A Tesla driver was left stunned after they discovered a stranger had unplugged their electric vehicle while it was still charging.
The driver left their Tesla car charging in the airport parking lot, where they had to rely on an adapter to connect the vehicle to the port.
While their Tesla comes equipped with an anti-theft locking functionality, it only locks onto the adapter, leaving the actual charger vulnerable to passersby who may remove it.
In this instance, the meddler was caught in the act thanks to Tesla's Sentry Mode, which records footage from autopilot security cameras and can save the recording to a USB drive.
Thanks to Tesla's security system, there seems to be no shortage of footage showing people thoughtlessly unplugging charging EVs.
Another Redditor posted footage of a pickup truck driver disconnecting his EV while he was taking a nap in the backseat.
As Forbes reported, there is also growing evidence of EV drivers unplugging each other's cars as they battle over a limited supply of charging ports.
While it is not illegal to unplug another's EV without consent, it is considered bad etiquette among the EV drivers' community, according to The Driven.
The code of conduct among EV drivers is an evolving concept, as an increasing number acquire an electric vehicle and hit the road. There are products that exist to lock a charger in place so that only the owner can remove it, but they do not come with the vehicle.
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According to Bloomberg, there are now thought to be 3 million EVs on the road in the U.S., but there are only 168,300 charging ports to serve them, per Statista. In 2023, the use of charging ports not operated by Tesla Inc. doubled, as reported by Bloomberg.
With this increased competition over charging ports, it's no wonder that it's causing friction between drivers. Per PR Newswire, the Biden administration has responded by pledging $623 million to build 7,500 new charging stations — part of its goal to supply 500,000 by 2030, as reported by the Washington Post.
Nonetheless, Redditors have found it hard to forgive the seemingly unprovoked unplugging caught on camera.
"I don't really understand the hate against EVs to this degree," one wrote. "Have your opinions, sure, but what is so wrong with EVs that someone would feel compelled to unplug a random person's car?"
"I would never do anything to someone random that I wouldn't want done to me," another agreed.
"There is no law against it," another added. "There is nothing the owner can do, even if they know exactly who did it. They are malicious and get pleasure from it."
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