I tried ICE-ing a Supercharger and I looked STUPID. So why do people do still it?
For those of you who don’t understand, ICE-ing a Supercharger means that someone in a non-Tesla vehicle (an acronym used to describe a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, or ICE) is parking in the spot exclusively reserved for Tesla owners to park when superchargIng their vehicle. You can compare it to a similar situation an equally annoying and inconsiderate action as depriving another vehicle access to the pump at a gas station by parking at a pump but not using that pump. Whereas most people that park at pumps without using it do do not on purpose, the people who ICE’ Superchargers do it on purpose.
A Reddit user named Leicina said recounts an incident where a group of trucks intentionally blocked all the charging spots at her Supercharger location while chanting “‘F’ Tesla” before being asked to leave by an employee of of the store that owned the location. This happened in Hickory, North Carolina, about 40 miles northwest of Charlotte. But before you brush it off as “Ignorant Southerners”, you will be surprised to learn that it’s not exclusive to Southern states and it also happens as far west as California.
The ICE-ing Problem
Since Tesla usually does not owns the land where Superchargers are located as it usually leases land for third parties, there isn’t really much Tesla can do in way of legal enforcement.
So I wanted to see what ICE owners get out of ICE-ing because in order to solve this issue, you have to first understand why they do it. Quite frankly, I don’t get it. I don’t see the appeal. Even in a Lambo URUS (arguably the coolest Lambo on the market currently), I couldn’t help but look extremely lame, ignorant and stupid, parking in a Supercharger spot designated for Tesla Supercharging.
Now before you come at me, I made sure to go in the dead of night when the Supercharger was completely empty and void of Teslas in order to ensure I don’t deprive a Tesla owner of a much needed Supercharge. Most importantly, I had to minimize my risk of looking like a douchebag in broad day light.
ICE-ing these Superchargers probably isn’t going to go away on its own. However blocking a gas station to (as Twitter user Parag Jain put it) “to take revenge on ICE-ing in Amsterdam !! That’s rEVolution.”, isn’t going to solve the problem. If anything, it will further fuel the anger and ignorance (pun intended), because you don’t fight ignorance with ignorance. Furthermore, it’s only a matter of time before ICE-ing leads to serious injury or death. I hope it doesn’t come to that but we are in America – the land of more guns than people.
The Tesla Solution
In response to the growing spate of ICE-ing incidents, Tesla is has begun implementing some uniquely Tesla innovative way to deter would be ICE-ing if while insuring that spots are made available to Tesla owners on demand. For example, in China, Tesla has begun deploying locks in the parking spots that can only be unlocked with QR codes linked to the the app Which is only available to current Tesla owners. Mostly all new Tesla Supercharger Station come with these locks installed and it only takes less than a minute for a Tesla owner to unlock and make use of the spot.
PS: if you like this post and you are in the market for a new Tesla, Tesla has an amazing referral program that offers you 1000 free supercharging miles if you use a referral code when you make your purchase. As a two-time Tesla owner, having owned a model S and model X, I can assure you that purchasing a Tesla will be the best automotive decision you’ve ever made and will ever make in your life. So why not make use of my referral code below and we can both continue to enjoy the wonderful Tesla life.
1 comment