Cybertruck drivers across the country are reporting increased harassment on roads and in parking lots, with some confrontations even escalating to physical attacks on the electric vehicles, KTVB reported.
Len Andersen, an Uber driver in Boise, Idaho, waited four and a half years to receive his Cybertruck. Eleven months into ownership, he told the news outlet he’s facing daily hostility.
“For the last probably two or three months, driving a Cybertruck has been … I’ve been bullied, like in grade school,” he said. “I’ve never felt like that since I was a kid. … Ever since the politics of Elon Musk, it has escalated quite a bit.”
One time, at a traffic light, “a guy got out of his truck and actually came up to my truck and punched it,” he told the outlet. Other drivers have reported people’s performing offensive salutes, throwing objects, scratching vehicles, and yelling obscenities.
According to the Idaho Press, vandalism caused $114,000 in damage at a Tesla service center in Meridian in April. Sixteen new Cybertrucks were spraypainted, and the word “Nazi” was written across the building.
Such harassment can threaten progress to make transportation cleaner. EVs play a critical role in reducing dependence on dirty energy sources, and drivers can become discouraged from making the switch to electric if they will face intimidation for their vehicle choice.
The harassment seems to stem mostly from political backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk. These attacks can overshadow the environmental benefits of all EVs, as even those with the dirtiest batteries are cleaner than any gas-powered vehicle. While mining materials for batteries requires extracting millions of tons of materials each year, the oil and gas industry digs up billions of tons of fossil fuels annually.
Thankfully, major automakers are expanding their electric lineups while charging infrastructure continues expanding, which means making your next vehicle an EV is an easier choice than ever.
It’s important to remember we’re all on the same side when it comes to the health of the planet.
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