Elon Musk
Tesla stores, vehicles and chargers face continued vandalism and protests
Tesla’s stores, vehicles, and chargers have continued to face protests and acts of vandalism in recent weeks, as people have been targeting Elon Musk’s company for his recent work within the newly created government efficiency division under the Trump administration.
Over the weekend, Tesla’s Charging account on X responded to a user who posted a photo of a Supercharger post tagged with the word “Nazi” and a swastika, noting that the company would have the graffiti removed immediately and would press charges for vandalism at any of its chargers.
The user who originally posted the photo at his local Supercharger says he’s located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the event comes as the latest of several protests both over the weekend and vandalism events in the past few weeks.
Below you’ll find a few links to some other relevant pieces, a short roundup of just a few of the recent anti-Tesla protests and vandalism events, and a bit more background on the recent outrage against Musk.
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Recent Tesla protests and vandalism: a short roundup
San Francisco, California Tesla store protest
Some people really don’t like @elonmusk right now pic.twitter.com/BGoMqUix8V
— The Kilowatts ?⚡️ (@klwtts) February 22, 2025
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D.C. Protestors call for ‘Less Elons and More Luigis,’ say Elon should need ‘100 bodyguards instead of 20’
Protester tells Elon Musk he needs not just 20, but 100 bodyguards.
“I want Elon Musk to be gone. He’s a selfish, greedy bastard who is just sucking the humanity out of the world. And we need less Elons and more Luigis.”pic.twitter.com/Z0iVArjzUa
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) February 24, 2025
Ran into an Elon Musk protest in DC.
They were chanting that Elon Musk is a racist who wants to deport people.
So I asked them: “What would you tell @elonmusk if he were here right now?”
-Every Lib demanded Musk get deported “back to Africa!” where he “belongs”
It’s perfect ? pic.twitter.com/txrKVtPzWf
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 24, 2025
Pennsylvania Tesla store protests
In a report on Sunday from The Philadelphia Inquirer, a few protestors can be seen outside the company’s Devon, Pennsylvania store holding signs out to passing vehicles.
A separate video posted on X on Sunday showed what was estimated to be around 100 protestors outside of Tesla’s store in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which you can see below.
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? HAPPENING NOW: About 100 protestors are outside of the Tesla Dealership in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Signs read:
“Deport Elon”
“Free Tesla From Elon”
“Time to Get Out of DOGE”Stay tuned for more pic.twitter.com/cSsPAwnDv0
— LOGAN DUBIL ?? (@thelogandubil) February 22, 2025
Salt Lake City, Utah Supercharger graffiti
The aforementioned graffiti in Salt Lake City, Utah, to which Tesla has responded that it aims to press charges against the person who did this. Users also noticed a security camera in the background of the shot, footage from which could potentially be used to identify the vandal.
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Credit: @SnazzyLabs/X
Gothenburg, Sweden arson of Tesla vehicles
Two Tesla vehicles were set on fire in Gothenburg last Thursday, and authorities went on to arrest a suspected perpetrator, a 35-year-old, though he was later released. On Friday, two more Teslas had been torched around 8:00 p.m., and all four fires are being investigated in potential connection with each other.
Authorities later arrested and re-released the suspect again, though a fifth Tesla was later also started on fire, and they arrested him and kept him in custody. It’s not clear at the time of writing if authorities have been able to link the suspect to the crimes.
Loveland, Colorado arson and graffiti
In Loveland, Colorado, vandals repeatedly attempted to light the city’s Tesla store on fire in recent weeks, along with tagging X’s over vehicle windows and writing “Nazi cars,” on the location’s front windows.
Credit: crusadrpers0n | Reddit Credit: CBS Colorado
Why are people targeting Tesla’s stores, vehicles, and chargers?
Last month, at U.S. President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Musk performed what many said appeared to be a Nazi salute, a gesture which multiple high-profile figures, including former Trump senior counselor and media executive Steve Bannon, have repeated in recent weeks. Many wrote the gesture off as an act of excitement and/or trolling, while others around the world have condemned the act.
Some Teslarati readers were also outraged following Musk’s appearance last month at a campaign event for the German far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), in which he echoed thoughts on anti-immigration policy, the importance of “taking pride in Germany,” avoiding losing culture to “multiculturalism that dilutes everything,” and adding that there’s “too much of a focus on past guilt.”
Preliminary results show that the AfD lost the election over the weekend, coming in second to CDU/CSU’s Friedrich Merz, but the party also garnered its largest result in history and doubled votes from the previous election, according to leader Alice Weidel.
Other readers have defended Musk’s actions at the inauguration and the appearance at AfD’s campaign event, as well as his recent work under the Trump administration’s government efficiency department.
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Musk was also defended by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and others following the salute and appearance, and his recent work for the U.S. government.
Tesla stores are also being protested because of Musk’s recent involvement in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been gutting several federal agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, and expected plans to target the Department of Education.
DOGE has been hit with several lawsuits over the actions taken in the past few weeks, though it’s not clear if the massive federal cuts will be found lawful. The administration has also demonized judges and the judicial branch generally in recent weeks, with Trump saying in a post on X earlier this month that “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”
What are your thoughts? Has your vehicle, local store are charger been targeted by vandalism or protests? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
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Elon Musk shed two new bits of detail on Starship following its 13th test launch, which was an overwhelming success.
SpaceX launched Starship for the 13th time last Friday after two delays: one on Monday when several Raptor engines did not ignite, and another on Thursday due to unfavorable weather conditions in Starbase, Texas.
The launch was overwhelmingly successful. SpaceX was able to complete a necessary test of the heat shield tiles by increasing the acceleration of Starship from launch throughout the flight; 20 Starlink v3 satellites were released with no issue; the Super Heavy Booster landed safely in the Gulf of America, Ship successfully reignited engines while in space; and it also splashed down without incident in the Indian Ocean.
SpaceX Starship just nailed something it’s never done before
Nevertheless, more details are coming out about Starship, and Musk is doing the talking.
Starship Will Be Retrieved in the Ocean
Musk revealed on Tuesday night that Starship would be recovered by a ship in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX routinely tries to recover Starship after splashdown in an effort to find out more about the flight by examining the spacecraft afterward.
We’re sending a ship out to recover Starship https://t.co/fUqUZTITO9
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 28, 2026
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This helps engineers find out more about why things might have happened, allows them to examine any potential damage or anomalies that might have occurred, and increases the chances of an even more successful flight next time thanks to the additional information recovered.
Ship Could Have Been Caught by Tower Arms, Musk claims
Musk has already indicated that SpaceX will plan to attempt a catch of Starship with the 14th test flight. While this would be a major accomplishment, it would be an expected next step, considering the fact that the Super Heavy Booster has already been caught by the chopsticks on numerous occasions.
The ship landing was precise, meaning that it would have been caught by the tower arms https://t.co/6nbNrRfX9P
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
A ship catch would be a great indication of where SpaceX stands in terms of reusability and launch cadence. A successful catch with relatively no incidents would be a good sign that SpaceX is nearing a more frequent launch of Starship, but also that the reusability of the massive rocket would be something many would expect in the near future.
It is a necessity to make life multiplanetary.
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Elon Musk has updated his timeline for when humans will walk on Mars and for when ships will simply get there.
The objective of getting to Mars has been one of Musk’s biggest goals since becoming a serial entrepreneur and realizing that time on Earth is limited. Musk has said several times he hopes to die on Mars, and not by impact.
Musk now believes that people will be on Mars in “roughly 5 to 7 years.” He said that a Mars lander will get there “a few years sooner.”
People on Mars in roughly 5 to 7 years.
Mars lander a few years sooner.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
The response from Musk comes after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that SpaceX’s biggest priority is the Moon and not Mars. Because of this, Isaacman conceded that he believes nuclear power and propulsion investments will provide “potentially the pathway with the fewest miracles required to put four people on Mars in the next 10 to 15 years.”
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Of course, this is what NASA can do through taxpayer funding and nuclear investments, he added.
Musk’s grand ambitions are much more optimistic than most, and it is certainly a double-edged sword. This is not the first time timelines for Mars have been somewhat lofty, especially to those normal thinkers like you and me, not super geniuses like Musk.
In fact, the SpaceX and Tesla frontman has said on at least a dozen occasions that we could be on Mars in the coming years. Musk said 2020 would be the big year as early as 2009. In 2020, he was “highly confident” of a landing in 2026, and had even said 2024 in a best-case scenario.
The point is, the range has varied, and it’s anyone’s guess when we’ll get there. This latest adjustment to the timeline is typical of Musk, and while the Moon has seemingly taken priority over Mars, it is still worth mentioning that the ultimate goal is to make life multiplanetary, and it starts potentially with the Red Planet.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to reports that Volvo is officially discontinuing the LiDAR sensor on two of its cars.
Volvo announced that it would officially scrap LiDAR systems on its EX90 and ES90 vehicles in various markets. In Norway, owners will get a €1,800 compensation for features that will never arrive due to this decision. There will be no option to remove the unit from vehicles, either.
The issue stems from Volvo’s supplier, Luminar, and its bankruptcy filing. Luminar will no longer be able to supply LiDAR units to Volvo for the EX90 and ES90, effectively axing any use the unit has on vehicles. Volvo will phase out the data collection processes via the LiDAR system, and it will not be utilized whatsoever.
Musk saw the story on X and responded, stating:
“I did try to warn them. Humans drive using neural nets and optical sensors. Same is true for robot cars.”
I did try to warn them.
Humans drive using neural nets and optical sensors. Same is true for robot cars.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2026
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Musk has been publicly vocal about his disdain for LiDAR systems, once calling them “a fool’s errand,” as he has consistently kept the outlook that they are not needed for effective self-driving.
The typical example used as evidence for this by Musk is humans themselves: made with only eyes and memories, humans are capable of navigating a car by using what they can see and what they’ve personally experienced on the road.
Elon Musk argues lidar and radar make self driving cars more dangerous
“Same is true for robot cars,” Musk says, as Teslas have eight exterior cameras that help see everything surrounding the vehicle, and a neural network that analyzes behavior and tendencies with every mile driven.
Tesla is a vision-only self-driving company that ditched sensors and radar several years ago in favor of cameras. Behind this effort, the company has established a reputation for having one of the most robust self-driving platforms in the world.
Musk’s big bet with Tesla on its self-driving program’s strategy has widely paid off. Other companies continue to utilize things like LiDAR, radar, and sensors for effective self-driving, but Tesla has shown that there is more than one way to give consumers a strong and accurate driver assistance suite.
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The real question is: who will be the first company to take Musk’s advice and attempt a self-driving platform based on cameras only, or even license FSD for themselves?
Elon Musk sheds two new bits of detail on Starship after 13th test launch
Elon Musk updates the SpaceX timeline for Mars
