Do you ever see someone do something out in the wild and immediately think of that Will Ferrell GIF from "Wedding Crashers"? "What an idiot."
This Tesla driver's Reddit post went viral after a four-door truck pulling a trailer blocked not one but all of the Tesla charging parking spots in a small Montana city.
When approached, the truck driver allegedly said: "Go buy a gas car."
Cue Stephanie Tanner: How rude.
This incident raises a couple of key discussions: Do people really hate Teslas and other electric vehicles that much, and what legal action can someone take if they are being blocked from charging their vehicle?
The former is certainly up for debate. The latter, however, has a complicated answer.
According to the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, there are over 70,000 electric charging stations across the United States and Canada — 136 of which are in Montana.
Only 17 states have legislation prohibiting non-plug-in cars from blocking EV charging stations. Unfortunately, Montana isn't one of them…yet.
In 2019, Montana joined several states, including neighboring Idaho and Wyoming, in signing a memorandum implementing an Intermountain West EV Corridor that will make it possible to "seamlessly" drive an EV across the participating states.
Some of the states' goals include increasing EV awareness/adoption and coordinating the locations of EV charging stations to reduce range anxiety.
Yodeler Motel in Red Lodge, Montana, added four on-site EV chargers to attract business. Owner Mac Dean installed the chargers roughly six years ago and has noticed a considerable uptick in patrons — often seeing a couple of EV drivers per week during summers. "We're a destination charger," Dean said. "If people want to use our chargers, they have to book a room. It's just adding more to our hand."
Montana is making strides by offering tax exemptions and other incentives for alternative fuels and vehicles. So, while our Reddit poster doesn't have a legal leg to stand on against blocking EV charging stations, they can still win their case in the court of opinion online.
Redditors who commented on the post were generally frustrated with the truck driver or confused about the level of hate.
"There's a good spot right in front of their grill," one wrote. "Use that and charge for 30 minutes. He'll be stuck."
"I don't get the animosity towards EVs," another said. "Like...why do they love gas so much? Why do they love it so much they hate vehicles that don't use gas? Do they not realize that an electric motor was invented before an ICE engine which was only created because the oil tycoon, Rockefeller, wanted vehicles dependent on his oil?
"With ICE, we are at the mercy of oil conglomerates. With EVs...you at least have the freedom to provide your own 'fuel' source via your own solar power. That's freedom. That's American. Who would be against that choice? … I wish I could ask that guy over a cup of coffee all his thoughts on why he likes to block charging stations."
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