Three things strike fear in the hearts of shoppers parking in front of popular grocery or retail outlets: The abandoned shopping cart that targets our unoccupied cars, flung-open doors from adjacent vehicles, and the anonymous car keyer.
The latter is making the rounds on social media for raking his keys across the door of a Tesla, twice. Unfortunately for this vandal, he underestimated the technology even the average Tesla incorporates.
Why? His motivation is unknown, for now. There is, of course, a general, pre-existing animosity toward electric vehicles from those who support the dirty energy industry.
It's not the first time Tesla vehicles have been subjected to targeted vandalism. This includes frustrating vandalism of charging stations, cutting chargers, or removing them altogether.
To be fair, there's the possibility that some sort of altercation occurred before the Tesla's security camera caught the keyer. Regardless, it's still an unwarranted defacing of someone's property.
Ideological purity tests aside, EVs are a step in the right direction in terms of countering climate change across the globe.
Do EVs present legitimate concerns? Certainly. There are environmental issues in lithium and cobalt mining, as well as the footprint throughout the manufacturing process. However, EVs have proved to be better for the environment than gas-powered cars over their lifetimes.
Progress toward a greater ideal and a cleaner planet is not marked by perpetual perfection but by trial and error. There are promising alternatives on the horizon, and technology will continue to improve.
Regardless of the car keyer's motivation and the unfortunate repairs the vehicle's owner has to make, Tesla isn't going anywhere, nor are the other popular EV options on the market.
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Growth has slowed, but EV sales still topped 1.3 million vehicles in 2024, a growth of 7.3%, per Cox Automotive. Responses to the spate of Tesla and cybertruck vandalization are mixed. One post on X took things in stride with some helpful advice: "XPEL with Ceramic Coating is highly recommended after taking delivery of a Tesla."
Another summed things up nicely on Instagram with "ONE WORD: ENVY."
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