Wednesday 15 March 2023

Aussies could be slapped with $3k fine for parking in EV spots

Australian drivers could be fined up to $3,200 (£1,760) for parking their cars in spots meant for electric vehicle (EV) charging.

The penalty has been upped to not only deter petrol and diesel drivers from leaving their cars in spots needed for EVs but to encourage them to stop driving internal combustion cars altogether.

That being said, Australia has stressed that EV drivers that also park in the spot and don’t charge their car will be slapped with a fine as well.

Fines vary depending on where the action takes place, with a $3,200 (£1,760) in the Australian Capital Territory and $369 (£202) in Victoria.

Lauding the decision, Chris Jones, National President of Australia’s EV Association, simply said: “No one would like it if I parked my vehicle in front of a fuel bowser and walked inside and ordered lunch.”

Policy Head for the EV Council, Jake Whitehead, added: “Every charger available is critical and valuable to the fleet of 80,000-odd EVs in the country and we need to make sure they’re not blocked, either intentionally or accidentally. There are genuine mistakes made by some people but we need to have a broad recognition across society that these chargers need to be available to EVs so we can have more on our roads.”

Growth of EVs has increased recently in Australia, with the EV Council reporting that electric cars accounted for almost 7% of all new sales last month.