Seven Tesla charging stations were intentionally flammed at a shopping centre outside Boston on Monday, police said it was the latest in a string of attacks on the electric vehicle company since owner Elon Musk formed a deep partnership with President Trump.
The charging station was on fire at about 1:10am at a shopping center in Littleton, Massachusetts, about 30 miles in Boston, according to a news release from the Littleton Police Department.
Police said they told Littleton Lights & Water Bureau to close power to the charging station as “heavy, dark smoke” involved some of them. Another charging station started a fire before the electric company responded.
According to Tesla's map, there were 12 charging stations on the site.
Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Tesla showrooms and dealers across the country have been targeted by protest and destruction as Trump became president and chose Musk to accelerate his agenda.
The protests are reflected in Musk and his recent political movements. This includes radical takeovers of his federal bureaucracy and efforts to cut down federal work.
On Thursday, federal prosecutors accused Colorado residents of malicious property destruction, plastering the word “Nazi” on the side of Tesla dealers, planting and accusing them of planting near the vehicle, according to a news release from a Colorado U.S. lawyer.
Some vehicle owners are currently selling Teslas to distance themselves from the billionaire chief executive.
Still, Teslas is the most popular electric vehicle in the United States, with some car owners saying they bought it on Facebook groups to show their support for Musk.
