An early morning trip to the office isn't everyone's favorite activity, but that doesn't mean you should take your irritation out on the car you parked next to in the work lot.
You especially shouldn't do it if the car you targeted is equipped with multiple cameras.
A Tesla owner took to the r/TeslaModel3 Reddit community to share the footage they captured of their wife's coworker slamming their car door against the electric vehicle.
It could have been an accident, but the lack of care the offender showed when exiting their vehicle suggests that it was probably done intentionally.
"Notice the subtle over-the-shoulder damage check as he's walking away," the Redditor noted. "Boy, is he going to be surprised next week when she shows him the footage (which has a clear view of his face and license plate)."
In the comment section, the original poster added that "the police report has been filed." However, they noted that the incident happened on federal property, so the procedures involving punishment and liability became complicated. In the end, the "door dinger" agreed to work things out with the Redditor's wife.
While the co-worker didn't confess to any intentional wrongdoing, this isn't a lone instance of a Tesla being subjected to damage by passersby. But thanks to Tesla's Sentry cameras, those keying cars or throwing items in road rage incidents are often caught on tape.
It's not just damage to Tesla cars, either. The company's Superchargers are often a target, with charging cables severed at locations across the country.
Again, it's not clear why people see the need to destroy the charging infrastructure, although some have speculated that it's to access copper wire to sell for scrap or that it's because of anti-EV sentiment.
🗣️ 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
The latter is a particular concern. We need to move away from polluting, gas-guzzling cars as quickly as possible for the sake of the planet.
Vehicles powered by internal combustion engines produce planet-warming smog from tailpipes after burning dirty fuels. Not only do these toxins remain in the atmosphere and trap heat — encouraging rising temperatures that increase the likelihood and severity of extreme weather events — but the continued mining and excavation of oil causes serious environmental damage.
Even when accounting for the rare metals that need to be mined for battery construction, and the fact that electricity is still widely generated via dirty fuels, electric vehicles are still far better for the planet over their lifetime than similar ICE versions.
What's more, motorists can benefit from going electric. EVs are far cheaper to refuel than filling up a tank with gas, and they require significantly less maintenance than ICEs, as they have few moving mechanical parts.
Whatever the reason for damaging the Tesla, users on Reddit were baffled by the footage.
"Why even do that?" one comment read. "Call your insurance and let them handle it. Coworker had their chance to be a decent human being and didn't take it."
"Who opens their door with that much force??" another Redditor commented.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
