Tesla has introduced a feature called Emergency Drive Away that allows drivers to shift into Drive and leave while still plugged into a Supercharger. Previously, the car would not shift out of Park with the cable attached, forcing drivers to release the latch manually. The company says the feature is for emergencies only and warns that using it will damage the vehicle and the charger.
The update arrives two months after a gunman shot three people in Teslas at a Supercharger station in Twin Falls, Idaho, killing one. Tesla did not mention the shooting in its announcement, but the timing follows public calls from owners for a way to escape a stall quickly. The feature requires software update 2026.38.3 and works at all US Superchargers, but not on Model S and Model X vehicles built before 2021.
Electrek notes that the fix is cruder than hoped: rather than having the car and stall cut power and release the latch cleanly, Tesla simply removed a software lockout and warns of damage. The publication also questions the US-only restriction, saying there is no hardware reason to stop at the border, but acknowledges that the need is particularly American.