A driver in Queens said their Tesla was keyed from front to back, and the car's own cameras caught it on tape.
In the video, published on the r/TeslaCam subreddit, the owner shared a video of a woman walking along the car and dragging a key across the paint. The driver said a police report had already been filed and asked neighbors in Forest Hills if they recognized her.
Tesla's Sentry Mode has captured plenty of incidents like this before, and vandalism against Teslas and some other electric vehicles appears to be rising.
Sometimes it's random, but in other cases EVs and public chargers have been targeted because of resentment toward clean energy or backlash tied to a brand's public profile, as has been the case for Tesla in particular over Elon Musk's political activity. Charging stations have been unplugged, spray-painted, or even jammed with trash and chewing gum.
Beyond the repair bill for owners, these acts have a broader impact. Adoption of EVs is still growing, and every story of vandalism makes the shift away from gas and oil more difficult.
That's a problem, especially since gas-powered transportation is one of the largest sources of heat-trapping air pollution in the U.S.
Studies have also shown that, despite the mining and manufacturing required to produce batteries, electric cars still reduce lifetime emissions compared with gas-powered vehicles. Mining for lithium and other minerals remains a concern, but the scale is small next to the billions of tons of fossil fuels pulled from the earth each year.
Choosing an EV — and even pairing one with solar panels at home — is one of the most direct ways individuals can help protect the planet.
People online were struck not just by the act itself but by the expression on the woman's face. "Wow, and the smile as she does it. That's evil," one commenter wrote. Another added, "I hope you find her and she has to pay 100% restitution. Long shot … but a guy can hope."
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