Drivers are being urged to check signage before they park or potentially face a hefty penalty, after two fuel-powered vehicles were caught stopped in electric-only spaces.
A Sydney electric vehicle owner blasted the drivers online when he spotted them parked in bays reserved for EV charging — an act that carries fines of up to $2,200.
At first glance, the signage could be mistaken as simply indicating four-hour parking.
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However, it states that the space is reserved only for electric vehicles while they are charging.
The term “ICEd” or “ICEing” is used to describe when a public charging point is taken up by a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, meaning an electric vehicle driver cannot use the charging space.
Electric vehicle driver Evan slammed the drivers as “two ICEholes” on X (formerly Twitter).
New legislation was introduced in NSW late last year to slug ICE drivers with fines of up to $2,200 for “ICEing”.
“A driver of a vehicle that is not an electric-powered vehicle must not stop in a parking area for electric-powered vehicles,” the NSW legislation states.
Electric vehicles also need to be plugged into the charging station to be immune from the penalties, as drivers will cop fines if they are simply parking in the spaces.
NSW Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward earlier said the government added the offence to “support the transition to electric vehicles on our roads”.
The ACT, Queensland and NSW introduced the steepest fines for blocking access to charging stations, with a maximum fine of 20 penalty units.
But due to different unit prices, drivers in the ACT could be fined up to $3,200, while in NSW it could cost $2,200 and in Queensland it could cost drivers $2,875.
Penalties are much lower in Victoria, where the fine for misusing an electric vehicle charging space is a friendlier two penalty units, or $369.
Australian Electric Vehicle Association national president Chris Jones previously said the penalties were necessary to educate the public and act as a deterrent.
– With AAP
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