Angry note on Tesla highlights ‘entitled’ electric vehicle problem

Whether you’re a fan or a foe of electric vehicles, charging an EV has become a contentious topic among Australians — as infrastructure struggles to keep up with demand for the increasingly popular car.

One frustrated EV owner has highlighted a common problem faced by those wishing to charge their cars — admitting he was forced to take drastic action to alert a Tesla driver of his EV blunder.

It appears the Tesla, parked in a charging station in a car park, has left his car unattended to charge — a move that goes against common EV etiquette. As a result, one EV owner has taken it upon himself to leave a note on the Tesla to inform the driver of his inappropriate move.

“If you not charging the car, don’t park here!!!” the note reads.

Sharing an image of the incident online, the motorist said there were plenty of spots to park the car elsewhere so that others could charge too.

“I don’t know what the owner [was] thinking,” he said. “I decided to leave a note in case he doesn’t know.”

One Aussie reacted by calling the driver “entitled”, while others thought the note didn’t go far enough. “I’d also write “because other people do want to charge here,” pointed out another EV owner.

What is good EV etiquette?

According to guidelines set out by NRMA, “camping” at a charging station, like this Tesla has allegedly done, is the number one no-no when it comes to owning an electric vehicle.

“At the top of any list of lapses in EV charging etiquette would have to be drivers who leave their EV unattended on charge for longer than they need to,” the NRMA website states.

“This is sometimes referred to as ‘camping’ and is a source of great frustration for other EV drivers waiting to use the charger.

Other best practices include:

• Look after the charger

• Don’t park non-electric vehicles at EV chargers

• Avoid being short-tempered or rude

• Be prepared to accept less than 100 per cent charge

It’s certainly not the first time these rules will be broken and it won’t be the last as Australians increasingly turn to electric vehicles.

Authorities and businesses struggle to keep up with EV boom

With currently only 3,000 public charging stations nationwide, equating to 7,000 individual plugs, the government is “working quickly to ramp up EV charging” as it incentivises carmakers to import cleaner cars.

“We’re working quickly to ramp up EV charging across Australia to ensure easier, cheaper holiday weekend driving,” Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen previously said.

Carola Jonas, CEO and Founder of Everty — a software platform for EV charging stations told Yahoo while “the government is already doing a fair bit” to help meet Aussie demand, financing and speed remain “critical areas of concern“.

EV owner and host of Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars, Trevor Long, agreed he’d like to see independent charging companies like Evie growing quicker than they are, previously telling Yahoo the huge investment needed was a significant roadblock.

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