News
US official takes zero-Tesla road trip to promote EVs–things get so tricky they ended up ICE-ing a charger
United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm went on a four-day, 600+ mile journey from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Memphis, Tennessee, with a fleet of all-electric vehicles. The official’s entourage was impressive, as it included EVs like the Cadillac Lyriq, the Ford F-150 Lightning, and the Chevy Bolt. There were some combustion-powered cars in the entourage as well, but zero Teslas.
Over the US official’s journey, things would get so challenging that members of Granholm’s advance team resorted to eyebrow-raising tactics to secure fast chargers for the official. At one point, an ICE-ing incident happened, and police got involved. Needless to say, the Secretary of Energy’s EV road trip became a story worth telling — for better or for worse.
The distance itself between Charlotte and Memphis is not that far. At over 600 miles, the distance would likely require a Tesla just one or two stops at a Supercharger station. Granholm is knowledgeable about electric cars too, being one of EVs’ biggest advocates in the government. She also previously owned a Chevy Bolt and now drives a Ford Mustang Mach-E.
As noted by NPR reporter Camila Domonoske, who drives a Chevy Bolt herself, the US Secretary of Energy’s EV road trip was painstakingly mapped out ahead of time to allow for charging. The entourage stopped at hotels with Level 2 chargers and stopped at rapid chargers between cities. Advance teams would even head to fast chargers to make sure that the official and her team of EVs can recharge their batteries quickly.
Now, such a plan would probably be sufficient if the United States is known for having an expansive and reliable fast-charging network. But it’s not. Outside the Supercharger Network, which is privately operated by Tesla, the US’ rapid charging infrastructure leaves much to be desired.
This became evident when Granholm’s team was planning to fast charge at a station in Grovetown, a suburb of Augusta, Georgia. Upon arriving at the site, the official’s advance party realized that one of the station’s four chargers was broken and two were already occupied. With only one rapid charging stall open, an Energy Department staffer tried to ICE the stall to reserve it for the Secretary of Energy, who was on her way to the charging station.
ICE-ing, or the act of blocking an EV charging stall with a combustion-powered car, has been a headache for electric car owners for years. It was then no surprise that when the Energy Department staffer blocked the only free rapid charging spot in the site, EV owners were not pleased. A family that was boxed out of the charging stall was so upset that they called the police — and for good reason too. The day was extremely hot, and they had a baby in the car.
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NPR’s Domonoske described the aftermath of the ICE-ing incident. “The sheriff’s office couldn’t do anything. It’s not illegal for a non-EV to claim a charging spot in Georgia. Energy Department staff scrambled to smooth over the situation, including sending other vehicles to slower chargers, until both the frustrated family and the secretary had room to charge,” she wrote.
As noted by Domonoske, outside of Tesla’s Supercharger Network, long road trips in the United States are still an issue. Fortunately, Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) is being adopted by an increasing number of automakers and charging companies, so it won’t be long before other electric cars can take advantage of a benefit that’s long been available to Tesla owners.
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Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
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Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
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Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Lifestyle
Tesla’s driverless Cybercab just passed a big test with State Governor
Florida’s governor rode Tesla’s Cybercab at a closed test track and called the experience impressive.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis rode in a Tesla Cybercab on a closed test track this week and came away impressed, posting on X that the vehicle “successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.” He called the ride “impressive.”
The stop was part of a broader event Monday at SunTrax, a 775 acre state owned proving ground in Auburndale that Florida built specifically to test autonomous and connected vehicles before they reach public roads. Standing next to a gold Cybercab, DeSantis described the car in plain terms: “You go in there and you just sit. You have a screen. There’s no steering wheel, no pedals. Clearly these things could be very beneficial.”
We took a ride on a robotaxi on the Suntrax course and it successfully navigated all hazards — a kid running into the street, a crash with police stopping traffic, a Model S cutting us off, etc.
Impressive! https://t.co/FVAkzFLz3r
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 11, 2026
DeSantis paired the praise with a caveat that has followed autonomous vehicles since the category existed. “You don’t want to be in an autonomous vehicle and it drives you into a ditch. That would not be good,” he said, framing safety validation as the gate before wider deployment.
SunTrax, the 2.25 mile oval which the state calls the only high speed autonomous vehicle test track in the Southeast, can simulate rain, pedestrian crossings, hills and crowded urban conditions at highway speeds, letting companies push a car past what an early public rollout would risk. Tesla, Waymo and Beep all use the facility, and Florida’s regulatory approach, among the most permissive for autonomous vehicles in the country, doesn’t require a human operator inside a fully autonomous car.
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Tesla has reason to want the blessing of Florida and states beyond, as the Cybercab entered volume production at Gigafactory Texas this spring and has since self certified as SAE Level 4 under Texas law. Public road testing so far has kept a safety monitor in the passenger seat, and Florida is where Tesla has been expanding its existing Model Y based Robotaxi service instead, adding Miami in July and then Orlando and Tampa two weeks later. A closed track endorsement from a sitting governor doesn’t change any of that, but it does put Tesla’s newest hardware in front of a state that has already shown it will move fast on rules.
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
Elon Musk teases Tesla Roadster unveiling once again
