A New Jersey man walks out of his building and into the parking garage. That’s when he notices a Tesla driver attempting to get a little free charging on the sly.
TiKTok user @gauravguava11 posted a video with his discovery recently. The video shows a white Tesla parked in one of the garage spaces with a Level 1 charging cord plugged into it. However, the other side is no longer plugged into the outlet.
“So I walked out into the garage and I noticed there’s a charger cord plugged into this Tesla,” says the TikToker. “The guy was trying to siphon electricity off the parking garage, but I’m assuming someone caught him, because the other end is unplugged on the floor.”
@gauravguava11 lets out a hearty laugh before the video ends.
In the comments, viewers had a field day. But just how big a deal is sneaking power for your EV in public anyway?
Viewers React to Tesla Driver’s Sneaky Charging Trick
In the comments section, viewers weighed in with their opinions on the idea of charging an electric vehicle in public and the TikToker’s decision to record what he saw.
“The owner gets a message that it was unplugged,” wrote one viewer. “They can simply walk back out and plug it back in.”
“People need to mind their own business,” said a second person. “For all we know, the EV owner had permission to plug in. Before my hotel had EV stations installed, we allowed EVs to plug into outlets.”
A third user wrote, “If that guy parked there and charged for two hours, that’d be like 25 cents.”
Another person wrote, “I do this all the time on vacation. A 40 mile bump overnight is worth it.”
Someone else said, “The cackle at the end tells us you were the one that unplugged it!
Is It Wrong to Charge EVs In Public?
On the Tesla Motorclub forum, a new EV owner asked whether it’s appropriate to use proper EV charging stations in parking garages. One user said, “There is no universal rule. It’s up to each property owner how to enforce their own parking.”
However, the user did note, “But if you’re not supporting their businesses, then I wouldn’t hog a spot to charge your car. That is meant to be a perk for their customers. I would especially not park overnight at a shopping center.”
In a Reddit post to r/electricvehicles, a driver said they use a 120-volt outlet at a parking garage where the management “doesn’t seem to care” about the charging activity. Other users said they agree with the “ask forgiveness before permission” rule of thumb regarding this issue.
All Hip Hop contacted @gauravguava11 via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
@gauravguava11 I drive an electric car too, but wow I never considered doing this😭 #ev #electriccar #newjersey #newyorkcity ♬ original sound – GauravGuava11