Video of long lineup for EV chargers shared out of context, doesn't show '8 hour wait'

A long line of unsold 2020 models charge outside a Tesla dealership in Littleton, Colo., on Aug. 23, 2020. A video from 2019 was recently reshared on social media along with an unfounded claim it shows EV drivers waiting in line eight hours to charge their cars. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, David Zalubowski

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Earlier this month, the federal government said it intends to bring back consumer rebates for electric vehicles as a way to support its target of 100 per cent zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. In an apparent response to this move, some social media users posted a video showing a long line of Tesla electric cars in an "8 hour wait" for a bank of chargers in California. This video has been taken out of context. The video was recorded on Thanksgiving Day in 2019, and there's no evidence those drivers would have waited eight hours for a charger.Ìý

THE CLAIM

"In 10 years, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøs will be huddled in their EVs at -40°C, waiting 24 hours to charge…" read a last week on X, formerly Twitter.Ìý

The post included a video of around 15 Tesla cars lined up for a bank of Tesla chargers, in what the X user said was an "8 hour wait to charge EV in California."

The post received more than 450,000 views and 7,000 likes as of publication, and the video and claim about the lengthy wait was repeated on .

RATING: Missing context

A keyword search found that the video was originally posted to on Nov. 30, 2019 by a user who said it was filmed on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 2019, at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, Calif.Ìý

Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel in the United States, the ²õ²¹²â²õ.Ìý

The Madonna Inn, a kitschy, themed hotel about 300 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles, is a frequent hub for , and opened its bank of Tesla superchargers in .Ìý

In the video, there are 14 chargers in use, although Tesla's now shows the location as having 18 superchargers available.Ìý

While Tesla owners typically have chargers installed at their homes, those may take eight to 12 hours to complete a full charge. Public fast-charging stations, just like gas stations, are found near highways and major roads and deliver power faster.

While charging speed varied in 2019 depending on the car model, for a 150 kilowatt V2 supercharger, a from EV industry news site Inside EVs showed it could complete a full charge, from empty, for a Model 3 vehicle in one hour and 10 minutes.  

Notably, for V2 superchargers, power is split between two chargers, so the speed could drop if there is another driver charging in the next stall.

Tesla recommends their vehicles be at roadside locations, which takes on a V2 supercharger.Ìý

With 14 chargers available and 15 cars waiting in line, it would likely have taken little more than an hour for those waiting to connect to a charger.Ìý

EV charging infrastructure has improved since 2019, with faster chargers and more sites for drivers to take a pit stop.

Today, there are Tesla supercharger locations in the immediate area of California where that video was taken, and more than 2,600 locations with more than 32,200 stalls total in the United States, according to EV tracker site .

CANADA'S EV MARKET

Canada's EV mandate, announced in 2023, calls for all new light-duty passenger vehicles sold to be zero-emissions by 2035. Plug-in hybrid vehicles and used gas-powered vehicles will still be allowed for sale after 2035.Ìý

There are 6,833 EV fast-charging ports at 2,386 locations in the country, according to .Ìý

However, a of 16,041 electric vehicle owners done by the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Automobile Association (CAA) found only 31 per cent of EV drivers were completely satisfied with the availability of public fast-charging stations, and 67 per cent said lower battery range in extreme cold weather was a problem.

CAA found that EVs drove than their official range during a winter EV test drive published in February.Ìý

When it came to charging speeds in the cold, CAA found that on average, the EVs tested added about 100 kilometres of range after 15 minutes connected to a fast charger, which amounted to 28 per cent of battery charge.Ìý

For comparison, its superchargers can add up to 322 kilometres of range in 15 minutes.

While it's unlikely to take a full day to charge an EV with a fast charger – even in the dead of winter – drivers in Canada can expect a longer wait on cold days to charge their vehicles.Ìý

SOURCES

Claim posted June 18, 2025 (, ) and June 19, 2025 ()

Nick Murray. Environment minister says consumer rebates for EVs will return. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø website. June 17, 2025 ()

Tesla Energy Crisis. StevenMConroy, on . Nov. 30, 2019 ()

Aixa Diaz. Nearly 80 Million Americans Expected to Travel over Thanksgiving. American Auto Association . Nov. 18, 2024 ()

Tesla Takeover 2023. Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley . Accessed June 20, 2025 ()

Supercharging the Old 76 Station. Madonna Inn . Dec. 11, 2019 ()

Tesla supercharger location information for San Luis Obispo, CA - Madonna Road. Tesla . Accessed June 20, 2025 ()

Tom Moloughney. Tesla Supercharger Showdown: Is V3 Really Much Faster Than V2? Inside EVs . June 25, 2021 ()Ìý

Supercharger Support. Tesla . Accessed June 20, 2025 ()

Renee Valdes. How Long Does It Take to Charge a Tesla? Kelley Blue Book . Feb. 14, 2025 ()

Tesla supercharger location map. Tesla . Accessed June 20, 2025 ()

Charts. . Accessed June 20, 2025 ()

Zero-emission vehicle charging stations. Transport Canada . Accessed June 20, 2025 ()

What do ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø EV drivers think. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Automobile Association . Accessed June 20, 2025 ()

Jessica Campbell. CAA conducts first large-scale winter EV test drive to evaluate cold-weather performance. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Automobile Association . Feb. 12, 2025 ()

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