The Target on Tesla’s Back

Is your Tesla making you a target?

We’ve written in the past about certain dangers associated with Tesla cars and the Tesla Cybertruck that are in addition to the driving hazards common to all automobiles. These include fires caused by the spontaneous combustion of powerful batteries. There have been many cases (usually well-publicized) of a Tesla seemingly burnt to a crisp due to an unaccounted-for battery fire.

Other unique dangers include errors caused by onboard auto-pilot systems and the auto-lock feature on doors and windows that may prevent escape if the car drives into ponds or rivers. Senator Mitch McConnell’s sister-in-law died in such an accident on her Texas estate when she accidentally backed her car into a pond and then slowly sank with no ability to open the car door.

Other automobiles have their own unique failings and perhaps it’s not entirely fair to single out Tesla in this regard. But, forewarned is forearmed.

But now there’s a new danger that is unique to Tesla and poses a high risk of personal injury and property damage for Tesla owners.

A Nationwide Attack

Tesla products and facilities are under attack across the nation. Some of the attacks are fairly mild including singer Sheryl Crow selling her Tesla vehicle, then ostentatiously posting a photograph of the car being towed away on a flatbed truck. Other attacks are more violent, including an unhinged activist running alongside and pounding on the windows of a Tesla Cybertruck that just happened to be driving in his vicinity.

Source: Sky News

The most serious attacks include blowing-up Tesla charging stations, trying to burn Tesla cars (they don’t burn easily because they don’t have gasoline; fires can erupt spontaneously when batteries ignite but that’s unrelated to these protests), and smashing windows and spray-painting Tesla service centers. Other attacks have included rifles fired at Tesla offices.

It’s a short step from that kind of violence to shooting at innocent Tesla drivers going about their business.

The reasons for these attacks are obvious. Tesla is closely associated with its co-founder Elon Musk, who is one of the most powerful supporters of the Trump agenda. Left-wing radicals are bitterly opposed to Trump, so they take out their anger and frustration on Musk’s Tesla products.

Musk has been on the receiving end of numerous death threats, which must be taken seriously after the two assassination attempts on Trump. These organized attacks on Tesla are becoming more widespread as the anti-Tesla and anti-Musk movements gain momentum.

Who’s Behind These Attacks?

Which begs a question. What happened to the reason people bought Teslas in the first place? Ostensibly this was because Teslas have zero carbon emissions (leave aside the upstream electricity generating costs that advocates mostly ignore). This goal of zero emissions is supposed to save the planet from global warming and climate change (leave aside the fact that there’s no evidence that carbon emissions have anything to do with climate change, which is actually caused by solar cycles, and ocean currents that humans cannot control).

What does Musk’s political activity have to do with zero emissions and saving the planet? Teslas don’t have carbon exhaust fumes, regardless of where Musk stands on political issues. Shouldn’t those who care about the Green New Deal prize their Teslas regardless of the founder’s politics?

It seems not. Apparently, buying a Tesla was just an exercise in virtue signaling in many cases with no real care for the planet behind it. Now that Tesla is associated with Trump, the virtue is gone and so is the pride in owning the car. It was all for show.

By the way, there’s nothing random or spontaneous about these attacks on Tesla. They are organized by activist groups and financed by hidden donors who may include Soros-linked NGOs and other prominent far-left contributors. This money may have been washed through several front organizations.

These financial connections are currently under investigation by the Department of Justice, several state attorneys general and congressional committees. In time, we’ll learn more about who’s behind the Tesla attacks apart from naïve celebrities and paid-for demonstrators.

If you happen to drive a Tesla or know someone who does, the following steps are recommended:

• Leave it home except for short trips around safe neighborhoods. Don’t drive your Tesla in major cities, especially those cities in blue states such as New York, Boston, Washington DC, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. These are the most likely scenes of anti-Musk violence against Teslas and their owners.
• Get off the X. That’s a standard survival strategy in any dangerous confrontation. The “X” is the place where the threat is emerging and the attack is taking place. The longer you linger there, perhaps waiting for trouble to pass or help to intervene, the more likely it is that the attackers will be able to execute their plan. Getting off the X means making a quick move, which can throw the attackers off their game. In a car, this can mean backing up, speeding up, making a U-turn, or making a quick turn down another road. In a tough case where you are being physically assaulted, you can use the car as a weapon to knock down or drag the attacker. Teslas have excellent acceleration (faster than non-EVs), which is a plus in taking evasive action.
• In all cases, don’t panic, lock the doors, lock the windows and call 911 for help. Teslas have excellent telecommunications channels and GPS-based location tracking. Help should be on the way soon.

This is not an anti-Tesla essay. Buy one and drive it if you like. Enjoy. Just be prepared for the crazies (and their financial backers) who want to attack all things Tesla and ruin your day. It’s just the way we live today.