A Tesla driver was hit after parking in two parking spaces out of apparent desperation to charge his car.
The electric vehicle (EV) was spotted by another shopper at Orion Springfield Central in Ipswich, central Queensland, on Monday.
The car was parked next to the loading bay, which had already been occupied by another vehicle.
It is not known if the Tesla driver disconnected the other car’s charger or if the vehicle parked in the parking lot was not using the charger.
A Tesla driver has been hit after parking in two parking spaces to charge his car.
It’s unclear if the Tesla owner unhooked the car’s charger or if the other car had parked in the EV bay without using the charger.
Still, buyers were unimpressed by the parking law, criticizing the Tesla driver for taking up an unnecessary amount of extra space.
Photos circulating on Facebook showed the Tesla parked in two places and connected to the charger, while another electric vehicle occupied the space where the charger belonged.
“Had to charge… I hope someone parks next to it to block it,” one shopper captioned the photos.
Social media users questioned why the driver had not reversed into a parking space to reach the charger, calling the move “rightist” and “annoying.”
This incident is one of many that have brought criticism to Tesla owners in recent times.
Another Ipswich driver was criticized for stepping onto the curb to recharge last month because the charger was too short. yahoo reported.
As the hype around electric vehicles reaches new heights in Australia, more and more drivers are frustrated by insufficient electric vehicle infrastructure.
A video shared on TikTok showed at least 10 electric vehicles lined up waiting to use public charging stations in South Australia over the Easter weekend.
For a Tesla Model 3 sedan, it takes at least 20 minutes to fully charge at a Supercharger station, meaning some owners could have waited hours before being able to hit the road again.
There are around 198,000 electric vehicles on Australian roads, but there are currently only 3,000 public charging stations nationwide.
The government says it is working quickly to increase the availability of fast chargers, with the number of sites expected to double this year.
A report by consultancy Next System also found that although Tesla dominated electric vehicle sales, it was Chargefox that provided the largest proportion of charging sites.
The findings came after record sales of electric vehicles and despite concerns from some potential buyers that Australia’s charging network was not large enough to support the technology.
Another Ipswich driver was criticized for stepping onto the curb last month to charge because the charger did not extend far enough to account for the trailer being towed behind the car.
At least 10 electric vehicles could be seen lined up in the rural town of Keith, South Australia, with drivers waiting to use public charging stations.
The Public Fast Charger Network Report found that a further 397 car charging sites and 755 new charging points had been built in Australia during 2023, but predicted that number would increase significantly in 2024.
Next System founder Daniel Bleakley said analysis showed charging stations were already planned for a further 470 locations across Australia and a total of 900 new charging sites could be expected during the year.
Electric vehicles are a crucial part of the government’s strategy to reduce emissions from new vehicles by 61 percent by 2030.
The New South Wales government is investing almost $500 million in tax cuts and incentives to boost adoption and reduce barriers to purchasing electric vehicles over the next four years.
States across the country have implemented fines if drivers of any vehicle park in areas designated for electric vehicles without using the equipment.
In Queensland, drivers who block chargers can face hefty fines of up to $2,757, while drivers in New South Wales can be forced to pay up to $2,200.
There are currently no fines for removing a charger from an electric vehicle, but it is considered anti-social.