A Lamborghini and a McLaren have been caught out “ICEing” a Tesla Supercharger station at Runaway Bay on the Gold Coast in Australia.
ICEing is the term used to describe when petrol or diesel cars bock access to EV charging stations. It is sometimes accidental, but it’s often done on purpose, a result of the EV versus petrol car culture wars that have been stoked by fossil fuel linked PR firms and media organisations.
The photos of the Supercars were shared on PlugShare by ‘Tessi”.
“Icing 2 of the Tesla bays both of them driving a McLaren and Lamborghini. Their excuse was that they thought the bays were shared. I call BS on that.” commented Tessi on PlugShare.
ICEing is incredibly frustrating for EV owners because it can often result in long delays. There are almost 100,000 electric vehicles now on Australian roads so charging stations are effectively critical infrastructure and it’s vital that this sort of behaviour is stamped out.
According to The Guardian blocking access to a charging station in Queensland carries a maximum fine of 20 penalty points which is $2,875.
With the price tag of the Lamborghini Aventador at $949,640, it’s unlikely the owner would be phased by the amount of the fine.
Maybe ICEing fines should be percentage of the offending vehicle price?
Daniel Bleakley is a clean technology researcher and advocate with a background in engineering and business. He has a strong interest in electric vehicles, renewable energy, manufacturing and public policy.