Tesla Owners Hit by ‘ICEing’ from EV-hating Truck Drivers

Tesla charging stations are being blocked by folks who oppose electric vehicles. Fair game, or foul play?

Popular British tabloid Daily Mail recently ran a story citing input from Tesla owners on Reddit who were sharing their experiences of “ICEing” by a variety of truck drivers. ICEing is when a vehicle with an internal combustion engine intentionally blocks an electric vehicle charging station, and it seems to be a growing trend around the United States with commercial and consumer vehicles alike participating in the anti-EV movement.

The initial report from Daily Mail referenced Tesla owners in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas who had experienced ICEing. In North Carolina, a trio of Tesla superchargers were blocked by a Ford truck and two Chevys, all of which were being piloted by drivers who were chanting “F— Tesla.” After the gas station attendant was informed of what was going on, the truck drivers left, leaving Redditor Leicena shaken.

Redditor Freckletan saw a Dodge Ram flatbed, pictured above, at a Tesla supercharger with the charging cable jokingly set on the bed to create the illusion that it was being charged.

Finally, RedfieldStandard shared the picture below of what appears to be a convoy of work trucks blocking the charging station at a Hampton Inn hotel. The police were notified, going door-to-door until they found the owners and made them move their trucks to the proper spots.

The Daily Mail report also featured a picture of a Ford Super Duty with a horse trailer blocking a row of Tesla superchargers.

Now, it could be argued that in some of these cases, such as the group of work trucks in the crowded parking lot, the truck owners parked in front of the superchargers out of necessity. However, there is no question that the three trucks at the gas station in North Carolina and the Ram flatbed in Tennessee were simply blocking a charging station.

Reasons to Give EV Owners their Space

While there are likely a great many people who do not like the fact that EV owners get their own reserved spots in parking lots all over the country, there are a few reasons to let these people suffer with their plug-in appliances.

First and foremost, there have been laws passed in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington that prohibit non-electric vehicles from parking in charging spots. Additionally, a handful of large cities have passed laws to keep those charging spots open, including Washington D.C., Seattle, Baltimore, Raleigh, North Carolina, and Knoxville. Regardless of how much you don’t like electric vehicles or the fact that they get their own parking spots, it isn’t worth getting a parking ticket just to aimlessly voice your opinion by breaking the law.

Of course, some people don’t care about the ticket. But here is one more thing to consider when striking out against electric vehicle owners. With the current government regulations on fuel economy standards, electric vehicles help to bolster an automaker’s overall fleet-fuel economy figures, which are the key metric for CAFÉ laws. Vehicles like the Focus EV and the C-Max Hybrid help to keep Ford in compliance with CAFÉ laws while still allowing the automaker to offer high-performance vehicles like the Shelby GT500 Mustang, the F-150 Raptor, and the Edge ST.

While it makes for some humorous photos on social media, the people who drive boring EVs are effectively taking a bullet for those of us who prefer to drive gasoline-powered performance vehicles. In the end, getting a ticket for parking in an EV charging spot has no real impact on vehicle owners or the companies who sell them, while the mere existence of these rides keep exciting vehicles on the road.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

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