Getting out of work proved stressful for one driver, thanks to someone tampering with their electric vehicle.

The Reddit user posted a photo of their unplugged car in the r/BoltEV subreddit. "I barely made it home," they wrote. Having their phone on "do not disturb" may have prevented email alerts about the unplugging.

The driver nearly being left stranded at work due to EV vandalism isn't an isolated occurrence. In a similar incident, an e-bike owner's LCD display was snatched outside their workplace.

The vandalized driver later commented: "It's very annoying. Someone suggested getting a luggage lock to prevent people from unplugging them, so I'm going to try that out."

Several commenters offered advice, with one suggesting: "Set the App to text you if charging stops."

"Dashcam, not the prettiest or most elegant solution, but you'll have video of the person," another advised. 

Cost savings, technological innovation, job creation, and increased environmental awareness have helped sustainable transport grow in popularity, but controversy lingers. While the sight of a Tesla has spurred more vandalism due to company CEO Elon Musk's political ties, other brands — such as the original poster's car, Bolt — and charging station cords are also targets.

One concern is material sourcing. Yes, millions of tons of lithium, nickel, and other raw materials are mined for EV batteries, but it's still much less than the billions of tons of nonrenewable dirty fuels consistently required for combustion engine vehicles. 

A global green conversion creates less need for dirtier and more dangerous fuel options. Dirty fuels are often a conduit of international strife, from war to human rights violations, as Greenpeace reports. Human health also takes a hit from increased respiratory and cardiovascular disease due to exhaust pollution.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 28% of the United States' toxic air pollution — a direct cause of global overheating — comes from transportation. A consistently hotter planet has led to more severe weather patterns like larger hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and loss of habitats for wildlife. NASA says some places are already too hot to live in. 

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Fewer habitats and less vegetation devastate the food chain by putting pollinators at risk and reducing carbon sponges, which absorb heat.

Unsurprisingly, ongoing cases of vandalism can make newbies hesitate to switch to electric or hybrid options. However, the issue goes beyond affecting individual drivers, as the future of the planet is at stake. One can take action now by making their next car an EV.

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