The Tesla Model Y that ended up at the center of a small-town charging controversy in Ekalaka after its driver, Chad Lauterbach, plugged it unto an unattended utility outlet. The vehicle is pictured here outside town. (Photo courtesy Chad Lauterbach)
July 31, 2023
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August 2, 2023 midnight
What happened when a Tesla came to Ekalaka
An “unidentified electric vehicle” — actually a Tesla Model Y — accused of siphoning power from the local electric utility energized the gossip mill in the small eastern Montana town of Ekalaka last week, prompting front page newspaper coverage, a frantic apology and, in the end, much jawboning about the future of transportation in one of the most remote counties in the lower 48 states.