Being an electric vehicle owner brings a number of benefits over equivalent internal combustion engine cars, such as lower refueling costs, reduced need for maintenance, and zero planet-warming gases produced while out on the road.
Unfortunately, there can also be negatives, as a number of EV owners have found their vehicles targeted with vandalism.
One Tesla driver in Washington, D.C., posted a seemingly unprovoked incident on Reddit, which was caught by the vehicle's cameras.
"Random guy keying my Tesla for no apparent reason," they said in the video's caption, which showed various angles of the incident. "Can I do anything about this? Called MPD but they had no interest in the dashcam video."
"That's maybe the third or fourth Tesla keying video I've seen on Reddit this year," one Redditor said in the comments. "A lot of people must hate that car."
That's one explanation for the various examples of Tesla-related vandalism. Maybe some people are just so infuriated by the sight of the all-electric vehicles that they feel the need to show their disgust.
There are other possible reasons, too. People may see Teslas and electric cars as a threat to typical dirty-fuel-powered vehicles, with EV sales on a continuous rise. Some might not subscribe to the idea that a car that produces zero tailpipe emissions is better for the planet. Others might be concerned that mining precious metals like lithium for battery development — which is essential for electric cars — causes environmental damage.
On that latter point, while that might be true, the damage that lithium mining causes is not nearly as bad as the harm caused by the drilling and extraction of fossil fuels.
EV owners who have experienced vandalism like this are a small percentage of the ownership pie. But amplification of these incidents on social media channels can slow the adoption of EVs, which is essential as we try to reduce global temperatures that exacerbate extreme weather conditions and make life increasingly uncomfortable for the inhabitants of Earth.
🗣️ When you think about owning an EV, what concerns you most about public charging stations?
🔘 Chargers not working 🚫
🔘 Chargers not being available 😥
🔘 Charging being too expensive 💰
🔘 Charging taking too long ⌚
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
One Redditor had an interesting observation that might ease the minds of prospective EV drivers.
"I think it happens often to a lot of cars, Teslas are just more likely to be recording," they said.
That's perhaps true. And, of course, at least a Tesla can catch the person responsible for the damage.
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