Recently, there’s been an increase in vandalizations of Tesla charging stations across the United States, from Washington to Texas. One of the most recent incidents reportedly occurred in Houston, Texas. Another incident was reported in San Francisco by TikTok user @k9optima. He found a bunch of Tesla charging stations with their cables cut.
In his video, the content creator walks through a parking lot with eight charging stations. Each one has its cable cut out. “One cut all the Tesla charging cables,” he says, laughing. “You would think it’s a protest or something—civil activism, but it’s not. It’s the Bay Area.”
The TikToker explains a possible reason why people do this. “These things have a load of copper in them. They’re recycling them and cashing them,” he says.
@k9optima Bay Area vibes
♬ original sound – K9 Optima
TikToker @k9optima’s video racked up over 464,000 views.
Like, the content creator, viewers were not shocked.
“I immediately knew it was California,” the top comment on the video reads.
Some shared different hypothetical scenarios they would hate to be in.
“Imagine your battery almost being dead you drive up and see that,” one user stated.
“Even more to not get an electric car, imagine you get there after a long drive and your car is running out, now what?” a second remarked.
Musk’s decision to lay off the Tesla Supercharger team
Others referenced Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s decision to lay off the Tesla Supercharger team, which consisted of 500 workers, according to Ars Technica.
“And Elon just fired the entire team that fixes those Tesla is cooked,” one said.
However, Musk has since backtracked and is rehiring them, according to Ars Technica. Musk reportedly changed strategy and wants to build more chargers.
How much are the Tesla charging cords worth?
Since Tesla supercharging cables contain copper, they can be scrapped and sold for money. According to Recycling Today, Tesla chargers contain 2.2 pounds of copper. This equals $9.18 per cable. If the same culprit cut all the cords for that reason, they likely made an extra $73.44.
The Daily Dot reached out to @k9optima via Instagram direct message, to Tesla via press email, and to the San Francisco Police Department via email.
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