Traditional gas car drivers that park in electric vehicle (EV) charging spots will now be held accountable, and even fined, for their actions in Australia.
On Sunday, CarExpert reported that gas cars parked in EV charging spots in Victoria could cause owners up to $330.44 in fines, a victory for EV owners down under. Similar rules have already been implemented in Colorado to prevent ICEing, or parking in an EV-dedicated spot with an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.
Non EVs blocking most spaces. Chargers unusable with app because WiFi doesn’t cover where the units are situated in the underground car park. The units also need to be physically numbered 1-4 so they’re identifiable to select the correct one to activate. Will try card next time.
— A T (@taggartandy) October 17, 2020
Despite the move towards normalizing and protecting the rights of EV owners, Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales have also been known for being some of the only regions worldwide to tax EV owners, with a two-part tax getting EV owners on distance traveled as well as extra registration costs. The taxes have been widely criticized for being counterintuitive in helping the world transition to zero and low-emission transportation.
Tony Weber, an automaker in Australia, even calls the taxes “beyond belief.”
Weber said, “We believe this charge will make South Australia the only jurisdiction in the world that actually opposes the uptake of low and zero emission vehicles.”
Despite this, it’s good to see other protections for EV owners taking place in this way, especially since the charging infrastructure in Australia is incredibly sparse.
