Porsche driver under fire for infuriating act at a Bellevue Hill Sydney electric vehicle charging station

A Porsche driver has outraged electric vehicle owners after parking their car in a designated charging station – not once but twice. 

Residents in Bellevue Hill, an affluent harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, spotted the luxury German car parked in an EV charging spot on Birriga Road over the weekend. 

One enraged local took matters into their own hands and vandalised the vehicle by scrawling a message in red ink on the driver’s side window. 

The local accused the driver of being a repeat offender writing: ‘This is the second time you are parking in this spot.’ 

The Porsche driver was also hit with a fine of $129 from a Waverly Council parking officer on Monday.

Squabbles between EV owners and drivers of cars with internal combustion engines over designated parking spaces are becoming more common across the country’s major cities.

Despite being declared Australia’s most expensive suburb in 2023 – with a median house price of $9.73million – Bellevue Hill only has three public charging ports available for residents. 

The street where the fine was issued is also dominated by one and two-bedroom apartments – which means most properties do not have access to a parking spot or a charging station. 

The two available EV-only spaces on Birriga Road are therefore prime real estate for EV drivers and petrol car owners alike.

Public EV charging ports and parking spots can now be spotted in shopping centre car parks and on neighbourhood streets. 

However, the number of designated EV spots are limited in comparison with the uptake of electric and hybrid cars. 

In the 12 months to January, more than 87,200 EVs were sold, while more than 35,000 hybrid cars were bought during the first three months of 2024, according to the Australian Automotive Association Index. 

Meanwhile, only 3,000 public charging stations are available nationwide. NSW’s transport authority estimates the state is home to about 2,100 charging stations. 

The availability of public charging stations is one of the biggest concerns for motorists who are thinking about buying an EV. 

It cones as the Albanese government is pushing its plan for zero-emission roads by 2035. 

The plan, which comes into effect on January 1 next year, aims to cut average passenger vehicle carbon emissions for all new vehicles by 59 per cent by 2029. 

The New Vehicle Efficiency Standard would require car manufacturers to sell fuel efficient vehicles, including EVs, that comply with the greener standard. 

Under the government’s 2023 Intergenerational Report (IGR), EVs will represent 85 per cent of cars on the road in 40 years. 

It adds that under an ‘accelerated scenario’, electric vehicles would reach 99 per cent of the country’s fleet by 2045. 

The IGR’s projections are based on current legislated domestic policies and international climate action.