The transition to new tech is never easy and one factor which acts as a deterrent to EV ownership is the lack of rapid charging points in public spaces. Last year the summer holidays and half term breaks saw long queues across the UK, as drivers struggled to find that essential 80% top up whilst ferrying kids to Center Parcs or Grandparents’ houses.
But is it illegal to overstay at a charging point, or just park there because the space is quite big?
The short answer is it’s often the case that charging points are often on private land, so it depends on the wording of the signage, because what you are doing is entering into a contract when you park. If it’s on street, then a traffic warden could fine you, since it’s exactly the same rules as petrol car parking restrictions – if the sign says no parking unless actually charging, then that’s the specified offence. If there’s just a sign saying “EV Parking”, without defining charging rules exactly, then game on, you might be OK. Same goes for time limits, if on-street parking is restricted to say 1 hour, that applies to EVs charging on the road as well – you don’t get an all-day pass.
PARKING RAGE & CONFUSED ACTIVISTS
People like to get furious about everything now, and thanks to social media they have a platform to dob people in for any perceived `crime’ they encounter. Jeremy Vine is making a second career from it. Last year one vigilante found an EV that had been on charge for 17 hours, technically not an offence – assuming that’s what the sign says; parking for EVs only whilst charging. The same report stated at Moto Services were using parking marshals to made sure the EV owners/leaseholders behaved themselves at the charge points.
According to the BBC targets on new charging points at motorway service areas have been missed, so expect more queue jumping and side-eye death stares if your EV needs juice and someone else has just hooked up with a smugface one minute ahead of you.
Meanwhile in Bristol, currently twinned with Rafah, activists are attacking the tyres on Tesla EV cars, as they think they are SUV “gas guzzlers.” Again the BBC report offers more background on this general anti-car rage, where the rare earth metals used in batteries are seen as an eco-crime, therefore EVs are “fair game.”
It’s another potential claims scenario for insurers to consider when pricing EV vehicles, maybe the quote pages need to ask whether the owner will be charging at home, or using public chargers? In theory this could reduce the risk of vandalism claims.
Graham Conway, Managing Director at Select Car Leasing, explains more on EV parking and charging.
“Planning ahead is essential. Because they take longer to re-fuel compared to petrol or diesel cars, EV drivers might want to use apps like Zapmap that show a station’s real-time availability. Seeing if there are open spots through these apps first could reduce waiting times to charge your vehicle. You’ll also be less likely to contribute to the traffic in an already congested station. But even with the best of planning, sometimes there’s no avoiding a queue.
“Unlike a typical petrol station, there’s no regulated queuing system for EV charging in place yet. In the meantime, drivers should try to be patient and polite, following a first-come-first-served basis.
“When a charging station is busy, drivers may want to consider charging their EV to just 80% instead of all the way. Charging is typically fastest for the first 80% and slows down considerably for the last 20% to preserve the vehicle’s long-term battery health.
“If you don’t have a suitable EV that supports rapid or ultra-rapid charging – such as a plug-in hybrid – try to avoid using those rapid charging bays, as it takes the device away from another vehicle that could use it more efficiently.
“Although there are more people who drive an EV now than ever before, there’s still quite a strong sense of community between those who own one. It’s worth maintaining this feeling of togetherness as they continue to become more widespread, but communication and common courtesy are vital to do so.
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