Tesla owner in disbelief after reviewing unsettling footage: 'File a police report'
The footage was captured by Tesla's Sentry Mode, a built-in security feature that uses the car's external cameras and sensors to monitor for suspicious activity while the vehicle is parked and locked.
The post is two years old, demonstrating that public criticism of Tesla isn't new. But in a year when the automaker has been associated, fairly or not, with chief executive officer Elon Musk's political involvement, there have been a number of incidents targeting Teslas and their owners.
Some are concerned that dislike of the well-known company's leadership could slow wider electric vehicle adoption and progress toward a more sustainable future. Vandalism of EVs and their charging infrastructure could create fear and frustration among current owners and even discourage new buyers, making the transition away from gas and oil that much harder at a time when reducing our reliance on fossil fuels is urgent.
Meanwhile, those looking to pursue EV adoption can rest assured that going electric can bring both economic and environmental benefits — and that they have options. With a growing variety of EV brands on the market, each offering different attributes, there's no need for prospective buyers to feel limited to any one maker.
There are also more charging options than ever before.
Switching from a traditional car to an EV can already help drivers reduce costs by cutting gas and related maintenance. But EVs can become even cleaner and more affordable when charged using solar energy.
Drivers interested in further reducing their environmental impacts and utility costs by making the change to solar at home can use free tools from EnergySage to find quotes from vetted local installers, with the potential to save up to $10,000.
Commenters expressed frustration over the act of vandalism, along with empathy for the car owner. Many encouraged them to "file a police report."
One commenter wrote, "I don't get this. There is no reason to hate Tesla and Tesla owners."
Another added, "I had no idea this was a thing. Just trying to imagine what satisfaction you get by pissing on a car."
Would you feel safe driving an EV?
Absolutely
Depends on the model
Not really
I already have one
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.Solve the daily Crossword

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNBC
11 minutes ago
- CNBC
Tesla faces U.S. auto safety probe over faulty crash reporting
Elon Musk's Tesla is facing a federal probe by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after the U.S. auto safety agency found that the company was not reporting crashes as required. According to documents posted to NHTSA's website on Thursday, the agency's Office of Defects Investigation had "identified numerous incident reports" from Tesla concerning crashes that had "occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports" to the agency. The delayed reports were likely "due to an issue with Tesla's data collection, which, according to Tesla, has now been fixed," according to NHTSA's explanation for the probe. Automakers must report on collisions that occurred on publicly accessible roads in the U.S. that involved the use of either partially or fully automated driving systems in their cars within five days of the companies becoming aware of any crash. The agency will now conduct an "audit query" to figure out if Tesla is in compliance with its reporting requirements, and to "evaluate the cause of the potential delays in reporting, the scope of any such delays, and the mitigations that Tesla has developed to address them." NHTSA will also investigate whether Tesla neglected to report any prior relevant collisions, and whether its reports submitted to the safety regulator "include all of the required and available data." Tesla stock was little changed Thursday. The company sells electric vehicles equipped with a standard Autopilot system, or premium Full Self-Driving Supervised option, which is also known as FSD, in the U.S. Both require a driver at the wheel ready to steer or brake at any time. A site that tracks Tesla-involved collisions drawing on news reports, police records and federal data, has found at least 59 fatalities resulting from crashes where Tesla Autopilot or FSD were a factor. The new NHTSA probe comes as Musk, Tesla's CEO, is trying to persuade investors that the company can become a global leader in autonomous vehicles, and that its self-driving systems are safe enough to operate fleets of robotaxis on public roads in the U.S. A manned Tesla Robotaxi service launched in Austin, Texas in June, and the company is running another manned car service in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Riders can book trips via the company's Tesla Robotaxi app. Tesla has not begun driverless ride-hailing operations that would make it directly comparable to Alphabet-owned Waymo, or Baidu's Apollo Go and other autonomous vehicle competitors yet. The company is facing a sales and profit decline, due, in part, to a consumer backlash against Musk's incendiary political rhetoric, his work to re-elect President Donald Trump, and his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency to slash federal spending and its workforce. Still, many Wall Street analysts and shareholders remain optimistic about Musk's vision. "We think it is a positive that Tesla has begun robotaxi operations which puts it on the path to addressing a large market (we estimate that the US robotaxi market will be $7 bn in 2030 as discussed in our recent AV deep dive report)," Goldman Sachs autos industry analysts wrote in a note Wednesday. Musk and Tesla have not given investors a sense of what they expect in terms of Robotaxi-related revenue or the technical performance of vehicles in its rideshare fleet, so a "debate on the pace of robotaxi growth will continue," the research note said.

Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Tesla Model Y L Aces Elk Test at 72 MPH Fully Loaded
Tesla's long-wheelbase Model Y L, built for the Chinese market, has just breezed through one of the toughest vehicle-handling challenges in the business: the elk test. At 72 mph with six adults onboard, the stretched SUV slalomed through cones without a knock, setting a new benchmark for stability in a segment where most SUVs start flailing at an eye-catching feat, but it's also a reminder that in the middle of lawsuits, controversies, and customer backlash, Tesla can still deliver a car that performs where it counts. The Model Y L is longer and roomier than the standard Y, with six proper seats and a comfort-oriented suspension. Yet, when Chinese bloggers threw it into the moose test, the results were far from lumbering. Adaptive dampers, revised steering, and subtle suspension tweaks allowed the big EV to remain calm at speeds that would embarrass a significant win for Tesla's engineers - particularly as the company wrestles with questions over whether its tech is being oversold. Only this week, a California judge ruled that Tesla drivers can move forward with a class action over Full Self-Driving claims, arguing that Elon Musk's statements may have misled buyers. Against that backdrop, the elk test acts as a reminder: marketing spin or not, some Teslas still back their promises with performance. The moose test isn't just a stunt. Originating in Sweden in the 1970s after rollover crashes, it's designed to simulate emergency obstacle avoidance - a real-world scenario. Most family SUVs are deemed "good" if they can survive it at 50 mph. The Model Y L did it at 72 mph fully loaded, and testers say it could probably push even higher with fewer a critical narrative for Tesla at a time when customer trust is wobbling. In China, where the Y L is sold, Tesla recently backtracked on its controversial removal of turn-signal stalks after local backlash, restoring them to the Model 3 lineup. Moves like this suggest Tesla is finally listening more closely to drivers - and strong safety performance adds weight to that pivot. The question Tesla faces isn't whether it can build quick, clever cars. It's whether it can win back the confidence of drivers who are tired of half-delivered promises. Full Self-Driving, still priced at $8,000, continues to divide opinion, with analysts highlighting strengths like lane changes but weaknesses in city that backdrop, physical proof of capability - like a fully loaded elk test success - may be Tesla's best rebuttal. While lawsuits drag on in courtrooms and software updates creep forward, it's the cold, hard tests like this one that tell buyers what they're really getting for their money. Tesla's Model Y L didn't just ace the elk test - it aced the narrative test too. In a market that's growing weary of courtroom drama and overpromises, showing an SUV that can swerve at 72 mph with six passengers is a reminder that some Teslas still walk the it's enough to balance out the noise surrounding the brand is another question, but for now, at least, the Model Y L's agility gives Tesla a win it badly needed. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
Cybertruck Owners Sue Over Expensive Upgrade
Once again, Tesla owners are coming for Elon Musk. The much-hyped electric car company is now facing a class-action lawsuit over claims that it did not deliver some Foundation Series Cybertrucks with requested roof-mounted LED off-road light bars, despite promotional promises. It seeks to represent all California buyers of the Foundation Series who were promised the off-road light bar but did not receive one. You can read the entirety of the lawsuit here. The suit was filed by plaintiff Eric Schwartz in California, who says he paid an extra $20,000 for the upgraded light bar but was instead delivered a truck without one. Schwartz's suit says he tried to resolve the issue by getting a new light bar directly from Tesla but sued when those efforts failed. His legal team asserts that Schwartz suffered an 'injury in fact' because he was not given the product for which he had already paid. The lawsuit further alleges that many buyers might not have purchased their Cybertrucks had they known Tesla's advertising about the light bars was misleading, and that Tesla had no intention of delivering that upgrade at all. This is at least the third major lawsuit against Musk that saw major developments this week. On Aug.20, a Texas judge allowed a lawsuit against the bombastic billionaire to go ahead despite Musk's attempts to quash it. In that case, defendants who gave their personal information to a Musk PAC in order to win $1 million prizes claimed it was an illegal lottery. They have now been granted the right to take their case to trial, with the judge saying he found Musk's legal defense shaky and the allegations persuasive enough to proceed. Also earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin ordered the automaker to respond to a class-action suit claiming the company misled consumers regarding the autonomous driving capabilities of its products. The lawsuit asserts that Tesla hyped up the feature via Musk's comments and on its social media, but failed to meet those promises of delivering self-driving vehicles.