In recent months, objectors across the country have been vandalizing Teslas, likely as a way to protest against Elon Musk. This has created a barrier to the transition toward electric vehicles and has been accompanied by falling Tesla sales.
"I'm a Tesla driver. Definitely not an Elon fan, but very supportive of the shift to EVs," wrote one Reddit user in the subreddit r/Tahoe alongside a photo of multiple vandalized Tesla chargers in the Tahoe area.
"I'm all for protesting at dealerships, boycotting products, etc," the Redditor continued. "I question the efficacy, but am supportive of the sentiment. But this is going to inconvenience a lot of EV drivers."
Given the current political turmoil, EV drivers, particularly those with Teslas, are worried that their clean-air vehicles will be vandalized. Further, vandalism of charging stations has meant fewer drivers can charge their cars. With widespread fear and inaccessibility to charging stations, the collective transition to cleaner vehicles and lower pollution could be slowed.
Many were angry that protesters would turn their frustration toward charging stations.
"Sad and pathetic behavior," stated one user.
This also comes at a time when pre-existing supply chain issues are being exacerbated by President Trump's tariffs, as the Financial Times reported. A Forbes article from 2024 explained that limited infrastructure and production issues were contributing to the flatlining sales of EVs.
Forbes explained that "China dominating the production of lithium-ion batteries and rare earth materials like neodymium and dysprosium" means limited domestic production. With Trump's new 34% tariffs on China, reported by CNN, the prices of EVs will likely go up even more.
In the face of these worrying trends, Redditors discussed ways to continue encouraging the turn toward EVs.
"Damaging an EV charging station does seem a bit excessive," wrote one user.
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Chargers not working 🚫 The testament was echoed by many within the community.
"My opinion is that while it's a great idea to boycott brands/stores/corporations, it's not okay to destroy property. We don't know the political beliefs of every Tesla driver, and even if they have opposing views, that's not the target," one user explained. "They are pitting us against each other, and that weakens us all."
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