Great thread here.
It's clear to me from my experience and observing human behavior that people do have biases, and some of those biases inspire hate, jealousy, and rage. When those biases are built on ignorance, misinformation, and disinformation, the hate can go to 11. When humans are fed all of the above and also feel threatened, that fight or flight response can be....irrational.
Others have touched on this, but EVs in general are a threat to the status quo. Anyone connected to or whose income or lifestyle is affected by the status quo might feel threatened and for good reason. A small subset of those feeling threatened might feel moved to voice their displeasure, rage on forums, or key a car. This is true for those who hate anything for any reason. A small subset are moved to vandalism, violence, and worse. We've seen it all throughout history, from the fear of anesthesia (the powers that be fought this bitterly), reproductive choice, the fight for legal equality, and even powered flight. Yes, powered flight had its detractors.
Some people will associate a Tesla with a socio-economic status that triggers jealousy or rage, no matter how hard (or smart) someone worked to get a Tesla. Some will associate Teslas with a political view that's not as clear with an unmarked Honda Civic. But, a Civic in 1978 was still inspiring anti-Japanese sentiments (being closer to WWII) than it does today. My Dad and I would go back and forth on this, in a good-natured fashion, but he still had his biases all the same. The funny thing is that he was an early-adopter of Japanese cars despite holding some residual bias against them. He had a Toyota Corolla in 1970!
Obviously there is a plurality of nuanced political views associated with Teslas, but it's not like vandals are high arbiters of nuance. The ignorance and disinformation simply fuels the extremes. If some person becomes enraged by the latest eco warrior and sees a Tesla, this could be an obvious trigger for some.
Teslas are faster than all but the most built-up or expensive ICE cars. This is insult to injury for those susceptible to being triggered by this display of superior velocity. Some people tie their identities so closely to their cars that this can send some in to vandal mode.
So, now we have a paradigm change, political association assumptions/triggers, and Teslas can physically beat other cars in a race which perhaps pushes the metaphor too far for some. At least Priuses had the dignity of being slow (with a demographic not known for lead feet).
As a former smart (car) driver, people would sometimes attempt to 'push me around' because my car's avatar was so tiny. It's like being in the body of a kitten around elephants. The thing is, I don't drive like someone who is passive, which is one of the reasons I sold it and got the FIAT 500 Abarth. I also ride sportbikes in California where lane-sharing is permissible, and some people hate us just for having this perk (on top of being able to use the HOV lane solo, without stickers).
I don't think this targeted hate is remarkable or unusual for humans. They often hate what they fear and don't understand, and this is historically demonstrable well beyond the purview of vehicles. This too shall pass, until the next novel game-changer happens along.
