Watch A Tesla Driver Ruin His Night Testing Emergency Drive Away

You have to pay more attention to the screens before clicking “OK”

Tesla

Tesla recently added the “Emergency Drive Away” feature to its models through a software update, designed for U.S. owners who need to leave a Supercharger in a hurry without unplugging the vehicle first. As suggested by its name, the feature is only intended to be used in emergency situations, as it can cause damage to both the EV and the charger. However, the first video of an accidental use of the feature has popped up on social media.

The incident took place in Austin, during the F1 Grand Prix weekend. The dark blue Model 3 was filmed by another Tesla, which was charging in the next spot over. The owner appears to press buttons on the screen before the EV takes off. The car only drove for a few feet before coming to a full stop, but it still ripped off the cable. After realizing their mistake, the driver exited the vehicle, clasping their forehead as if being overwhelmed.

While this looks like a case of an inadvertent mistake, Tesla warns users that deliberate misuse of the feature can result in penalties. According to the company, repairing a Supercharger can cost up to $25,000, while the EV will also require a mandatory service visit to check and repair the charging port. That’s even more expensive that the repair bill for a Rivan R2 bumper!

The driver looked exhausted

Tesla

The clip was uploaded on the TeslaLounge subreddit by Reddit user and Tesla owner Joshalander, who wrote: “Was charging around 6 AM this past Sunday in Austin before heading to the F1 race and heard a pop. Looked over and saw the new emergency drive away feature in action. Genuinely felt bad for the dude when he got out and realized what happened since he looked exhausted and only seemed to half read the prompts.” Predictably, the post attracted lots of attention, and one commenter, who has worked in IT, claims that the accidental use of the feature was “inevitable,” as people can reflexively click OK on screens without reading the warning prompts.

While the feature is only activated after warning screens and required driver engagement, Joshalander believes that the company should take additional measures against accidental use: “Maybe Tesla should add some better soft gates like the whole screen flashing red and a loud emergency sound (similar to when you get the “take over immediately” message in FSD/AP) to snap people out of mindlessly clicking through the prompts, but still allow someone in an actual emergency to quickly be able to use it.”

That being said, the whole point of the feature is quickness in order to escape an emergency, although it won’t be that helpful if the car’s doors don’t open during a fire. Emergency Drive Away was developed shortly after the August 1, 2026, shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho where victims who were charging their Teslas were among the targets.

Source: www.carscoops.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.