Tesla owner gets his bumper dismantled for ‘parking at Supercharger without charging’

A Tesla owner found his bumper disassembled from the body of his Model S and it is apparently for having parked the car at a Supercharger station without charging.

In order to make sure owners don’t spend more time than they need to at Supercharger stations, Tesla has implemented idle fees to make people move their car quickly after they are done charging.

However, those idle fees only apply if the Tesla starts charging at the Supercharger station in the first place.

Some Tesla owners have been known to park at a Supercharger station without plugging in, which is something that is not appreciated in the EV community, and there’s no way to incentivize them not to do it.

In China, they apparently take it seriously.

Jay in Shanghai, a Tesla owner who often updates us on EV news in China, posted an image of a Model S with a frunk opened and a front bumper disassembled at a Supercharger station:

Meanwhile in China 🇨🇳 this happens when you are parked at Tesla Supercharger and NOT plugged in. Let me know what you think?#Tesla #TeslaChina #Supercharger #China #特斯拉 #中国 $TSLA pic.twitter.com/KkOBuWAIyL

— Jay in Shanghai 电动 Jay (@JayinShanghai) July 25, 2019

He claims that it was done to the Model S because the owner didn’t plug in the car and instead used the Supercharger stall as a parking spot.

Electrek’s Take

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Supercharger stations are for charging. I don’t care if the parking lot is full. You gotta walk. What if someone really needs the charging point to get somewhere?

However, if Jay is right and the bumper was really removed because the car wasn’t plugged in, that’s not a reason for vandalism.

I am just speculating here, but it could also potentially be due to someone trying unsuccessfully tow the vehicle and the bumper fell off.

Either way, I don’t think the Tesla owner’s lack of respect for other drivers justifies vandalizing the car.

Cities should probably implement regulations that would enable them to fine vehicles who use charging spots without plugging in.

What do you think? Can you think of any other solution? Let us know in the comment section below.