As the world shifts towards greener modes of transportation, electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular.

This surge in EV ownership is a positive step for the environment, but it's also leading to new challenges, particularly regarding the availability of charging stations.

At Orion Springfield Central in Ipswich, Queensland, a situation has sparked a heated discussion about EV charging etiquette.

A Tesla owner was spotted occupying two parking bays while hooked up to a charger, with another electric vehicle parked in the bay that the charger was supposed to serve.

The circumstances surrounding the Tesla's charging setup were unclear, but the images shared online by a fellow shopper led to a wave of criticism.

A Tesla was spotted hooked up to an EV charger while being parked over two parking bays at a shopping centre. Credit: Facebook

The shopper's post suggested frustration with the Tesla owner's actions, saying, ‘She had to charge... I hope someone parks next to her to block her in.’

This sentiment was echoed by other drivers who labelled the move as 'entitled' and 'annoying,' questioning why the Tesla owner hadn't simply reversed into a single bay to access the charger.

This incident is not an isolated one.

In November, another Tesla owner was criticised for attempting to hide a charging cable, sparking frustration online and revealing urban EV charging difficulties.

‘This is ridiculous. Why are electric car owners blocking the footpath to charge their private cars? This is silly,’ wrote a passerby online, sharing their frustration.

Last month, another Tesla owner was criticised for parking on the kerb to reach a charging station, later explaining that the charging cable was too short to accommodate the trailer they were towing.

In response to these issues, states across Australia have begun to implement fines for drivers who park in designated EV bays without using the charging equipment.

In Queensland, the penalties are particularly steep, with fines reaching up to $2,757—the highest in the country.

While there are currently no fines for removing a charger from an EV, such actions are generally considered poor form and are frowned upon by the community.

Key Takeaways

• An electric vehicle owner was criticised for parking a Tesla over two bays and using a charger in a shopping centre car park.
• It was unclear whether the Tesla owner had disconnected another vehicle or if the space was improperly used, but the act was deemed 'entitled'.
• Incidents of inconsiderate parking by EV owners have been on the rise, reflecting the challenge of finding available chargers.
• Queensland enforces heavy fines for drivers who park in EV bays without using the charging equipment, but there are no fines for unplugging a charger from a vehicle.

Have you encountered any issues with electric vehicle charging stations? Do you think more should be done to improve the infrastructure for EVs? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

 

[Jest]

what a selfish bitch/bastard.

 

[marni]

Now let’s see all the other cars that park badly. Obviously someone biased against EVs

 

[Jest]

You do not know if this is actually blocking anyone. Such comments are given by people who think they know the circumstances and show bias against EVs

MISS GOODY TWO SHOES. do you park this way? if someone blocked you in would you be so polite.? and of course i do not know, as i am not in the picture. duh! and yes I am against evs.

 

[marni]

MISS GOODY TWO SHOES. do you park this way? if someone blocked you in would you be so polite.? and of course i do not know, as i am not in the picture. duh! and yes I am against evs.

Obviously.

 

[Rob44]

Shocking; electrifyingingly so! It could lead to battery! That person is another bright spark!

 

[Veggiepatch]

It's times like this you need a house brick.

Tesla owners can rot in hell. Pretentious, self entitled male appendages!!

 

[MariaG]

It's times like this you need a house brick.

Tesla owners can rot in hell. Pretentious, self entitled male appendages!!

Whew. I'm glad mine is a Hybrid. No charger needed. Put away your car window, male appendage brick Veggiepatch....scary.
I wonder if people realise how much it costs to plug in and charge a full EV. Last quote given to me by an owner was $45 a charge with each charge being ordinary as far as km's go. A bit better range with top of the line Tesla, but OMG, they are super expensive. Kind of ironic considering the price of fuel vs range of km per tank, and, the fact that the charging units, in most cases, would be powered off the main grid. Environmental conundrum in action.

 

[Knell]

Looks to me that the other car is parked in the charging space so the black car would not have been able to make the charge lead reach if he were to reverse in. Whether this person took the charger from the other car - or the other car had not moved from the space once fully charged. Who knows, who cares!

 

[Luckyus]

Do the chargers blow up tyres?

 

[Rob44]

Whew. I'm glad mine is a Hybrid. No charger needed. Put away your car window, male appendage brick Veggiepatch....scary.
I wonder if people realise how much it costs to plug in and charge a full EV. Last quote given to me by an owner was $45 a charge with each charge being ordinary as far as km's go. A bit better range with top of the line Tesla, but OMG, they are super expensive. Kind of ironic considering the price of fuel vs range of km per tank, and, the fact that the charging units, in most cases, would be powered off the main grid. Environmental conundrum in action.

If one burns diesel/coal to generate electricity and then one runs a car on electricity from batteries, it is perhaps less efficient than simply using petrol to run the car as there is a conversion step involved from hydrocarbon fuel to electricity to batteries If one uses hydro power or wind or sunlight to generate the electricity that goes into charging one's batteries to run the car, then that's ok. No burning hydrocarbons to generate the electricity although making cement and steel to use in hydro-dams and turbines and mining and refining limestone, steel and copper and.........earwigoagen. The energy treadmill to nowhere. Catch a bus instead, or ride a bicycle.

 

[CliffE]

I found out that EV's DO have a dip stick, It is right in front of the wheel, steering that is.

 

[CliffE]

If one burns diesel/coal to generate electricity and then one runs a car on electricity from batteries, it is perhaps less efficient than simply using petrol to run the car as there is a conversion step involved from hydrocarbon fuel to electricity to batteries If one uses hydro power or wind or sunlight to generate the electricity that goes into charging one's batteries to run the car, then that's ok. No burning hydrocarbons to generate the electricity although making cement and steel to use in hydro-dams and turbines and mining and refining limestone, steel and copper and.........earwigoagen. The energy treadmill to nowhere. Catch a bus instead, or ride a bicycle.

Vehicle registration is based on the number of cylinders, as an EV does not have an infernal combusting engine their rego should ZERO dollars, n'est pas?

 

[JimmyFlatrock]

Visually, in most peoples eyes this is very poor form on the part of the Tesla driver. This driver must have taken a heck of a punt driving in to think the EV charging spot would be vacant, if he/she was so desperate for a charge to stuff up a spot for another person. Driving on the edge so to speak.

I guess, in what could be the ultimate move in this mind chess game of I want, I need, I take, I have, you don't, is to maybe park in the empty spot directly to the right of the Tesla. It would block the Tesla driver from moving if all other vehicles were still there on return. That could be viewed by the Tesla driver as a revenge move that may or may not be shared by all others given the 'blocking park' appears to be a legitimate spot for anyone to park and that it in no way interferes with anyone parked in an accepted fashion.

In EV's we have an admirable feature that adds zero tailpipe emissions during operation, meaning a significant reduction of local air pollution. EV's are more efficient that ICE vehicles due to the direct conversion of electricity to motion. When powered by renewable energy sources, EV's emit fewer greenhouse gasses over lifetime than ICE's.

However much needs to be done to avert the pollution cliff we are approaching as EV batteries reach end-life. Researchers are saying we will need to deal with 30,000 tonnes of old EV batteries by 2030 and 1.6 million tonnes by 2050. There are not many doing the research, apart from Envirostream, an Australian business, who is aiming to reuse around 90% of the batteries weight.

Given all of that, the only thing stopping me from getting an EV is the almighty $ in that the resale value doesn't look to good and the lack of noise, imo, can be a safety issue in some surroundings. Getting snuck up on.

 

[Rob44]

I found out that EV's DO have a dip stick, It is right in front of the wheel, steering that is.

Behind the wheel according to my geometry.........

 

[Veggiepatch]

Whew. I'm glad mine is a Hybrid. No charger needed. Put away your car window, male appendage brick Veggiepatch....scary.
I wonder if people realise how much it costs to plug in and charge a full EV. Last quote given to me by an owner was $45 a charge with each charge being ordinary as far as km's go. A bit better range with top of the line Tesla, but OMG, they are super expensive. Kind of ironic considering the price of fuel vs range of km per tank, and, the fact that the charging units, in most cases, would be powered off the main grid. Environmental conundrum in action.

False economy in a nutshell. Save the environment at the expense of your financial (and possibly psychological) wellbeing.

 

[Veggiepatch]

Do the chargers blow up tyres?

Nah....just adult sex dolls!

 

[Rob44]

Visually, in most peoples eyes this is very poor form on the part of the Tesla driver. This driver must have taken a heck of a punt driving in to think the EV charging spot would be vacant, if he/she was so desperate for a charge to stuff up a spot for another person. Driving on the edge so to speak.

I guess, in what could be the ultimate move in this mind chess game of I want, I need, I take, I have, you don't, is to maybe park in the empty spot directly to the right of the Tesla. It would block the Tesla driver from moving if all other vehicles were still there on return. That could be viewed by the Tesla driver as a revenge move that may or may not be shared by all others given the 'blocking park' appears to be a legitimate spot for anyone to park and that it in no way interferes with anyone parked in an accepted fashion.

In EV's we have an admirable feature that adds zero tailpipe emissions during operation, meaning a significant reduction of local air pollution. EV's are more efficient that ICE vehicles due to the direct conversion of electricity to motion. When powered by renewable energy sources, EV's emit fewer greenhouse gasses over lifetime than ICE's.

However much needs to be done to avert the pollution cliff we are approaching as EV batteries reach end-life. Researchers are saying we will need to deal with 30,000 tonnes of old EV batteries by 2030 and 1.6 million tonnes by 2050. There are not many doing the research, apart from Envirostream, an Australian business, who is aiming to reuse around 90% of the batteries weight.

Given all of that, the only thing stopping me from getting an EV is the almighty $ in that the resale value doesn't look to good and the lack of noise, imo, can be a safety issue in some surroundings. Getting snuck up on.

"EV's are more efficient that ICE vehicles due to the direct conversion of electricity to motion."

Indeed; the double-decker trolleybuses of Pomgolia were the only thing I couln't drag off up to about 20mph from the traffic lights when riding my 1960s racing bike to school. But if one has to get the electricity from a thermal power station to the assorted power lines to the plug in car park to the batteries........? Electric vehicles are better for efficiency if we have non-carbon based power sources, but electrically powered public transport for 60-70 commuters at a time is even more efficient. How odd that that was an acceptable way to go to work every day, once upon a time. Now it is all one-to-an-SUV and consequently between 8 and 9 am and between 4 and 6pm where I live it is one SUV away from total gridlock rather than the normal 7 minutes to town. That is stupid, electric cars or not.

 

[Rob44]

Vehicle registration is based on the number of cylinders, as an EV does not have an infernal combusting engine their rego should ZERO dollars, n'est pas?

Watt tax? How are we going to pay for 6- lane highways to sit still on in traffic jams if we don't tax electric cars?

 

[JimmyFlatrock]

Indeed; the double-decker trolleybuses of Pomgolia were the only thing I couln't drag off up to about 20mph from the traffic lights when riding my 1960s racing bike to school. But if one has to get the electricity from a thermal power station to the assorted power lines to the plug in car park to the batteries........? Electric vehicles are better for efficiency if we have non-carbon based power sources, but electrically powered public transport for 60-70 commuters at a time is even more efficient. How odd that that was an acceptable way to go to work every day, once upon a time. Now it is all one-to-an-SUV and consequently between 8 and 9 am and between 4 and 6pm where I live it is one SUV away from total gridlock rather than the normal 7 minutes to town. That is stupid, electric cars or not.

Now it is all one-to-an-SUV and consequently between 8 and 9 am and between 4 and 6pm where I live it is one SUV away from total gridlock rather than the normal 7 minutes to town. That is stupid, electric cars or not.

One of a few reasons I was encouraged enough to shift camp. It was a case of not wanting to join 'em, just beat the stupidity by moving away. Still a bit of silliness here, just nowhere near as much!