Electric Vehicles (EVs) are a technological marvel – there, we said it. Massive power, instant torque, all while being whisper quiet and burning zero fuel; If you hate EVs, you either probably haven’t tried one yet, or you just hate change itself.
That being said, though, EVs scare us a little bit. Not because the cars are unsafe (crash tests have proven the opposite), but because they make insane power incredibly accessible for your regular Joe. And in the age of TikTok and internet fame, that can be dangerous.
If you’ve been around the internet over the weekend, you’ll have probably come across a viral video of a Tesla Model S catching massive air over a crest on a street in Los Angeles, before crash landing into the ground and damaging parked cars and other properties.
According to the video above published by YouTuber Alex Choi, the stunt happened after a Tesla convoy drive, and was performed in front of a sizeable crowd, without any safety precautions in place. And the best part? The “stunt” driver didn’t even own the car – it was a rented 2018 Tesla Model S.
As expected, the Los Angeles Police Department caught wind of the stunt, and on Sunday night, have already narrowed down their search to a person of interest, identified as @dominykas on TikTok.
The account published a video early Sunday with a footage of the crash, overlaid with the words “I just crashed my new Tesla”. The video has since been deleted, but a subsequent video from the same account shows a man reacting to the news with the words “LAPD didn’t like my stunt” overlaid on top.
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Now, to be fair, the same stunt could be performed by any other car, as long as it has enough horsepower to bring it up to speed up the steep incline. However, these cars are usually also significantly more expensive to own (or rent) compared to a Tesla Model S with comparable performance.
The saying “with great power comes great responsibility” cannot be more relevant here. If carmakers can’t guarantee responsibility, then perhaps they also shouldn’t stuff 1,000 horsepower in a passenger car that can be bought by almost anyone. Ever heard of the mandated driver training programmes some sports car makers implement for their car owners? Now you know why.
Yes, we get it, it’s a free world, and you’re free to do whatever (legal, of course) you want. But we implore you to show us a reason why anyone would ever need 1,000 hp in their daily commuter. Because to us, those numbers will always just be spec sheet paddings to help the EV makers sell more cars, and serves no purpose in the real world.
LAPD Detective Calvin DeHesa told Road & Track that no one has been injured from the stunt, and the agency is working with Enterprise, the car rental company who owns the car, to track down the driver.
ALSO READ: 400 horsepower is all you need, as seen on the Volvo XC40 Recharge.
Jordan Hook, a musician who owns one of the parked cars along the street struck by the Tesla, published a video on YouTube detailing the damage to his Subaru Forester.
“They came down here and hit my car pretty bad,” Hook said in the video. “They jacked up my front tires, my steering column’s all messed up, my suspension’s all blown, so the car’s done.”
Speaking to the publication, Hook said, “It’s this trend thing. Everybody’s like ‘Oh, I could be seen by Elon if I do a stunt or a trick on this street!’ It’s just gotten kind of stupid.” And he’s right.
