A Tesla owner in Portland shared shocking video footage that captured a frustrating and costly incident of vandalism.
Posted to Reddit group r/TeslaModel3 three years ago, the footage shows a man dressed in tactical-style gear skateboarding up to a parked Tesla Model 3 in broad daylight.
He bashes in the car's window several times before skating off. The entire act took less than 10 seconds.
"Last Friday I went to downtown Portland to hang out with some friends and not even one hour into leaving my car in the lot, I received a notification that my alarm went off," the OP wrote.
"Rushed out there, only took me about three minutes, and I came back to this. Disgusting people, man. My first brand new car that I've owned for two months."
The vandal caused more than just cosmetic damage. The repair quote came out to $331 for a new window, not including the cost of reapplying the vehicle's tint.
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This incident is part of a growing list of vandalism cases targeting electric vehicles and public charging infrastructure. Over the last year, Tesla vehicles in particular have been subject to vandalism as forms of protest against CEO Elon Musk's political activity, though this footage predates that spike and was revisited in light of the recent trend.
The damage doesn't stop at the individual level. When would-be EV drivers see that these vehicles are targets for damage, it can discourage adoption altogether.
That hesitation has larger consequences. EVs pollute far less than traditional gas-powered cars, even when they are charged by energy grids that rely on burning coal, gas, or oil. Widespread adoption could significantly reduce harmful air pollution that contributes to asthma and other health problems while helping us reduce our reliance on dirty energy sources.
That means attacks like this don't just hurt one driver. Instead, they make it harder for all of us to transition to a cleaner, healthier future.
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No way 👎 Multiple Reddit users echoed frustration in the comments.
"Just pure maliciousness," one wrote.
Another added, "Do people not realize there are cameras all over Teslas?"
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