Many Tesla owners are speaking out about their experiences of having their cars vandalized in public. One Tesla owner returned to her car to find it defaced with spray paint and obscene images of certain male body parts.

The Tesla owner shared a photo of her vandalized vehicle on the r/TeslaModel3 Reddit forum, asking for tips to remove the spray paint.

"My car got vandalized last night at my girlfriend's apartment. Already filed a police report … Does anyone have any tips for getting the spray paint off (even if I damage the factory paint) just so I can drive the car and not be super embarrassed in the interim?" the original poster asked.

As the comments unfolded, it became clear that the vandalism struck a deeper nerve. Beyond damaging her car, the vandalism felt like a personal attack, as the OP is in a same-sex relationship, and the full image (seen at the post) has a more explicit depiction on it.

Many commenters sympathized with the OP, offering helpful suggestions to restore her vehicle and seek justice.

Others in the thread were baffled. "Why do Teslas get so much hate in the USA?" one user asked.

"That is so unfortunate. Kind of makes me think twice of ever getting a Tesla if I ever can afford one. This isn't the first time I see stuff like this," another commenter said.

The original poster followed up with some good news, showing the results of fixing the car with help from her brother, saying "he used carnauba wax and a lot of scrubbing and completely removed all the paint in about 2 hours."

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A Guardian Service study of 508 Tesla owners found that 2 in 5 Tesla owners have reported experiencing intentional damage to their cars. Nearly 3 in 4 Tesla owners experience vandalism anxiety, and 1 in 5 Tesla owners regret their purchase.

Electric vehicle and charging-station vandalism are turning people away from adopting and embracing practices that promote a more sustainable planet and future. EVs help the world transition away from dirty energy sources such as gas and oil, which produce planet-warming gases.

Although certain critics argue that EVs still contribute to planet-warming pollution — particularly during the battery manufacturing and charging process — EVs are still better for the planet than vehicles that run on petrol or gasoline.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, even accounting for the electricity used for vehicle charging, EVs still have a smaller carbon footprint than an average new gas-powered car. As the nation's power supply transitions to cleaner and more renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, the environmental impact of EVs will become even lower.

As for EV batteries, they do contribute to environmental pollution during the mining and processing of minerals required to make them. However, gas-powered cars begin releasing harmful gas pollution as soon as they hit the road, and they continue for the lifetime of that car. EVs may release harmful pollution during the battery manufacturing process, but they contribute zero tailpipe pollution for the rest of their lifetime.

Scientists are also quickly innovating to reduce EV wastefulness — from developing EV battery recycling programs to repurposing batteries to meet energy storage solutions.

By all measures, EVs are still much better for the planet than any gas- or diesel-powered vehicle.

"Wow dude, I really can't stand people," one user said.

"Can use WD-40 and it will come off happened to my car too," another commenter suggested.

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