Swapping your Ford for a Tesla might get you more than just gas savings. But as one driver shared, it also might get you some serious heat from other drivers for a variety of reasons.
A post on Reddit's r/TeslaLounge forum kicked off the discussion. One new Model S owner shared their frustration: "I've never experienced the amount of aggression I've been seeing this past month when I had a ford fusion ... people cut me off ... they'll drive faster to prevent [me from merging]. I've been tailgated so many times it's insane."
It turns out this isn't just bad luck; he's not alone.
The thread is full of owners sharing similar stories of being targeted. According to a report from Carscoops, this anger is increasingly linked to Elon Musk's divisive political persona. As one Cybertruck owner told Business Insider, she's "sick of people flipping her off," claiming the "general public thinks my truck is a political statement."
This isn't just petty road rage; it's a real barrier. This harassment, from keying to unplugging chargers, is designed to make owners feel unsafe and discourage others from switching to an EV. It actively slows down the crucial move away from dirty energy sources. This anger often gets justified with tired, debunked talking points about batteries.
But here's the thing: Even an EV with a battery made using a "dirty" grid is still cleaner than a gas car. And yes, mining for battery minerals is an issue (millions of tons), but it's a drop in the bucket compared to the 16.5 billion tons of dirty energy sources we pull from the Earth every single year.
The vandalism, meanwhile, is getting blatant. One Cybertruck owner in Los Angeles captured footage of their tires being punctured; it was the only car on the street that was hit. Another TikToker shared a video of a man scratching his car, apparently unaware that Tesla's "Sentry Mode" was recording him.
Other owners in the thread knew the feeling.
"Starting to seem like it's just pure bitterness. Wild people out there," one user wrote.
Another said, "I drive 5 above the speed limit in the middle lane. Never tailgate. Always use my blinker. Since taking the road in my Tesla I get tailgated, mean mugged."
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A third user noted, "The way people are when I'm driving my MYP versus when I'm driving my Traverse is like night and day."
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