It’s a disturbing trend that strikes fear into the heart of every Tesla owner: returning to their beloved car only to discover that someone has wrenched the sleek bodywork.
A spate of vandalism incidents involving Elon Musk-designed electric vehicles have made headlines across Australia in recent months for one simple reason: the unwitting perpetrators have been caught red-handed.
Tesla cars are equipped with a ‘sentry mode’ system, which uses built-in cameras and sensors to record suspicious activity around the car.
And yet people continue to target them – the latest incident involving a stranger slashing the tire of a Tesla in a car park in Gympie, Queensland, just this week.
So what motivates someone to damage an electric car worth over €100,000?
It’s a disturbing trend that strikes fear into the heart of every Tesla owner: returning to their beloved car only to discover that someone has wrenched the sleek bodywork
A spate of vandalism incidents involving Elon Musk-designed electric vehicles have made headlines across Australia in recent months for one simple reason: the unwitting perpetrators have been caught red-handed.
A leading automotive expert has suggested that the perpetrators are largely driven by jealousy, a sense of threat and an irrational hatred of Tesla’s billionaire owner, Elon Musk.
James Ward, content director at car website Drivesaid Tesla, like its owner, was the country’s most polarizing car brand.
“People have a very strange love-hate relationship with the brand,” Mr Ward told Daily Mail Australia.
“You almost see this cult-like behavior from these diehard fans, who won’t hear a bad word about it.
“But then you have others who feel a bit threatened and think, ‘You’re not going to take away my Diesel ute or my V8 Commodore,’ or whatever it is.”
But Mr Ward said the vandalism was not necessarily driven by an aversion to electric cars. He claimed that even though there were some “pretty flashy electric BMWs and Mercedes,” he had only heard of people tinkering with Teslas.
He compared owning a Tesla to the early days of Apple MacBook computers, when many people thought you used an “Apple Mac or you were nothing,” creating a sense of inferiority among those less fortunate.
“No other brand on the road is as polarizing as Tesla, and I think a lot of this has to do with the Elon Musk factor as he is a very idiosyncratic, very right-wing personality,” Mr Ward said.
‘But then you also have the Tesla drivers and the cult members who kind of perpetuate this.
“I imagine people feel alienated by this or want to say, ‘I have to show you that you’re not that great.’ Those kind of things.’
As a result, Mr. Ward said many people saw Musk’s “cars as a target.”
James Ward (pictured), content director at car website Drive, said Tesla, like its owner, was the country’s most polarizing car brand
A leading automotive expert has suggested that the perpetrators are largely driven by jealousy, a sense of threat and an irrational hatred of Tesla’s billionaire owner Elon Musk.
“It’s the idea that you scratch a Tesla because you don’t like Elon Musk, by some strange psychological association,” he added.
In addition, Mr Ward said people are often triggered by resentment and jealousy.
“There’s definitely an element of jealousy there and you always saw it when you had a Mazda and a Mercedes parked next to each other, the Mercedes got keyed – and not the Mazda,” he said.
“Especially in difficult times, people think, ‘You won’t flaunt your wealth in front of me. I’ll show you.”
The car enthusiast did have some advice for anyone considering tinkering with a Tesla: “Think twice.”
‘Teslas have cameras running all the time. You’re an idiot if you tinker with a Tesla,” he said.
And he pointed out that the impact is not only felt by the victim and the perpetrators when they are inevitably caught.
“If you key a car you’re ruining it for everyone because you’re just driving up the cost of insurance for all of us, no matter what car you drive,” he said.
In January, Daily Mail Australia tracked down an elderly couple convicted of tinkering with a Tesla.
Raymond Edwards, 70, and his wife Barbara were caught deliberately damaging a car at the Brookside Shopping Center in Brisbane’s north last October.
After being ordered to pay more than $3,000 in repairs, Mr. Edwards admitted to this publication that he and his wife had let their frustration get the better of them.
Mr Ward did have some advice for anyone considering tinkering with a Tesla: “Think twice about it.” ‘Teslas have cameras running all the time. You’re an idiot if you tinker with a Tesla,” he said
He claimed they were ‘cut off’ while driving and almost forced into a utility pole by a white Tesla and a white BMW about half a mile from the shops.
“I regret our actions, but the point is that civility has been thrown out the window and stupidity has been thrown in,” Edwards said.
He also stated that he had never owned an electric vehicle and that he would “stand and clap” if he ever saw a Tesla on fire on the side of the road.