Pickup drivers block Tesla chargers in widening trend

E&E News ^ | 01/02/2019 | Maxine Joselow

[Responsibility2nd]

Forget "rolling coal." A new trend called "ICE-ing," in which pickup truck owners purposefully block electric vehicle charging stations, appears to be gaining ground around the country.

The practice, whose name is derived from "internal combustion engine," was observed over the holidays at a Sheetz gas station in Hickory, N.C.

Reddit user Leicina shared a photo on Dec. 23, 2018, of three large pickups blocking access to Tesla Inc. charging stations. The drivers apparently chanted "----Tesla."

"I've never had a supercharging experience like this one," wrote Leicina, who owns a Tesla Model 3. "These trucks blocked all the chargers, chanted 'F' Tesla, and were kicked out by a Sheetz employee."

She added, "Who do you report activity like this to? It was really uncomfortable."

It joins the similar practice of "rolling coal," in which people modify diesel engines to spew black clouds of soot. It's used as a way of protesting environmental regulations.

The political affiliations of the pickup truck drivers are unknown. But Hickory is located in Caldwell County, where 74.1 percent of residents backed President Trump in the 2016 election.

The trend has garnered the ire of environmentalists. Dan Becker, executive director of the Safe Climate Campaign, called it "mean and stupid."

"I'm sure that pickup truck drivers wouldn't want someone to slash their tires just because they're driving a pickup truck that guzzles a lot of gas and pollutes their children," Becker said in an interview. "And I think it's almost a form of vandalism because it's preventing someone from being able to drive their vehicle."

He added, "Does it insult their manhood that they pollute more and therefore they want to attack vehicles that pollute less? I don't understand their motivation."

ICE-ing has recently been observed in other parts of the country, as well.

In Bristol, Tenn., Reddit user freckletan shared a photo on Dec. 23, 2018, of a white pickup blocking Tesla chargers, saying, "Driving through Tennessee and see these 'cool guys' icing a supercharger."

The user added, "These guys parked in a Tesla charging spot with their gas (or diesel) truck, unhooked the charge cable, and laid it into their truck bed for 'comedic' effect. ... It would be the equivalent of a Tesla parking at a fuel pump at a gas station and walking away."

The trend has also been documented in Texas, South Carolina and Delaware.

The practice appears to primarily target Tesla rather than other automakers. Tesla's Model 3 has become a top-selling EV despite a year of self-inflicted drama by CEO Elon Musk (Energywire, Dec. 21, 2018).

Nine states and several cities have enacted laws prohibiting gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles from parking in front of EV charging stations, including Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington.

Rolling coal remains illegal throughout the country. Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) last year introduced the "Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act," S. 203, in an effort to decriminalize the practice. A co-sponsor was Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), one of Congress' most vocal climate skeptics.

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) introduced a companion bill in the House. But the measure ultimately failed to gain traction.

[treetopsandroofs]

Another POS leftist warrior against America.

[Teacher317]

Tow the pickup trucks away. Let them pay the impound fees, and the tow fees.

[treetopsandroofs]

And STILL so many of “us” are completely sold on the story, and want ACTION against the alleged offenders.

[RedMonqey]

(Snicker, Snicker!)

[Zathras]

The Left is trying to force Tesla back to the Plantation.
This is a SJW shakedown made to look like Right Wing.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Liberals always have an excuse about them not being as wasteful as even other libs. They flush their toilet only every other day and don’t use soda straws, blah blah blah.
Limousine liberals have an excuse as to why they NEED four homes and fly everywhere via chartered jet.

[buffyt]

Horse and buggies didn’t like early motor cars either.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I don't doubt that for a second. In the pic below, the trucks aren't blocking the charging stations, it's a flat-out lie. Look carefully, the charging stations are at least 15 feet on the other side of the dirt island. People are standing by their trucks chanting "F--- Tesla!!"? Why are there ZERO pictures of those people, that should be leading the story. All I see are pictures of trucks parked.

In the cases where they are parked in front of a charging station, it's a convenience store and the person probably thought, "Nobody is parked in front of any of these and I'm running in real quick for a drink, heck with it, I'm going to play the odds. If a person with a Tesla is there when I come out in 45 seconds, I'll say a quick sorry and move out quickly." Where I live, there are charging stations that I drive past multiple times a day and there is never anybody there.

For the people dropping the accusations, the burden of proof is on them. In this poker game, they've got a whole handful of NOTHING.

[Stanwood_Dave]

"That would be like pajama boy attacking Chuck Noris!"

That would be like pajama boy TRYING TO ATTACK Chuck Noris!

Fixed it, no need to thank me. /s

[morphing libertarian]

slash their tires and tow them.

[trebb]

Seems petty in a pathetic way - we bitch when the Left does similar crap and when we have the slightest peeve, we endorse the same pitiful crap....

[buffyt]

Spread the word that the illegals on the border are bringing in STRAWS! Maybe California will stop them. Liberals are so clueless. Rebels without a clue. And hateful.

Our neighbor is a strange little man. Last year he posted on FB that anyone who supports Trump should unfriend him. Lazy tuurdd, too lazy to unfriend all his friends who voted for Trump. I just ignore his request. Lazy looney guy. Drives one of those tiny cars, fat old crippled, he struggles to get in it.

Liberals are so strange! Tell us to walk, while we pay for those in government to ride in chauffeur driven limo. I am an elderly grandma, I can’t walk to town, afraid to ride my bike on hwy into town. No public transport out here. Electric car migh be nice.

[Magnatron]

Well, between these spots, the zillion spots for fake handicap stickers, the expectant mother slots, the vehicles with children slots, the veteran slots (I’m a veteran, but don’t need a special spot), the 15 minute pickup spots, and the employee of the month spots, maybe folks are getting pissed they can’t find a parking space any longer.

[Bell Bouy II]

snipping valve stems works best. Less of a charge if caught as the crime is charged on the value of the damaged item or some thing like that. Tire value way more than a 5 buck stem

Aggravation all the same

[Blue Jays]

"...this parking entitlement, that parking entitlement, the other parking entitlement..."

---

Excellent point. Coffee places similarly have the “ordered via internet fast coffee pick-up spots” that are absurd.
Why should that coffee drinker get preferential parking over someone who decides to simply stop for a cup?

[Blue Jays]

"...snipping valve stems works best..."

---

Not engaging in vandalism, property damage, and other criminal activity works even BETTER.

[wardaddy]

Honestly

The plethora of handicapped spots only one quarter used piss me off a lot more than Tesla...and when I see someone just bounce right out of the car with their blue sticker or mirror tag and dash into the store..

It’s an accommodation meant for folks who need it but abused by many who don’t

Yes I like Musk....he’s interesting

[CharlesWayneCT]

This is stupid. What if all the electric car people surrounded the gas pumps so the trucks couldn’t get to them?

Of course, there aren’t enough electric cars to do that, but this is just juvenile. I weep for what has become of our country. Why the h*ll would anybody modify their truck so that it purposely polluted? Do people actually think that carbon soot floating in the air is NOT a problem?

Between this and the stories about the shutdown where visitors to parks don’t know what to do with their own poop because there are no federal employees to wipe their butts, I feel like we’ve pretty much reached “Idiocracy”.

[central_va]

This is a highly charged situation.

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I hear you. When Obama was running in the 2012 election, I was FB-friends with a guy that was actually a college friend of my wife’s. It was a friend-of-a-friend situation. He posted, “If you’re not voting for Obama, you’re just an idiot and need to unfriend me right now.” I obliged him right away, the feeling is very mutual. To me FB is for posting pics of activities with your kids and fun stuff, I mute the users that post political stuff (whether I agree with it or not, in my view FB is not the place for that). Liberals need constant validation and post the crap endlessly, they need to go get an actual hobby.