Are Diesel Truck Owners ‘ICEing’ Out Tesla Drivers?

Gas-powered pickup owners are accused of striking out against EVs by blocking charging spots.

Tesla builds the best-selling electric vehicles in the United States market and to support their customers, the all-EV automaker has installed charging stations all over the country. That is great for EV owners, but some gas-powered truck owners are taking exception to the reserved spots and they are striking back by parking their vehicles in the EV charging spots. EV owners call this “ICEing” and British website Daily News recently published a piece detailing incidences of this anti-EV action from Reddit.

In the piece, the outlet shared the stories and photographs of several Tesla owners in the United States who had fallen victims to ICEing. In some cases, the truck owners were clearly looking to strike out against the Tesla owners while in other cases, it seems like people just parked in a convenient spot that just happened to be an EV charging station spot.

ICEing by Truck Owners

Daily News referenced Reddit posts by three Tesla owners who had posted about being victims of ICEing; one in North Carolina, one in Tennessee, and one in Texas.

In North Carolina, Redditor “Leicina” posted about how she stopped at a gas station that had Tesla charging stations only to find that a Ford and two Chevrolet pickups were blocking the EV spots (above). When the Tesla owner approached them, they began chanting “F— Tesla”, at which point the EV owner went inside to speak with the gas station clerk who quickly sent the truck owners packing.

Next, “freckletan” shared an experience in Tennessee where he found a Dodge Ram parked at a charging station. The owner was not around, but he or she had gone so far as to set the charging cable on the bed of the truck as though it was an electric vehicle. Since the owner wasn’t around, nothing came of this situation.

Finally, “RedfieldStandard” shared a picture of a collection of work trucks including a Chevrolet S-10 parked in front of a row of charging stations at Hampton Inn & Suites in El Paso, Texas. The Tesla owner flagged down a passing sheriff who went through the hotel until they found the owner, forcing them to move their trucks to appropriate spots.

There was also the image above of a Ford Super Duty with a horse trailer blocking a row of Tesla charging stations, but there was no story accompanying that picture.

Let EV Owners Be

While it might seem funny to block the charging stations or perhaps you think that it is unfair that having an electric vehicle entitles people to reserved spots, there are two good reasons why you should leave those spots to the EV owners.

Most importantly, there have been laws passed in nine states and several cities in other states where blocking a public charging station with a non-electric vehicle is against the law. This means that if you parked your Chevrolet truck at a charging station in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Oregon, Rhode Island or Washington, you could be ticketed or towed. The same is true in Washington D.C., Seattle, Baltimore, Raleigh and Knoxville, so while you might think that it is funny to block a spot or if you are taking a stand against EV owners, it could get you ticketed or towed.

Also, keep in mind that while you might not want to drive an electric vehicle, federal fuel economy regulations are making them a necessary item in every automaker’s lineup. Based on CAFÉ laws, which are based on the overall fuel economy number for a brand’s fleet of vehicles, electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids lower the brand’s score, allowing space for high performance vehicles.

In other words, the people who are buying boring electric vehicles are making it possible for fun, gasoline-powered vehicles to continue to exist in the regulation-heavy society. If people want to drive electric vehicles, let them do so, as it benefits everyone who drives big, powerful trucks and high performance cars.

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.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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