Four Tesla Superchargers have been vandalised in Taupō New Zealand in an attack that appears to be an escalation of the culture war being incited against electric vehicles.
The Driven contacted Taupo Police station who confirmed the arrest.
“Taupō Police yesterday received multiple calls regarding a man smashing EV charging stations.” New Zealand Police told The Driven.
“Officers responded and located the man’s car, which they pulled over. The 31-year-old driver was arrested for intentional damage and also driving with excess breath alcohol. It looks like he is scheduled to appear in Taupō District Court on 27 March.”
Police also confirmed the man was driving a Ford Ranger.
Photos of the damaged Superchargers were originally posted on NZ EV Owners Facebook group by Andrew Tuck.
“K Road Taupo a few minutes before I arrived a guy in new bling Ranger laid into them with a sledge hammer. Police have got him, 2 are for sure still working the other 2 maybe not…” posted Tuck on Thursday.
The images were also shared on Reddit.
“The original Taupo Supercharger has been vandalised. All four pedestals smashed by a guy with a hammer.” posted Matt_NZ on Reddit.
Culture wars incited against electric vehicles appear to be escalating
The attack on the charging stations could be the result of an escalating culture war being waged against electric vehicles. According to the IEA, the global oil industry earned $4 trillion in 2023, or a staggering $10 billion per day.
Electric vehicles represent an existential threat to the $4 trillion oil industry which has responded in recent years with a global propaganda campaign to slow the transition to to EVs in order to protect their monopoly on global transport energy supply chains.
From the oil industry’s perspective, they can theoretically pay charlatans, shock jocks and PR spin doctors hundreds of millions of dollars to sow misinformation about EVs into the public discourse and if it delays the uptake of EVs by a single day, it’s paid for itself.
With the recent rapid increase in uptake of EV the oil industry now faces existential threat and is responding like a wounded animal by lashing out and dialling up the lies and outrage through its political representatives and propaganda units as we’ve witnessed in Australia since the government proposed to bring in a New Vehicle Efficiency Standard.
Although disgraceful behaviour directed at electric vehicle owners is nothing new with many instances of charging stations being purposely “ICEed”over recent years, it seems some of the gullible victims of fossil fuel propaganda are now taking their mindless hate to a new level by physically attacking clean technology infrastructure directly.
Daniel Bleakley is a clean technology researcher and advocate with a background in engineering and business. He has a strong interest in electric vehicles, renewable energy, manufacturing and public policy.