Tesla's Emergency Drive Away comes with a damage warning
Tesla says pulling away while still plugged in damages the car and the charger, and charger repairs can cost up to US$25,000.
Daniel Lu / Wikimedia Emergency Drive Away lets drivers shift into Drive while plugged into a Supercharger, but Tesla Charging warns it damages the car and the charger. It works only at US Superchargers for now, with software 2026.38.3 or later, and not on pre-2021 Model S or X.
What it costs
Tesla calls the feature "Intended for emergency use only", and says deliberate misuse "will invoke additional penalties", without spelling them out.
Electrical and civil repairs to a Supercharger can cost up to US$25,000, depending on the site. A service visit for the car's charge port is mandatory.
Tesla's release notes for 2026.38.3, on Teslascope, add that the driver "may be responsible for repair costs". Short recordings from the car's cameras are shared with Tesla when the feature is used.
Emergency Drive Away is not in the 2026.38.5.6 build on AU/NZ cars, going by its release notes on Teslascope.
Rod Bland is the publisher and editor of Volts & Bots. He lives in Sydney and drives a Model Y L bought in Australia in 2026, with HW4 and FSD (Supervised). More about Rod Bland.