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Tesla Supercharger attacked as vandals drill into charging plugs, partially sever cable
Led by disruptive vehicles like the Tesla Model 3, the electric car revolution is steadily gaining ground. Across the auto industry, new startups are focusing on electric cars, and veterans such as Porsche are committing to a future powered by sustainable energy. Unfortunately, as could be seen in recent incidents surrounding the Tesla community, it appears that there are still some groups who are showing resistance to electric vehicles as a whole.
Last December, a number of Tesla community members shared their experiences involving Superchargers being blocked by gas-powered vehicles. While some of these “ICE-ing” incidents appear to be the result of an honest mistake, some were undoubtedly intentional. Tesla owners u/Leicina and u/BarcodeOfficial from the r/TeslaMotors subreddit, for one, noted from their experience that some pickup truck drivers who were intentionally blocking Superchargers were verbally harassing EV owners.
While such ICE-ing episodes continue to be reported across the Tesla community, an incident recently shared by Model 3 owner-enthusiast Mark Larsen showed what could very well be one of the most direct acts against Teslas to date. As noted by Larsen, a Supercharger station at St. George, Utah — one of the company’s older charging locations — became the victim of an aggressive act of vandalism. During the incident, the vandals attempted to sever a Supercharger cable. The perpetrators drilled into the plugs of the charging stalls as well.
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- (Photo: Mark Larsen/Twitter)
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- (Photo: Mark Larsen/Twitter)
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- (Photo: Mark Larsen/Twitter)
Tesla’s St. George, Utah Supercharger recently became the victim of vandalism. (Photo: Mark Larsen/Twitter)
As a result of the attack, the Model 3 owner noted that three of the Supercharger’s stalls became inoperable. Fortunately, there were some security cameras in the area. Thus, there is some hope that the culprits behind the Supercharger attack might eventually be apprehended. As noted by Larsen in his Twitter post, the incident has already been reported to Tesla.
While Tesla’s electric cars are beloved by many, the vehicles themselves remain polarizing to some members of the auto community. Apart from ICE-ing incidents and acts of vandalism against Superchargers, there has also been a rise in reports of break-ins involving the company’s vehicles. In the Bay Area and neighboring cities alone, some Tesla owners practically felt as if they were being targeted due to the frequency of attacks against electric cars.
While responding to a Model 3 owner whose vehicle was damaged while it was unattended, Elon Musk noted that Tesla would be rolling out a ‘Sentry Mode’ as an added security feature. Musk did not elaborate on the capabilities of Sentry Mode, though it is speculated that the feature would extend upon Tesla’s built-in dashcam solution and leverage the vehicles’ eight surrounding cameras for video recording versus one. In true Elon Musk fashion, the name Sentry Mode appears to be rooted in pop culture, being a feature of Iron Man’s redundant defense mechanism for JARVIS.
In a recent comment on Twitter, Elon Musk noted that Sentry Mode should roll out to owners who are part of the company’s beta testing program in two to three weeks. Considering the pervading negative sentiments from the anti-EV community today, Tesla’s Sentry Mode would definitely be a timely feature.
There is no doubt that the electric car revolution is starting. Inasmuch as resistance against EVs is likely to remain, there is very little that can be done to stop the auto industry’s transition to electric power, particularly as key markets such as Europe and China have both committed to a future powered by sustainable energy. Among automakers, Tesla’s disruption with the Model S, X, and 3 has all but encouraged veteran carmakers to push the development of electric vehicles, as evidenced by cars such as the Porsche Taycan and the Jaguar I-PACE. As electric vehicles become more prevalent, and as more automakers embrace sustainable transportation, one can only hope that resistance against EVs would eventually fade and die out.
News
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025.
The Tesla Model Y recorded the highest overall safety score of any vehicle tested by ANCAP in 2025. The Tesla Model 3 also delivered strong results, reinforcing the automaker’s safety leadership in Australia and New Zealand.
According to ANCAP in a press release, the Tesla Model Y achieved the highest overall weighted score of any vehicle assessed in 2025. ANCAP’s 2025 tests evaluated vehicles across four key pillars: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assist technologies.
The Model Y posted consistently strong results in all four categories, distinguishing itself through a system-based safety approach that combines structural crash protection with advanced driver-assistance features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring.
This marked the second time the Model Y has topped ANCAP’s annual safety rankings. The Model Y’s previous version was also ANCAP’s top performer in 2022.
The Tesla Model 3 also delivered a strong performance in ANCAP’s 2025 tests, contributing to Tesla’s broader safety presence across segments. Similar to the Model Y, the Model 3 also earned impressive scores across the ANCAP’s four pillars. This made the vehicle the top performer in the Medium Car category.
ANCAP Chief Executive Officer Carla Hoorweg stated that the results highlight a growing industry shift toward integrated safety design, with improvements in technologies such as autonomous emergency braking and lane support translating into meaningful real-world protection.
“ANCAP’s testing continues to reinforce a clear message: the safest vehicles are those designed with safety as a system, not a checklist. The top performers this year delivered consistent results across physical crash protection, crash avoidance and vulnerable road user safety, rather than relying on strength in a single area.
“We are also seeing increasing alignment between ANCAP’s test requirements and the safety technologies that genuinely matter on Australian and New Zealand roads. Improvements in autonomous emergency braking, lane support, and driver monitoring systems are translating into more robust protection,” Hoorweg said.
News
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery.
Tesla Sweden has successfully launched a new Supercharger station despite an ongoing blockade by Swedish unions, using on-site Megapack batteries instead of traditional grid connections. The workaround has allowed the Supercharger to operate without direct access to Sweden’s electricity network, which has been effectively frozen by labor action.
Tesla has experienced notable challenges connecting its new charging stations to Sweden’s power grid due to industrial action led by Seko, a major Swedish trade union, which has blocked all new electrical connections for new Superchargers. On paper, this made the opening of new Supercharger sites almost impossible.
Despite the blockade, Tesla has continued to bring stations online. In Malmö and Södertälje, new Supercharger locations opened after grid operators E.ON and Telge Nät activated the sites. The operators later stated that the connections had been made in error.
More recently, however, Tesla adopted a different strategy altogether. Just before Christmas, Tesla went live with a new charging station in Arlandastad, outside Stockholm, by powering it with a Tesla Megapack battery, as noted in a Dagens Arbete (DA) report.
Because the Supercharger station does not rely on a permanent grid connection, Tesla was able to bypass the blocked application process, as noted by Swedish car journalist and YouTuber Peter Esse. He noted that the Arlandastad Supercharger is likely dependent on nearby companies to recharge the batteries, likely through private arrangements.
Eight new charging stalls have been launched in the Arlandastad site so far, which is a fraction of the originally planned 40 chargers for the location. Still, the fact that Tesla Sweden was able to work around the unions’ efforts once more is impressive, especially since Superchargers are used even by non-Tesla EVs.
Esse noted that Tesla’s Megapack workaround is not as easily replicated in other locations. Arlandastad is unique because neighboring operators already have access to grid power, making it possible for Tesla to source electricity indirectly. Still, Esse noted that the unions’ blockades have not affected sales as much.
“Many want Tesla to lose sales due to the union blockades. But you have to remember that sales are falling from 2024, when Tesla sold a record number of cars in Sweden. That year, the unions also had blockades against Tesla. So for Tesla as a charging operator, it is devastating. But for Tesla as a car company, it does not matter in terms of sales volumes. People charge their cars where there is an opportunity, usually at home,” Esse noted.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s X goes down as users report major outage Friday morning
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Elon Musk’s X experienced an outage Friday morning, leaving large numbers of users unable to access the social media platform.
Error messages and stalled loading screens quickly spread across the service, while outage trackers recorded a sharp spike in user reports.
Downdetector reports
Users attempting to open X were met with messages such as “Something went wrong. Try reloading,” often followed by an endless spinning icon that prevented access, according to a report from Variety. Downdetector data showed that reports of problems surged rapidly throughout the morning.
As of 10:52 a.m. ET, more than 100,000 users had reported issues with X. The data indicated that 56% of complaints were tied to the mobile app, while 33% were related to the website and roughly 10% cited server connection problems. The disruption appeared to begin around 10:10 a.m. ET, briefly eased around 10:35 a.m., and then returned minutes later.
Previous disruptions
Friday’s outage was not an isolated incident. X has experienced multiple high-profile service interruptions over the past two years. In November, tens of thousands of users reported widespread errors, including “Internal server error / Error code 500” messages. Cloudflare-related error messages were also reported.
In March 2025, the platform endured several brief outages spanning roughly 45 minutes, with more than 21,000 reports in the U.S. and 10,800 in the U.K., according to Downdetector. Earlier disruptions included an outage in August 2024 and impairments to key platform features in July 2023.
Tesla Model Y and Model 3 named safest vehicles tested by ANCAP in 2025
Tesla Sweden uses Megapack battery to bypass unions’ Supercharger blockade
