Woman erupts over 'disgraceful' $1,153 act at EV charging station

There is a growing divide on Australian roads – with one motorist calling out a certain group of drivers for their perceived arrogance.

The Victorian woman has erupted over the one annoying act she and her partner frequently face when they simply need to charge their electric vehicle (EV), saying the disregard some Aussies have towards low-emission cars is "weird".

On Monday the woman's partner Wendy was searching for a public charging bay and headed towards Barrabool Hills Plaza in Geelong. She arrived with only six per cent left on her battery so was eager to find a spot to charge.

However three out of the four designated charging spots had a non-EV car parked in them — an act known as ICEing, in reference to internal combustion engine vehicles taking the designated spots, either due to absent mindedness or a misplaced sense of defiance.

"My partner had to wait about 20 minutes for someone to come back and when she complained to them that they were in an EV spot and she had been waiting quite some time, they said 'I didn't know'," the woman, who asked not to be named, told Yahoo News.

She said the couple deal with the issue frequently and called out the excuse of people who claim they don't know what the parking bays are for.

"[It's] highly unlikely given all the blue paint and clearly signed parking bays. Maybe they need glasses? They were not apologetic or sheepish at all... it's disgraceful," she said.

Charger shortage worsened by behaviour of non EV drivers

In the last few years EV sales have surged in Australia, with data from the Federal Energy Department showing two-thirds of the low-emission cars on Aussie roads have been purchased since 2022.

Charging infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the boom as charging bays sprout up in public places such as supermarkets and parks in an attempt to meet demand.

The EV owner in Geelong believes this issue is being compounded by non-EV owners' behaviour, saying the government's effort to produce more chargers is in vain if drivers continue to ice out EVs.

"There is all this talk about not enough chargers which is true [and] it's getting better but we can't even use the current infrastructure that's been provided," she complained. "People are getting so annoyed by EV's lately. It's a bit weird to be honest."

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Taking EV charging spots is a finable offence

ICEing is a finable offence in most Aussie states and Victoria was the first in the country to introduce fines in December, 2020. Offenders in Victoria can face a fine of up to $1,153 for parking in a public EV charging space, while those in the ACT face the most expensive fines of $3,200. The Geelong woman believes there is not enough being done to issue infringements and stop the behaviour.

"Fines are not being issued but should be. It's not good enough," she said.

Across the country EV owners are complaining about the ongoing issue of ICEing, with some forced to park at audacious angles to reach a charging cable, while others have resorted to leaving angry notes on non electric cars.

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