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Tesla Owners Block Gas Station in Protest Against ICEing

The revenge of the electric car is here and it’s taking the form of a “performance.” It happened in Croatia, where members of an unofficial Tesla owners club got together to give drivers of gas-guzzling vehicles a taste of their own medicine.
Tesla and other EV owners block gas station in protest against ICEing 25 photos
Photo: Facebook / Igor Kolovrat
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It probably tasted very bitter. The practice of a gas-guzzler parking in front of a charging station for electric vehicles is called ICEing, a pun from ICE, the acronym for an internal combustion engine. ICEing has become quite a thing, with more EV drivers reporting it on social media.

Some consider it a form of harassment or even retaliation, while others agree that ICEing happens out of ignorance or inattention. Whichever the reason behind it, it sucks because it blocks an EV from recharging and going on its way – sometimes for hours on end. Punitive action for ICEing includes getting a fine or having your vehicle towed in some territories, or none at all in most places.

Owners of Teslas and other EVs in Croatia got together to protest against ICEing by showing drivers what it feels like to not be able to do what you want because someone else is acting like a douche. This wasn’t a case of an eye for an eye, but rather a “performance” meant to illustrate and educate on the ridiculousness of the situation, in the hopes that the practice may be discouraged.

There is a video of the “performance” available at the bottom of the page. It was filmed and posted online by Igor Kolovrat, of whom Electrek says he was one of the organizers of the protest.

“Revenge of the Electric Car!”
Igor writes on Facebook. “This is how it looks when you have no other solution to emphasize the problem of blocking charging stations for EVs than to block gas station with electric vehicles. The performance lasted 6 minutes and it was not our intention to harass anyone, but to point out the fact that electric vehicles are here, and their positive impact on society.”

Once the time was up, all the EVs rolled away. Given that the goal of the organizers was to draw attention to the issue of ICEing, we’d say it worked, since the protest is making international headlines.

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About the author: Elena Gorgan
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Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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