Twitterati urges Elon Musk to deactivate all Teslas in Russia

A group of Twitter users have urged Elon Musk to deactivate all Tesla electric cars in Russia, in the wake of the Russian invasion in Ukraine that began on 24th February. In a series of tweets, several users have asked the Tesla CEO to turn off every single Tesla electric car in Russia. A Twitter user requested the deactivation as part of a technology embargo on Russia. Elon Musk however is yet to respond to the requests.

Tesla just a few days ago announced that it is providing free charging for both Tesla and non-Tesla electric vehicles in neighbouring countries through its supercharging stations in order to help the refugees displaced due to the war.

The call for the deactivation of Tesla cars in Russia comes as the global auto industry has responded to the current Ukraine crisis by suspending its business operations in Russia. Also, several automakers have stopped their vehicle shipment to Russia in the wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine. The suspension also comes as the US, UK and European Union have imposed stringent economic sanctions. In such a scenario, doing business with and in Russia could impact the automakers internationally.

The auto manufacturers such as Volvo, Ford, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen General Motor, Toyota, Honda have decided to halt their operations in Russia in the wake of the conflict. Honda even halted operations in its Russian plants temporarily.

Besides that, several automakers have been facing the parts shortage and major supply chain disruption due to the crisis. Russia is one of the key suppliers of microchips, while Ukraine supplies wire harnesses to several automakers in Europe. The conflict between these two countries has resulted in a massive disruption in the transportation sector there impacting the supply chain for the automakers.