Woolworths shopper slams Tesla driver's 'selfish' car park act

As more and more electric vehicles (EV) sprout up on Aussie roads, motorists are competing to use the limited supply of public charging stations and patience is wearing thin when drivers appear to be taking more than their fair share.

This was the case on Tuesday after a Tesla driver was spotted in a charging bay in the Woolworths car park in Kirrawee, in Sydney's south, for over four hours. The driver allegedly sat in the car "watching movies" and appeared to be in no rush.

"If this is you, do the community a favour and slap yourself," a Woolies shopper wrote on social media. "Utter selfishness when the purpose is for free charging for those that shop at Woolworths."

EV drivers frowned on for long charging times at public bays

The amount of time it takes for an EV to reach full charge depends on the car itself, with some Teslas needing up to eight hours to 'fill the tank'. This often means cars require an overnight charge and most drivers do this by using their own charging station at home.

As public charging stations are installed for communal use in places such as supermarkets and petrol stations, etiquette deems it inconsiderate for drivers to spend hours in a single bay.

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The Kirrawee shopper claims a Tesla Supercharger, a charging station that charges at a faster speed, was available "literally across the road" which would have met the driver's needs in a more efficient and considerate approach.

Drivers often frustrated by EV charging methods

This isn't the first time an EV driver has frustrated another, with many choosing interesting ways to recharge their cars at public charging bays at the expense of others. This week a Tasmanian driver parked their car over one charging bay while using the charger that belonged to the bay beside it, with the move taking up both bays and leaving none for anyone else.

EV drivers have been mounting kerbs at petrol stations and parking at odd angles in shopping centre car parks to reach charging points despite it causing issues for other drivers.

There are approximately 198,000 EVs on Aussie roads, with two-thirds of these bought since 2022 and 87,000 of these bought in the last 12 months. As infrastructure is desperately being built to keep up with demand, it's projected that up to 85 per cent of vehicles on our roads will be EVs in the next 40 years.

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