A Tesla driver was left stunned after he was threatened with a hefty fine if he didn’t stop charging his car by running a cable from his property to the street.
John Slaytor received the letters from North Sydney Council after rangers noticed a cable running from the Waverton resident’s home to his electric vehicle.
The resident, who is one of many locals who received the letters, has no driveway and cannot park his car on his property.
Mr. Slaytor has a plastic cover over his charging cable when he unrolls it at 10 pm to help prevent the risk of pedestrians tripping over it, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Despite the resident’s security measure, the council’s letter said “the practice must cease immediately” and warned that if he was caught again he would be fined $330.
Slaytor, who spent $1,000 on his charging equipment, said he was “surprised.”
“I was amazed: we only charged at night and we lived on a very quiet street with hardly any foot traffic after 6 p.m.,” he said.
“Many homes in Sydney don’t have driveways and it’s a big problem for EV owners because there’s no other way to charge their cars from home.”
Sydney resident John Slaytor has no off-street parking at his residence and charges his electric vehicle late at night while running the cable down the footpath to his car (photo taken by North Council ranger Sydney from Mr. Slaytor’s cable that goes from his house to his car)
Many electric vehicle owners do not have a garage or area on their property to charge their vehicle. Mr Slaytor spent $1000 on his charging equipment and said his street rarely has pedestrians after 6pm (photo taken by North Sydney Council ranger of Mr Slaytor’s car)
The resident also questioned the council’s priorities, saying they seemed more concerned about being sued than the climate crisis.
The move follows other Sydney councils also taking the same approach to cables crossing public land, urging residents to use public electric vehicle charging stations.
A North Sydney Council spokeswoman said power lines along footpaths were a hazard.
“Electrical cables crossing pavements are illegal and we encourage residents who cannot charge electric vehicles on their own properties to use the charging facilities available in five council car parks,” he said.
Although he was urged to use public charging stations, Slaytor said it was cheaper at home, costing just 8 cents per kilowatt compared to 50 cents at charging points, and that it can take at least an hour with a public “fast” charger.
Melbourne residents were angered last year after a Tesla owner attempted to cover the charging cable with a “wooden step” (pictured), leaving many wondering how strollers and Wheelchairs circulated on the path.
An estimated 30 per cent of drivers in New South Wales do not have access to any private off-street parking to charge an electric vehicle, which has forced many people to charge on their street.
The use of power cables has been an ongoing problem in Australia and recently a Tesla driver in Melbourne sparked outrage for trying to cover it with a piece of wood.
The makeshift cover was slammed shut and many residents claimed it was a danger.
“Zero awareness about people with disabilities or mobility issues,” one person wrote on social media.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the NSW Government was investing more than $4 million in grants to increase more public curbside electric vehicle chargers at 391 sites across the state.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted North Sydney Council for comment.