He tests a new function of his Tesla, but his mistake could cost him a lot. Testing a new feature on the touchscreen of his car might seem trivial. For this driver in Austin, Texas, one extra click set off a chain of events that wasn’t harmless. He wanted to try the brand-new Emergency Drive Away feature. His Model 3 then moved while still plugged into the Supercharger. The cable gave way, and behind this misstep lie potential five-figure costs.
The scene unfolded early in the morning, during the Austin Grand Prix weekend. Another Tesla owner, parked right nearby, was filming his own charging session when he heard a sharp sound. He details the incident on Reddit: “I was charging around 6 a.m. this Sunday in Austin. I then had to head to the F1 race, and I heard a sharp noise. I looked and saw the new Emergency Drive Away feature in action. I really felt for the guy when it came out. He seemed tired and appeared to have only half-read the alert messages,” explains the Reddit user “Joshalander,” cited by Carscoops. A simple lapse in attention, on a poorly understood function, can trigger a cascade of consequences far from trivial.
Emergency Drive Away: a Tesla feature designed for emergencies
Emergency Drive Away is a new function added by Tesla through a software update in the United States. It lets you leave a Supercharger while still plugged in, so you can move away quickly from a dangerous situation. Tesla notes that this function should be used only in an emergency. Each departure damages hardware, on both the car and the charger. It was developed soon after the August 1, 2026 shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho. That day, people charging their Teslas were among the victims.
Saw someone accidentally use the new emergency drive away feature
by
u/Joshalander in
TeslaLounge
In practice, the driver leaves the cable plugged in and shifts into Drive. A dedicated screen then appears with several warnings to read and acknowledge. To actually activate Emergency Drive Away, they must keep the brake pedal pressed and confirm on the screen. The car then authorizes the departure. The connector is designed to detach in a controlled manner, somewhat like a gasoline pump nozzle. Tesla notes that repairing a damaged Supercharger site can cost up to $25,000 (about €23,000). A service visit is then required to inspect the car’s charging port. If used deliberately outside a genuine emergency, the company warns that additional penalties may apply. Each activation is logged and accompanied by a short video clip sent to Tesla.
In Austin, a click error that turns into a puzzle
In the video shot in Austin, a dark blue Model 3 is connected to a Supercharger. The charging halts, then the car advances a few meters before stopping abruptly. The cable remains attached, torn behind it, as the driver exits the vehicle. He rubs his hands over his face and seems to realize what just happened. The video’s author, the Reddit user “Joshalander,” recounts the scene with genuine sympathy for the exhausted neighbor at the station. Another commenter, who says they work in IT, even calls the incident “inevitable.” They argue that many people press “OK” without reading the on-screen alert messages. For the driver captured on video, the final bill remains unknown for now. No details have been provided yet.
The post on the TeslaLounge subreddit has circulated widely. Fatigue and the new screen menus resonate with many drivers. The user “Joshalander” explains that the driver looked truly tired and barely attentive to the alerts displayed. He even goes further and suggests concrete UI changes: “Maybe Tesla should add stronger software safeguards, like the entire screen flashing red. And also a loud emergency tone, similar to the one heard when you receive the ‘take back control’ message in FSD/AP. It would deter people from reflexively tapping OK, while still allowing someone in a true emergency to use it quickly.”, he writes on Reddit, relayed by Carscoops. In the United States, early user reports about triggering Emergency Drive Away describe workshop charges. Some hover around $33, roughly €30. Others rise to $178 or even $539, roughly €165–€500. According to the reports, billing varies, sometimes with a goodwill gesture from Tesla, sometimes not.
