Tesla now lets you drive away from a Supercharger still plugged in, but only in an emergency: 'Emergency Drive Away' damages both car and charger
The new feature in update 2026.38.3 lets you shift into Drive and leave a charger immediately, even with the plug still in the car. It works only at US Superchargers, and Tesla warns that using it causes damage and sends a camera recording to the company.
Until now, a Tesla plugged into a charger couldn't be shifted out of Park. Tesla is changing that with a new feature called Emergency Drive Away. It lets you shift into Drive and leave a Supercharger even with the plug still in the car.
The feature is meant strictly for dangerous situations, and Tesla is upfront about the cost: the cable breaks off, and both the car and the charger get damaged.
What Sawyer Merritt posted
Sawyer Merritt, a Tesla investor and one of the most-followed EV accounts on X, posted a few-second clip late on October 1 (US time). His main point: the feature is for emergencies only, because it causes damage.
He also quotes the warning the car shows: driving with the cable connected will damage the vehicle and the Supercharger, short camera recordings are shared with Tesla, and the feature should only be used in an emergency. In the clip, the Tesla pulls away, the cable handle rips off and liquid sprays from the broken end. Merritt says it's coolant from the Supercharger cable.
What I could verify
The feature is real and officially announced. The Tesla Charging account posted a 36-second video on X on October 1 showing how it works. Electrek, Drive Tesla Canada and Business Insider have also covered the launch. Tesla's video shows the on-screen prompt, which reads, in essence:
Cannot shift while connected to a Supercharger. Activate Emergency Drive Away to override. Driving with the cable connected will cause damage to your vehicle and the Supercharger. Use only in an emergency. Hold the brake pedal and tap Activate.
Merritt's clip appears to be the ending of that official video. The explanation that the liquid is coolant is Merritt's. Tesla doesn't say so in the material I've seen, but it's plausible, since high-power Supercharger handles use liquid-cooled cables.
| What we know | |
|---|---|
| Required update | 2026.38.3 |
| Where it works | US Superchargers only, "for now", according to Tesla |
| Compatible cars | All except Model S and Model X built before 2021 |
| New station hardware | Not needed. Tesla says it works at all US Superchargers |
| Cost | Free, over-the-air |
| What happens when used | The cable breaks off. Car and station are damaged |
| Camera recording | Sent to Tesla automatically, per Drive Tesla and the warning Merritt quotes |
| Misuse | Tesla warns deliberate misuse brings "additional penalties", without saying what they are |
How to activate it
According to Drive Tesla Canada, you plug in as usual. If you need to leave quickly, shift into Drive and an "Emergency Drive Away" message appears on the screen. Hold the brake, tap Activate and drive off.
Why now
Tesla didn't link the announcement to any incident. But Electrek, Drive Tesla and Business Insider note that the feature arrives two months after the August 1 shooting in Twin Falls, Idaho, near an In-N-Out restaurant and a Supercharger station. The attack left three people dead. According to Electrek, the gunman also fired at three people sitting in two charging Teslas, and one of them died.
After the attack, many owners asked for a way to leave a charger without getting out to unplug. Until now the only option was aftermarket: the EVject breakaway adapter. Tesla sued its maker in 2024 over alleged overheating risks. According to Drive Tesla, EVject later recalled its original connectors, and the current design has thermal protection.
Electrek gives Tesla credit for acting but calls the solution "crude". It would have preferred the car and the stall to cut power and release the plug automatically, so leaving wouldn't break anything.
What it means for drivers
- It's not available in Romania or the rest of Europe. Tesla says it applies only to US Superchargers "for now" and hasn't announced anything for other markets.
- It's not a convenience button. Using it breaks the cable and damages the car and the station. Tesla automatically gets a recording and threatens penalties for misuse.
- Normal unplugging stays the same: unlock the plug from the screen, the app or the button on the handle, then pull it out.
- The feature arrives in the same 2026.38 update family that also brings Supercharger site maps to older cars.
