Tesla Cybertruck gets vandalized by climate activists

A Tesla Cybertruck presentation in Germany was interrupted by climate activists who vandalized the electric pickup truck.

In the US, Cybertrucks are being vandalized by Elon haters, and in Europe, it is climate activists who are trashing the electric vehicle.

It might be surprising to hear that climate activists are targeting an electric vehicle company, but Tesla has had a lot of issues with them in Europe, and especially in Germany.

A group of climate activists have been actively trying to stop Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin for years and more recently, they even occupied the forest where Tesla planned to expand the plant.

These so-called environmentalists are so extreme they are against all personal vehicles, electric or otherwise.

But they are going after the Cybertruck for even more specific reasons.

Even though it’s not available in Europe and may never be, Tesla has been touring a Cybertruck in Europe over the last few months.

It was being shown in Hamburg last week when the presentation was interrupted by climate activists who threw paint on the Cybertruck:

Hendrik Fauer, one of the activists, explained why the climate activists dislike the Cybertruck (translated from German):

The Cybertruck weighs almost three tons, so its enormous weight means it consumes an absurdly high amount of energy. Senseless waste that we as a society cannot afford. Add to that the sharp-edged construction: a safety disaster. The truck perfectly illustrates where the anti-social policies of the last few decades have led us: a few rich people drive well-armored into the disaster – and take everyone with them.

It looks like Tesla was quickly able to clean the truck and resumed its promotion in Germany.

Electrek’s Take

This is stupid. Yes, the Cybertruck is big. Yes, people should by vehicles that fit their needs. Yes, some people are going to buy the Cybertruck to just drive to and from the grocery store and that’s dumb.

But some people do need trucks, and it’s easier to build a truck that has a much lower impact on the environment, like an electric one powered by renewable energy, than convincing humans that they need to change their habits.

Therefore, I think the Cybertruck, and other larger EVs, have a place in a sustainable economy.

However, I admit that some people buy it for the wrong reasons, and they should be discouraged from doing so – not that it justifies vandalism.

This specific example is pretty dumb consider the Cybertruck is in Europe right now to promote Tesla’s brand and it is itself not for sale nor do Tesla have clear plan to bring it for sale in the market.