Dozens of electric vehicle drivers were left stranded and frustrated after vandals destroyed a key charging station in North Adelaide, in what appears to be part of a rising wave of anti-Tesla sentiment.
Charging Station Deliberately Sabotaged
The incident occurred at the Jeffcott Street charging site in Norwood, where five out of six electric vehicle charging cables were deliberately severed. The vandalism took place sometime between 9pm on Friday, 28 November, and 10am on Saturday, 29 November.
Tesla owner Joseph Mathew discovered the damage on Saturday morning while shopping with his wife, Remya. "The plan was to charge the car as well but when we got there, all the cables were found to be cut except for one which was being used by another Tesla owner," Mr Mathew told the Daily Mail.
He described the scene as frustrating, noting that his family had to wait for the sole working charger and witnessed other drivers arriving only to leave in disappointment. The Mathew family, who have driven their Tesla for 55,000 kilometres and rely on the Norwood station as their closest charging point, said they had never encountered such vandalism before.
Copper Theft or Targeted Attack?
While copper from cables can be resold for between $11 and $20 per kilogram, Mr Mathew believes this was not a simple theft. He pointed out that the method of vandalism suggested a more malicious intent.
"One of the cables was cut from halfway through, that doesn't make sense for someone looking for copper," he explained. "If someone had to steal copper they [wouldn't] target an isolated charging station. There are hundreds out there. It's pretty serious and dangerous too."
This view aligns with a perceived increase in anti-Tesla and anti-electric vehicle sentiment, with similar attacks reported not just in Australia, but also in the United Kingdom and the United States.
A Pattern of Anti-EV Hostility
The Adelaide incident is not isolated. In December last year, an elderly man was filmed keying a Tesla in Sydney's affluent Rose Bay suburb. Months later, Tasmania's only Tesla dealership was vandalised with graffiti that branded CEO Elon Musk a 'Nazi'.
South Australia Police have confirmed they are investigating the Norwood cable theft. A spokesperson highlighted the significant risks involved: "Incidents such as this are dangerous not only to the community but people that attempt to steal wire and other items from live electrical sites."
Authorities have urged anyone with information about the vandalism to contact Crime Stoppers. For now, the attack serves as a stark reminder of the challenges facing the transition to electric vehicles, extending beyond infrastructure into the realm of social acceptance and security.
