Tesla Superchargers are still being ICE’d in 2023, as some claim its confusion, and others do it as a weird and strange way to push back against electric vehicle adoption.
ICEing was heavily reported on several years ago as Superchargers and other public EV charging stations became more popular and expansive across various regions of the world. It is described as the act of parking a gas vehicle at an EV charger, blocking an EV owner’s opportunity to plug in their car to gain more range.
It is sometimes down out of some sort of strange spite, and other times, it is claimed to be confusion. But the latter is seriously in doubt, especially in 2023.
However, it appears the act is still a thing, which is extremely disappointing. ICEing was observed by Tesla owners as the drivers of expensive Lamborghini and McLaren supercars parked at a Supercharger near Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast of Australia, according to CarScoops.
The person who snapped the picture, which was evidently a user named “Tessi” in the PlugShare app, said the drivers of the gas-powered Lambo and McLaren stated they thought the spots were up for grabs and could be shared with gas-powered owners.
Many regions across the world have actually started issuing fines for those who park in EV charging stalls if they drive a combustion engine vehicle. The region of Australia where this particular incident happened issues fines in the amount of $2,875 AU, roughly $1,900 USD.
It may have not been the only incident of ICEing to occur at this Supercharger in the past few days, either. One commenter in the PlugShare app said “5 bays filled by ice cars!” on Sunday, June 4.
Tesla has even combated ICE’ing by testing blocking devices in other markets, like China.