Climate Activist Berates Tesla Driver for Sitting Inside His EV with Engine Running

A climate activist has been caught on camera berating a Tesla driver for sitting inside his electric vehicle (EV) with the engine running.

The irate woman even accused the driver of "polluting the atmosphere."

Climate Activist Berates Tesla Driver for Leaving Engine Running

(Photo : ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk laughs as he talks to media as he arrives to visit the construction site of the future US electric car giant Tesla, on September 03, 2020 in Gruenheide near Berlin.

Avideo on Twitter shows a woman scolding a Tesla driver, alleging that he has committed a crime by leaving his car's engine turned on while parked.

The climate activist, who remains unidentified, approached the Tesla and began to loudly berate the driver. The irate climate activist argued with the driver, accusing him of spewing nasty emissions into the air, which she describes as poisonous.

The activist told the driver that sitting in his car is "a crime now." The EV owner then asked the woman how it became a crime, to which she responds, "Because you are sending nasty emissions of poison all over this area." While the climate advocate was explaining, the driver, who filmed the over a two-minute video posted on Twitter, panned the camera to his steering wheel, sporting the Tesla badge.

Tesla, the automaker which billionaire Elon Musk owns, exclusively sells all-electric vehicles.

The woman, wearing a full-brimmed hat, clarified that she approached him since he was sitting pretty inside his car with the engine running while it was obviously stationary. The climate advocate says she would not have started the pointless conversation with him if his vehicle's engine was shut off.

She then says she hopes her confrontation will not be pointless, wishing the driver would shut down the engine. The man inside the vehicle told her multiple times that it was an electric car. Initially ignored, she proceeded to claim that electric vehicles have "silent but deadly" engines. The activist then explained that poisonous gas could not be seen by our naked eyes.

The clip was posted by a Twitter user who goes by "Davy Jones."

😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/u6cMY223bZ
— Davy Jones (@itsNTBmedia) June 6, 2023

Are EVs Really 'Green?'

(Photo : ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla CEO Elon Musk uses his mobile device as he sits in the car arriving to the construction site for the new plant, the so-called "Giga Factory", of US electric carmaker Tesla in Gruenheide near Berlin, northeastern Germany.

The incident has sparked a heated debate about the environmental impact of electric vehicles (EVs) and the misconceptions surrounding their perceived "green" nature.

Unlike traditional automakers, Tesla only offers fully electric vehicles, which no longer use fuel to run its engine. Instead, the ride relies on a battery much like our smartphones these days.

But despite that, as per Wired, the EV might still burn carbon as it charges its battery. But it largely depends on your energy source. If the power grid uses a coal power plant, it still generates greenhouse gasses.

Beyond emissions, the environmental impact of most electric cars comes from their production. Wired notes that producing solar panels, which rely on rare metals, destructs the environment through mining. The same goes for the manufacturing of EVs, especially their batteries, which require some of the rarest metals and minerals on Earth.