An electric vehicle owner was hoping to charge their car during work, but they were met with a rude awakening when they visited a charging station they had used just 24 hours before.
Redditor u/dttojay posted a photo of the charging station that showed the connector was pretty much destroyed. While connectors may vary, an undamaged connector at a Tesla charging station should typically look like this.
Naturally, the post sparked outrage from other Reddit users who were not happy to see the act of vandalism.
"Wtf, just out of spite, not even to steal the copper," one user commented.
Of course, targeting EV owners is nothing new. There have been many instances across the country where electric vehicles were subjected to keying, coal rolling, or other acts of hate.
🗣️ 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
While EVs are not always an affordable option, they provide significant benefits to the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency determined that transportation is the leading source of pollution in the United States, so relying on battery-powered vehicles can help reduce the emission of gases that contribute to climate change.
Still, there is a large contingent of folks who don't care for protecting the environment and have a disdain for those who do.
One commenter on the Reddit post explained why these acts of hate won't be going away any time soon and warned of the possible escalation of more dangerous behavior.
"Regrettably, this kind of thing is almost inevitable, at this time," they wrote. "I've watched and listened to podcasts where people talk about more charging infrastructure, which I am in full support of, but they never mention a potential danger - vandalism of vehicle or equipment and violence to the person. There are some pretty oddball people out there who believe that somehow the transition to an electric transport future is going to curb their rights and take away their fun. They either act alone or are part of some misguided [organized] group.
"Also, there are scenarios which I'm fearful about. For example, a woman charging her car for a time, perhaps late at night, in some remote area and being preyed upon. That thought chills my blood."
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