Road rage, which is when drivers get angry at each other on the road, has been a problem for quite some time. Recently, a new type of anger has emerged among electric vehicle (EV) owners, called “EV charging rage.” This happens when one EV driver cuts in front of another to use one of the few available charging stations.
This issue has become so common that people are sharing videos and stories of these confrontations on social media and online forums. In a particularly unfortunate incident, an argument over charging access even led to someone being killed.
In light of these tensions, Tesla has decided to take action. Following a fight that occurred at a busy charging station, the company announced on a social media platform called X (formerly Twitter) that it would pilot a new virtual queuing system at select charging locations starting in the second quarter of the year. This system is designed to help improve the experience for customers who might have to wait for a charging spot.
Tesla’s post explained that their goal is to make things better for the small percentage of customers who encounter long wait times. However, they didn’t acknowledge that many Tesla owners have been discussing the need for a queue system in online forums and social media for quite some time.
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If the feedback from this pilot program is positive, Tesla plans to expand the virtual queuing system to more locations later this year. The company also mentioned that they are continually growing their charging network by more than 20% each year, which means they are trying to keep up with the increasing demand for charging stations.
It’s still unclear whether drivers of electric vehicles from other manufacturers, like General Motors, Ford, Nissan, and Lucid, will be able to use this new queue system right away. These companies have already been allowed access to Tesla’s Supercharger network, but the details on the queue system for non-Tesla vehicles have not yet been specified.
