Australian EV drivers are increasingly frustrated with fellow EV drivers hogging charging zones for long periods of time.
An electric vehicle owner raised the issue last week, reporting a BYD driver who left his car charging for more than seven hours at Stocklands Harrisdale in Perth.
“Do BYDs take that long to charge? Almost seven hours, according to the Chargefox app,” he wrote on Facebook.
Some social media users expressed frustration at the “selfish” parking behaviour, while others pointed out that “BYD models take almost 10 hours to fully charge”.
Others reminded EV owners that public charging ports should be shared.
A Western Australian electric vehicle owner has complained that a BYD driver hogged a free charger at Stocklands Harrisdale, south-east of Perth, over the weekend.
More Australians are opting for electric vehicles – 95,289 were sold in the year to 30 June 2024.
As the lack of adequate infrastructure continues to plague the country, the availability of public charging stations remains one of the biggest concerns for motorists.
It is not uncommon to see long queues at free chargers in car parks, hotels, restaurants and shopping centres, but they are generally slower than paid charging stations.
Gordon Walker, an electric motorcycle rider from Queensland, said occupying charging stations for longer than necessary was simply “arrogant”.
“I’ve seen it so many times where they’re plugged in, they’re at 100 percent and they don’t come back on until an hour and a half later,” he said. Yahoo.
‘They treat it like free parking and that’s annoying.
‘I load my bike and as soon as it’s loaded I move it.’
Another EV driver shared his experience on Reddit, saying he had previously left a note on a vehicle that was regularly plugged in for nine hours.
“I get it, sometimes you might be an hour late getting to the car… maybe you can’t always charge it at home, that’s okay too,” they wrote.
There are currently no laws preventing drivers from using a public EV charger for extended periods, but drivers are urged to be polite and considerate.
‘But public chargers are not yours, don’t leave your car there overnight or you’ll almost double your car’s charging time.’
There are currently no laws preventing drivers from using a public EV charger for extended periods, but drivers are urged to be polite and considerate.
“Unless absolutely necessary, it’s best not to charge to 100 percent,” he said. NRMA said about the electric vehicle charging label in April.
‘Topping any list of EV charging etiquette mistakes are drivers who leave their EV charging unattended for longer than necessary.
This is sometimes referred to as “camping” and is a source of great frustration for other EV drivers hoping to use the charger.
