'Rude' EV problem now making its way to Aussie regions

Australia's electric vehicle rollout is expanding. But EV owners have long been calling for more charging infrastructure to keep pace with the growth.

Joe Attanasio
·Senior Reporter
Updated ·3-min read
An EV charging from the street in Sawtell, which had a cord that ran across the paved footpath, over an adjacent lawn, all the way to the top story of a block of units in Sawtell. Source: ABC
A NSW man said he spotted an EV charging from the street, with a cord running across the footpath, over an adjacent lawn, all the way to the top storey of a block of units in Sawtell. Source: ABC

As electric vehicle drivers around the country become increasingly desperate to find adequate locations to charge their cars, more motorists are being dobbed in for their illegal tactics.

Australia's EV rollout is expanding, but charging infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with the growth in demand, forcing drivers into desperate acts just to juice up. Such was the case in Sawtell this week, on the NSW Mid North Coast, when an unorthodox charging set-up caught the eye of electrical engineer Keith Bensley.

He spotted an EV charging from the street, which had a cord running across the paved footpath, over an adjacent lawn, all the way to the top storey of a block of units. It's situations like these that are becoming more common in Australia, even in regional towns.

"It surprised me, it was a real trip hazard," Bensley told the ABC. "There was no attempt to put anything over the cable, and it had rained the night before, so it was nice and wet."

A person using a wooden plank to cover a cord charging their EV in Sydney
Some charging techniques have proved problematic, especially if you ask local councils. Source: Facebook

Bensley shared a photo of the arrangement on social media and people were, unsurprisingly, not impressed. Some argued the manoeuvre was not only a tripping hazard for able-bodied people, but could be seriously dangerous for those in wheelchairs or who require mobility aids.

"You see a lot of that in the city areas, where people are in high-density terrace houses. It's a bit of a surprise to see this turning up in Sawtell," he said. "If [water] had got in between the plug and the socket. It can actually burn and could start a fire if it was on dry grass. I guess the car owners were desperate."

According to the City of Coffs Harbour Council, the set-up is illegal as it obstructed a public footpath. "It is illegal for anyone to impede/obstruct a public footpath in City of Coffs Harbour without the appropriate permission in place," a spokesperson told Yahoo News.

People in regional areas make up 18 per cent of EV drivers nationwide, and it is no surprise to see people in the regions joining the army of Aussies calling for charging facilities to be seriously ramped up.

Yahoo News Australia reported earlier this week in Tasmania, 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.

An electric vehicle motorist is seen parked using a charger at one station, parking over another, and two separate motorcycle bays.
An electric vehicle motorist has been slammed for using a charger at one station, parking over another, and two separate motorcycle bays. Source: Facebook

Charging etiquette has 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.

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