A road rage incident in the state of Georgia has shocked Reddit users, with a seemingly unprovoked act of vandalism caught on a car's dashcam.
The Redditor said their Tesla Model Y was brand new, and while they were delighted with their purchase, at least one other road user wasn't.
They shared a still image of the dashcam footage and a couple of pictures of the resulting damage after a driver rolled down their window and threw a refillable tumbler at the electric vehicle. The act left a sizable crater in the car's bodywork, even piercing the metal shell.
"Was minding my business on the road until this guy threw his tumbler at me," the Tesla driver captioned the post. "Already am in the process with getting a police report and finding them."
Unfortunately, acts of aggression toward Teslas aren't exactly uncommon. While the machines do have an array of cameras to catch vandals in the act, that isn't always a consolation.
In California, for example, Tesla camera footage caught one woman who dragged her key alongside the electric car for the apparently heinous act of parking next to their vehicle.
Other Tesla owners, including one on the Reddit thread, have also been coal-rolled. Some drivers of dirty fuel-powered cars have modified their vehicles to spew out clouds of black smog from their tailpipes intentionally, known as coal rolling, and some have directed that pollution-filled cloud in the direction of Teslas to show their distaste for the brand.
It's not exactly clear why people are damaging Teslas or putting drivers of the vehicles at risk. Perhaps it's to make a statement about controversial company CEO Elon Musk, or it's to demonstrate irritation about the increasing presence of electric vehicles on the nation's roads.
When it comes to the latter, it's odd to be angry at something that is helping to keep the world we live in a cleaner place. Electric cars produce no tailpipe pollution while out on the road, unlike gas-guzzling cars, meaning they do not reduce air quality or increase the risk of respiratory or cardiovascular illnesses for those breathing in that air.
What's more, the lack of a tailpipe means that no planet-warming gases are directly produced by the machines — putting aside the possibility that the electricity used to power them was sourced from a power station that relies on dirty energy.
In fact, in the above road rage incident, it's surprising that someone used an item that also helps the planet — a reusable tumbler prevents the need for single-use plastics — to damage the Tesla.
"Why would someone do this I don't get it," one Redditor said in response to the camera images.
"I just don't get all the hate," added another. "It's only a car."
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