint has come up with some solutions to prevent vandalism at charging stations, such as designing cut-resistant charging cables and implementing alarm systems. But the real solution is simple — respecting our communities, each other, and our planet. 

"That's infuriating. Vandalizing EV chargers doesn't prove anything — it just makes life harder for everyone," one user commented.

When you think about owning an EV, what concerns you most about public charging stations? Chargers not working 🚫 Chargers not being available 😥 Charging being too expensive 💰 Charging taking too long ⌚ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"We are a nation of children," said one commenter. "This is why we can't have nice things," added another.

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