Petrol drivers have criticised a photo of an electric vehicle charging another EV after it was stranded on the road.
The image, posted to Reddit on Monday, shows two electric vehicles parked one behind the other on the side of a road in rural Australia.
A charging cable for each of the electric vehicles was connected by what appears to be an extension cord in the middle of the two vehicles.
“Today I learned that if your Build Your Dreams EV runs out of battery, you can recharge it with another one for a few hours on the side of the road,” the user wrote.
BYD Auto, less commonly known as Build Your Dreams, is one of China’s largest electric car producers and launched in Australia in late 2021.
The photo quickly sparked a debate among gasoline-powered vehicle drivers, with many saying it discouraged them from buying an electric car.
“Just keep a diesel generator in the trunk and you won’t need the other car,” one said.
“It’s like transferring petrol from one car to another,” commented a second.
The image, posted to Reddit on Monday, shows two electric vehicles parked back-to-back on the side of a road in rural Australia, connected by charging cables.
“That’s great, but also, and I’m not an electrician, this doesn’t look safe,” wrote a third.
“How convenient. It’s just a few hours wasted for you and one other person. Another reason to avoid EVs altogether,” shared a fourth user.
“Only buy an EV if you have a lot of free time,” another joked.
A fourth said: “I could have had the vehicle towed in half the time. I wouldn’t want to be without it on the way to work.”
Another said: “I’m not a security fanatic, but how about we put all the cables on the other side of the cars, away from the other cars?” one said.
A sixth added: ‘The rest of us just fill up at the gas station, including the donuts, and don’t run out of fuel, because there’s another gas station on the way.’
Despite criticism from many petrol car drivers, more and more Australians are opting for electric vehicles – 95,289 were sold in the year to 30 June 2024.
Electric vehicle maker Tesla has skyrocketed in popularity and topped the list of best-selling cars among motorists, followed by BYD.