Just about everything about Tesla has been politicized this year—everything, that is, except the 300 or so vehicles parked by the old Chesterfield Mall.
The number of cars at the swath of parking lot sometimes called the “Tesla graveyard” has remained relatively consistent over the many years the lot has been used as both overflow storage for the nearby Tesla dealership, as well as a Midwest “logistics hub” for the electric vehicle company, says Michael Staenberg, whose Staenberg Group is redeveloping the former mall site and has leased Tesla the space to park hundreds of cars.
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Across the country, Teslas have seen increased vandalism by people upset with the company’s CEO Elon Musk, keying, spray painting, and setting aflame the vehicles. In one highly publicized incident in Kansas City, a 19-year-old set two parked Cybertrucks on fire. Owen McIntire now faces the potential of decades in prison as President Donald Trump equated Tesla vandalism to “terrorism” and his Justice Department has sought to dole out harsh sentences against people who have committed what are essentially property crimes.
Fortunately, Staenberg says, the lot in Chesterfield has dealt with none of that. The biggest incident to happen there was someone trying to steal tires. “We have cameras. The Chesterfield police are very aware. We have security, so no, we didn’t have to increase it,” he says. (Tesla did not respond to a message seeking comment yesterday.)
Musk’s tumultuous time at the White House heading up the Department of Government Efficiency is generally seen to have damaged the brand of his car company, whose sales declined in the first months of this year compared to last (and plummeted further in Europe).
But while the brand faces a tough road to regain its footing with EV-minded buyers, given Musk’s departure from Trump’s employ, the worst of the Tesla vandalism is likely in the rearview mirror. In fact, the biggest danger to Musk’s car company in Missouri may be a ballot initiative that could be put to voters next year.
In April, SLM reported that Brad Ketcher, previously chief of staff to former governor Mel Carnahan, had launched an “Unplug Musk” initiative that would effectively ban Tesla’s direct-to-consumer business model, which doesn’t rely on independent dealerships the way most car companies do.
In 2023, Missouri passed a law basically banning that business model, but grandfathered in Tesla. Ketcher’s initiative petition, which would put the question directly to voters, would essentially erase Tesla’s exemption.
That petition has been certified by the Secretary of State, Ketcher says. But he’s not sure if he’ll actually pursue putting it on the ballot to coincide with next year’s midterm elections.
Ketcher made no secret that he was targeting Musk, but his initial “Unplug Musk” effort came when Musk was very much either wreaking havoc (or, depending on who you ask, cutting waste) as the head of DOGE. Now that Musk has publicly walked away from politics, “We’ll be watching him closely to see if he behaves himself,” Ketcher says, leaving the door to the anti-Tesla ballot very much open.
The fork in the road for Ketcher’s project won’t come until May 2026. That’s the deadline to submit signatures to get on the ballot that November.
By then, it’s almost certain that the hundreds of Teslas outside the old Dillard’s wing of the Chesterfield Mall will be gone.
Staenberg is turning the 117 acre site into “Downtown Chesterfield,” a high-end mixed use development entailing 2,700 residential units, coffee shops, grocery stores and other retail. Staenberg says the project is on track, “moving in the right direction.”
Tesla’s lease runs out in the next eight months or so, and the new downtown taking shape means the cars are going to have to leave.
“I think they’re going to have to find a new place,” Staenberg says.
