Photo: @TeslaCharging
Tesla has found a clever solution to the Supercharger ICEing nightmare that annoys EV drivers and is now integrating it into the Tesla mobile app for maximum convenience.
As electric vehicles get more and more popular with drivers around the world, charging networks face an ever-increasing pressure to keep up with the demand. Tesla is the first EV maker to deploy its own network of charging stations and it operates currently more than 25,000 so-called “Supercharger” stations across the planet. The trend is gaining traction and now the Supercharger network is also open to other electric car brands in some regions.
Democracy is not always well understood, and this is why openness has encouraged abusive behavior, especially from people driving internal combustion engined (ICE) cars. From time to time, we see entire charging stations blocked by ICE cars, a trend that is described as “ICEing”. Of course, it is utterly unpleasant to get to a charging station with a near-empty battery just to find it blocked by a diesel truck.
The abusive trend started in the U.S. but gained momentum throughout the world, with China having one of the worst ICE-ing situations. This is why Tesla started to deploy floor blocking devices in the country as early as 2019. These devices pop up from the floor to prevent other cars from parking in front of the Supercharger posts. Unlocking was possible using a third-party app, but this complicated the otherwise smooth Supercharger experience.
Nevertheless, the system proved to be successful, and Tesla started to offer it at every new charging station built in China. To make the experience as simple as possible, Tesla took the step to integrate it into its mobile app. That’s it, no more third-party apps, you can now unlock the floor blocking device from your Tesla app.
As this system appears now to be expanded to all Supercharger stations in China, it is probably just a matter of time before it will arrive in other countries as well. Usually, Tesla introduces new features first for the cars built and sold in China and later on to the rest of its fleet across the globe. This is not a new car feature per se but given its success in China, we expect to see it implemented in other countries as well.
Democracy is not always well understood, and this is why openness has encouraged abusive behavior, especially from people driving internal combustion engined (ICE) cars. From time to time, we see entire charging stations blocked by ICE cars, a trend that is described as “ICEing”. Of course, it is utterly unpleasant to get to a charging station with a near-empty battery just to find it blocked by a diesel truck.
The abusive trend started in the U.S. but gained momentum throughout the world, with China having one of the worst ICE-ing situations. This is why Tesla started to deploy floor blocking devices in the country as early as 2019. These devices pop up from the floor to prevent other cars from parking in front of the Supercharger posts. Unlocking was possible using a third-party app, but this complicated the otherwise smooth Supercharger experience.
Nevertheless, the system proved to be successful, and Tesla started to offer it at every new charging station built in China. To make the experience as simple as possible, Tesla took the step to integrate it into its mobile app. That’s it, no more third-party apps, you can now unlock the floor blocking device from your Tesla app.
As this system appears now to be expanded to all Supercharger stations in China, it is probably just a matter of time before it will arrive in other countries as well. Usually, Tesla introduces new features first for the cars built and sold in China and later on to the rest of its fleet across the globe. This is not a new car feature per se but given its success in China, we expect to see it implemented in other countries as well.
This is BREAKING NEWS for Tesla Owners in China!
— Jay in Shanghai ???????? (@JayinShanghai) November 18, 2021
Much more convenient for Tesla Owners using Supercharger with floor lock.
Tesla R&D in China Software Updates! @TeslaCharging @Tesla @elonmusk #Tesla #TeslaChina #Software #Supercharger $TSLA https://t.co/OdYGxj6qxT
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