Considering how prolific electric vehicles are nowadays, it may seem like incidents of ICE-ing, or the deliberate (or inadvertent) blocking of EV charging stalls by combustion-powered cars, is a thing of the past. As it turns out, however, this was not necessarily the case, as experienced by a Tesla Model Y owner.
As per the Model Y owner in a post on the r/TeslaModelY subreddit, the Supercharger station in question was in the Disney area of Orlando, Florida. His vehicle only had about 11% of its battery left when he pulled up to the Supercharger, and the next charger was still about 26 minutes away. Thus, the Model Y owner, as well as other Tesla drivers, were looking forward to a quick charging session.
Is it not clear you can’t park here?
byu/Melodic-Internet3790 inTeslaModelY
Unfortunately for the Model Y owner, as well as several other Tesla drivers at the charging station, all of the Supercharger’s stalls were ICE-ed out by other vehicles. As observed by the EV owner in his post on Reddit, there didn’t seem to be any security patrolling in the area, and there were seemingly no signs warning drivers that their vehicles could be towed if they blocked EV charging stalls.
Interestingly enough, the 2012 Florida Statutes include specific sections that warn against the practice of blocking dedicated electric vehicle charging stalls.
“It is unlawful for a person to stop, stand, or park a vehicle that is not capable of using an electrical recharging station within any parking space specifically designated for charging an electric vehicle. If a law enforcement officer finds a motor vehicle in violation of this subsection, the officer or specialist shall charge the operator or other person in charge of the vehicle in violation with a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as provided in s. 316.008(4) or s. 318.18,” the 2012 Florida Statutes noted.
Orlando Tesla Supercharger COMPLETELY ICED out. Model Y owner had to park over the curb to charge..
— Nic Cruz Patane (@niccruzpatane) February 4, 2024
How can people still do this? pic.twitter.com/EDzKaQSPUI
Because the entire Supercharger station had been ICE-ed, the Tesla Model Y owner opted to charge his all-electric crossover in an unorthodox manner. As can be seen in images that were shared online, the Tesla owner ended up driving over the curb just so his Model Y could reach a Supercharger cable. It was a crude solution to the ICE-ing issue, but it worked. The Model Y owner noted that as he left the Supercharger station, he saw another Tesla backing into the curb to charge.
Reactions from the EV community to the incident are varied, with some noting that Tesla should probably come up with a way to inform drivers if Supercharger stalls are ICE-ed. Others noted that the electric vehicle maker should probably put more effort into collaborating with law enforcement to prevent instances of ICE-ing more assertively. Such suggestions may have some merit, especially considering that the Supercharger Network is now being opened in North America to all automakers which have opted to embrace the North American Charging Standard (NACS).
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