A fire erupted early Monday morning at a Tesla dealership in Rome's Torre Angela district, resulting in the destruction of 16 electric vehicles. Italian authorities are investigating the incident as a potential arson attack.
Emergency services were alerted around 4:30 a.m. local time and responded promptly to the scene. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported. Tesla Italy is fully cooperating with the investigation and has provided surveillance footage from the vehicles' internal cameras, which remain operational even when the cars are turned off.
This incident occurs amid a backdrop of global protests against Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, due to his affiliations with the Trump administration. Such protests have coincided with a significant decline in Tesla's European sales, which fell by 49% in the first two months of the year, even as the overall electric vehicle market experienced growth.
In recent weeks, Tesla vehicles in Rome have been targets of vandalism, with some defaced using black spray paint. The cause of the dealership fire is still under investigation, with authorities considering multiple possibilities, including malicious intent.
This event is part of a troubling pattern of attacks on Tesla properties. Earlier this month, a Tesla dealership in France suffered a fire that destroyed 12 vehicles, causing over €700,000 in damages. Authorities suspect arson due to multiple fire origins and the specific targeting of vehicles.
Tesla's stock has also been affected, declining by 34% this year. CEO Elon Musk has expressed shock at the violence, describing it as "insane and deeply wrong," and emphasizing that Tesla's mission is to produce electric vehicles and that the company does not deserve such attacks.
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