FBI looking into Tesla Supercharger damage incident, latest in series of vandalism acts

(Reuters) -The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it was looking into an incident that left a Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Supercharger station damaged in a city in Washington in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Electrek first reported the incident, saying an "explosion" led to a temporary shutdown of the charging station. Reuters could not independently verify if there was an explosion.

"We are aware of the incident and are working with our partners to determine exactly what happened," the FBI told Reuters in an email. It did not provide details.

The police department in Lacey, where the incident occurred, said in a Facebook (NASDAQ:META) post: "This morning at 1:34, officers were dispatched to a malicious mischief after receiving multiple calls reporting a loud noise in the Sleater Kinney area." 

Tesla’s electric vehicles, showrooms and chargers have become targets of vandalism in several countries amid growing "Tesla Takedown" protests against CEO Elon Musk’s politics. Musk, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has been instrumental in cutting thousands of federal jobs. In Europe, he has stirred controversy by supporting far-right parties.

Tesla investors and analysts have voiced concern that Musk’s actions have damaged the company’s brand, leading to a sharp decline in sales.

Trump has called the violence against Tesla showrooms "domestic terrorism," promising to punish perpetrators. FBI Director Kash Patel said last month the bureau was probing what he called "the increase in violent activity toward Tesla," and that it had taken steps to crack down on such incidents.

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The vandalized Tesla Supercharger station, located at 665 Sleater Kinney Road SE in Lacey, comprises 12 Superchargers, each capable of delivering up to 250 kW of power, according to the company’s website.

Tesla said on its Charging X page that it was coordinating with Washington’s energy utility company Puget Sound Energy to bring back the Superchargers online. The company did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

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