Police investigating after Teslas intentionally set on fire in Calgary

Police are investigating after two Tesla vehicles were intentionally set on fire in Calgary this week.

Calgary police say the first incident happened around 11 p.m. at the Tesla charging station near 12 Avenue SE and Macleod Trail SE.

The victim parked her white 2023 Tesla Model Y at the charging station and received a notification about 90 minutes later that her vehicle was no longer charging. She looked out her window from her apartment and saw the car on fire.

Fire crews showed up and put out the fire after the victim called 911. Police believe the fire was intentionally set using an accelerant.

The next day, officers were called to a Tesla storage lot on Fairmount Drive SE south of Glenmore Trail around 9:50 p.m. for reports of a vehicle fire.

Fire crews arrived to a grey 2025 Cybertruck on fire and put out the blaze. Arson investigators believe the fire was intentionally set with an accelerant.

Police are in the process of collecting evidence and speaking to witnesses, and at this time they think the two incidents could be connected.

“Tesla owners are encouraged to put their car in sentry mode when their vehicle is parked in a non-secure area,” says Calgary police Staff Sgt. Kurt Jacobs in a statement. “For those with the feature, sentry mode is developed to engage the vehicle’s camera system to record suspicious activity occurring around the vehicle and notifies the owner of the suspected activity.”

Drivers who had their vehicle parked at the Tesla charging station on 12 Avenue SE between 9 and 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday are being asked to contact police.

Anyone with additional information is being urged to call police at 403-266-1234, or submit tips to CrimeStoppers anonymously.

Tesla vandalism surging

In recent weeks, incidents of vandalism against Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations have surged across the U.S. and internationally. The vandlism appears to be primarily motivated by political opposition to Elon Musk’s recent governmental role with the Trump administration.

About two dozen protesters gathered outside a Tesla dealership in Surrey, B.C., last weekend, the day after a similar protest in Vancouver, holding signs with messages including “elbows up,” “Elon be-gone,” and “democracy dies in apathy.”

Police in Hamilton, Ont. said upwards of 80 Tesla vehicles were damaged at a dealership on Wednesday.

Prosecutors in Colorado charged a woman last month in connection with attacks on Tesla dealerships, including Molotov cocktails thrown at vehicles and the words “Nazi cars” spray-painted on a building.

Tesla stock doubled in value in the weeks after Trump’s election but has since shed all those gains.