- Tesla drivers want the carmaker to design a feature that could be pushed out via a software update to prevent someone willfully damaging their car before it happens. They worry they are being targeted due to anger over the political activities of CEO Elon Musk. "Within the community, there definitely is fear right now," said one owner.
Tesla owners afraid of being targeted by vandals are appealing to CEO Elon Musk to add a feature that could prevent an attack before it ever happens.
Across the United States and abroad in countries like France and Germany there have been a number of reports of Tesla’s set ablaze and showrooms vandalized. But even something as minor as getting keyed can result in $1,000 in damages that often are not covered by insurance, or have high co-pay fees.
“I really hope Tesla is working on some sort of defensive measures […] just something extra to make Tesla owners feel a little bit better about parking in public parking lots,” said Tesla owner Sawyer Merritt on Tuesday during an online forum. “Honk, flash the lights, do something.”
All Teslas come with what’s called Sentry Mode, which can record and store video footage of suspicious behavior in the immediate vicinity of the vehicle so long as the battery has a 20% minimum charge.
While it can help identify a perpetrator committing vandalism, it’s not effective at preventing it, since few people outside of Tesla owners are even aware they are secretly being filmed.
“Sentry Mode is great but a lot of people don’t know they’re being recorded so they just key anyways,” Merritt continued.
Musk suggests 'Cars could honk'
The request comes as yet another case of arson occurred, this time in Las Vegas, where Molotov cocktails were used to destroy two Tesla cars and damage three others at one of the company’s service centers. A separate attack occurred at a Tesla showroom in Kansas City.
Earlier this month Tesla owner, investor and influencer Alexandra Merz asked Musk if his engineers had a nifty idea how to prevent minor attacks before they are ever committed, perhaps by simply alerting potential no-gooders approaching a Tesla they are being caught on film.
“Car could honk at people if you want,” the CEO replied at the time.
Tesla cars are equipped with an operating system powerful enough to add entirely new features simply through an over-the-air update pushed out to owners. Thus far, however, nothing has been rolled out.
Tesla owners being targeted 'all over the place right now'
Musk has been spending large amounts of time in his role in the Trump administration, where he is in charge of delivering $1 trillion in budget savings. There, his fiscal cuts have targeted everything from air traffic controllers to the state-owned Voice of America radio. Several of Musk's comments, such as his statement that Social Security is the “biggest Ponzi scheme of all time”, have some Americans angry that he will target their entitlements next.
As a result, many Tesla owners worry they are being judged as guilty by association for Musk’s perceived offenses, and their property is now seen as fair game.
“Within the community, there definitely is fear right now,” said John Stringer, president of Tesla Owners Silicon Valley club.
“Whether you like it or not, Tesla owners are being targeted, we saw it happening with a member in San Jose,” he continued, adding “it’s just happening all over the place right now.”
Yet the FBI’s involvement in investigations it classifies as a federal crime to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law may reinforce public perceptions that Tesla—and by extension the owners of its vehicles—are supportive of Trump administration politics. While some are, others do not embrace the association.
Stringer of Tesla Owners Silicon Valley said this risks dragging owners into the fray. “They want to just drive a car, they don’t want have to have a political statement on where they stand with Elon, and they’re just worried,” he said, “about just driving.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com