Vandalism in Teslas has been on the rise, but built-in Sentry cameras capture many of them.
A Reddit user recently shared their encounter with a vandal on the r/ModelY Reddit subreddit.
The video shows a man on a bicycle approaching a parked car. When the cyclist reached the car’s rearview mirror, he kicked it away. The poster switches the camera perspective, and we can see that the cyclist fell down just after completing his “mission”.
As one commenter noted, “instant karma.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has received negative press over the past year for his comments and political activities. While it is impossible to directly link him to individual acts of vandalism, his actions did not improve the brand’s image.
Tesla vandalism and other anti-EV sentiment could slow our transition to electric vehicles, which help reduce the heat-trapping pollution of traditional cars.
Unfortunately, the vandalism has spread beyond vehicles, affecting electric vehicle charging stations as well. Vandals cut EV charging cables, scratch screens or unplug vehicles while charging.
Those who oppose electric vehicles often cite environmental concerns from resource extraction or pollution during manufacturing and charging. However, these processes become cleaner over time, and the EPA notes that electric vehicles are more environmentally friendly than gasoline-powered vehicles.
In addition to being a more sustainable alternative to conventional cars, electric vehicles can save drivers money. According to Coltura, electric vehicles can save drivers hundreds to thousands of dollars in maintenance costs alone.
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Overall, wider adoption of electric vehicles and the phase-out of gas-powered vehicles means less pollution from dirty energy sources.
While some in the comments thought the Reddit poster was in a bike lane, the poster wrote that they were not occupying the bike lane, and that the vandal also tried to kick the rear view mirror of the car without success.
Most commenters agreed that the damage to the car was unjustified.
“This is too bad. Here’s why,” one wrote.
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