EV driver's 'unbelievable' move at charging bay mocked by frustrated Aussies

An Australian electric vehicle driver has been blasted for the "unbelievable" way they parked their car at a charging station, with some lost for words over the motorist's "inconsiderate" move.

Across the country, a shortage of charger stations has been a concern for many, with EV drivers urging road authorities to urgently install more of the bays to catch up to the soaring rate of electric vehicle uptake among environmentally-conscious Aussies.

Though the government has pledged to do just that, it's not uncommon for queues to form as motorists desperately wait for a spot to charge, making it all the more annoying when a person decides to not only hog one bay, but a second as well.

Aussies regularly frustrated by charging manoeuvres

Such was the case in Tasmania this week, where an unhappy local snapped a BYD driver parked horizontally across two separate charging spaces in Howrah, Hobart, restricting access to anybody else hoping to nab a spot — and spilling over into two nearby motorbike bays.

"Congratulations to this person yesterday who managed to connect to the charger on the right, while parking sideways across the charging bay on the left, AND a couple of bonus motorbike parking bays," a frustrated man wrote online after witnessing the scene.

Unsurprisingly, the photo prompted an outpouring of frustration from both EV drivers and from Australians who used the image to cement their distaste of the "electric vehicle community in general".

"They should put cameras on the charger and if they park like this it starts to drain the battery instead of charging it," one man suggested. "Give me a crack at parking, I'd do better — even with my cane," a woman wrote.

"I officially give up trying to defend the EV community," somebody else said. "I honestly have no words," wrote a fourth. One other person said the act was in stark contrast to the unspoken rules of Australia's "charging etiquette".

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EV 'etiquette' a heated topic of debate

It's this etiquette that's been the topic of heated debate in recent times, with EV drivers frequently photographed taking unique — and sometimes unsafe — avenues just to get their cars to charge.

We have in recent times seen drivers park over footpaths, mount kerbs at petrol stations and try to squeeze into spots that simply don't exist.

Electric vehicles here to stay

Experts say EVs are certainly the way of the future, telling Aussies that they can expect to see more of them on our roads with each passing day.

"People who drive electric vehicles, most of them say 'there is no going back' because it's so different, in a good way. Particularly when it comes to the technology inside and the energy management systems," EV expert Professor Hussein Dia told Yahoo News last month.

"Earlier this year, the government passed the new vehicle emission standards, and there's going to be penalties put on companies that sell a lot of polluting vehicles," he said.

"So that's also going to entice even European manufacturers, because at the moment, they're not interested in the Australian market because we don't have an emission standard implemented. Other markets do and if they sell polluting vehicles in those markets, they get penalised."

According to a recent report by Deloitte and the Motor Trades Association of Australia, it's been projected that up to 85 per cent of vehicles on our roads will be EVs within the next 40 years. The demand for skilled professionals to repair these vehicles is also increasing, as one small business mechanic earlier explained to Yahoo.

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