Tesla's ability to outrage and inspire may seem novel to some but the vehicle may be a spiritual kin with another scorned vehicle, General Motors' Hummer.

Joan Pence, whose work with the activist group Western Wayne Indivisible has helped grow the West Bloomfield protests, said she has a few basic rules for the protests she has been involved in at the store: Stay on the sidewalk, keep moving and don’t block the driveway.

"When one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful person in the world is saying you've committed a crime, it doesn't matter what the truth is," said Valerie Costa, an anti-Tesla protester.