Heartwrenching photos of a vandal beating a Tesla Model Y car have gone viral on the r/TeslaModelY subreddit.
In the photos, a man recognizes the Tesla, runs up to it, and kicks the passenger side of the mirror out.
"Model Y vandalized [in] South Philly," the OP wrote in the post. "Got my new Model Y vandalized in East Passyunk in Philly…this sucks."
Some reports, like this one from Futurism, have linked Elon Musk's foray into politics as a driving factor for the uptick in vandalism. It's impossible to know the vandal's motives without the person saying why they did it, especially since even before the CEO's controversial links with the government, ongoing negative sentiments surrounding electric vehicles have been common in recent years.
The onslaught of Tesla vandalism has potentially deterred some of those who are thinking about making the switch to electric vehicles, which has at least coincided with slumping Tesla sales worldwide.
"Sales at Tesla have faltered in part due to the negativity surrounding Musk, who's inextricable from the automaker's image. Several countries, including Poland and Canada, have called for boycotting the automaker or targeting it with tariffs," an article for Futurism said.
The drop in sales could put a halt to the great strides made in reducing the carbon impact of transport that comes from internal combustion engines. Electric vehicles have been proven to reduce carbon pollution in the U.S., per a report by MIT — even when they're charged using electricity produced by dirty energy sources like coal.
The shared post on Reddit also induced commentary and speculation.
One wrote, "The behavior of the CEO must be exemplary, because its impact is huge," saying they were apprehensive about buying a Model Y out of fear of getting vandalized.
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Chargers not working 🚫 On the other hand, there has also been right-wing animosity toward EVs and charging stations, with many instances of vandalism predating Musk's venture into politics, ultimately leaving this vandal's motives a mystery.
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"I feel your pain," one commenter wrote. "I see this all the time and to be completely honest a lot of times I don't take my Tesla places with really crowded parking lots or super large complexes with thousands of cars and people because I'm worried this will happen.
"I live in a very conservative state, but the city I live in is very liberal so I feel I'm a target for both sides: conservatives who hate electric vehicles and liberals who hate Elon."
One commenter said it was best to shift the blame away from what might have motivated the vandalism and back to the fault of the person who committed the act: "I love all the people blaming Elon Musk for the actions of a mentally unstable vandal. Like somehow this crazy person's actions are justified. The criminal is 100% to blame."
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