Tesla Drivers Can Now Break Away from Superchargers in Emergencies

Tesla has released a new safety feature, Emergency Drive Away, that lets its electric vehicles shift into drive and pull away from a charging port without the driver manually disconnecting the cable. The feature is delivered through an over-the-air update and currently works only with U.S. Superchargers.

Tesla says the feature should be used only in an emergency and warns that using it will cause significant damage to both the vehicle and the Supercharger. Normally, Teslas are locked in park at charging stations until the charging connector is manually disconnected. Previously, the only workaround involved third-party adapters, which Tesla had warned could overheat and cause damage.

The update comes after an August shooting at an In-N-Out restaurant in Twin Falls, Idaho, in which Tesla users were among those killed and injured. Three of the ten victims were sitting inside Tesla vehicles while charging at Supercharger stations in the parking lot. The feature is meant to give drivers a way out if an emergency occurs at or near a Supercharger.

Once the car is in drive, a warning screen appears with the option to enable Emergency Drive Away. The driver must hold the brake pedal and tap "Activate". A demonstration video from the Tesla Charging X account shows the connector breaking away from the port and the cable snapping back as the vehicle pulls away.

Tesla warns that intentional misuse will "invoke additional penalties", although the penalties have not been specified. In a reply to a comment on X, the Tesla Charging account said repair costs could reach $25,000 depending on the Supercharger. That figure has not been independently verified.

The feature requires the latest Tesla software update and is not supported on pre-2021 Model S and Model X vehicles. Tesla says the override currently applies only to U.S. Superchargers but may be expanded in the future.