Drivers Fined at Public Charge Points Despite Woeful Lack of Devices

Drivers of electric vehicles are being warned they risk being fined for overstaying at public charge points as councils begin to crack down on motorists.

 EV experts at LeaseElectricCar.co.uk warn electric car owners to keep an eye on the time spent at a charging bay or risk receiving a fine for overstaying their welcome.

The overstaying fee has recently been introduced in several cities, including Glasgow and Sheffield, which have issued fines of £30 and £20, respectively.

It is expected that other local authorities up and down the country could soon implement fines for drivers that charge too long.

Overstaying charges have been introduced in response to the rise in EV ownership, outpacing the implementation of a suitable charging network.

Too many electric vehicles and too few charge points have led councils to turn their attention to motorists that stay in public charging spaces for extended periods, preventing other drivers from being able to charge up.

However, fines for charging over the allotted time are not new – Tesla charge points currently hand out 50p per minute fines, increasing to £1 each minute if all other devices are in use.

But now, with the expanding introduction of overstaying fees, experts are warning EV owners to be vigilant when charging their cars at public charge points or else risk being fined.

Even though the overstaying fee has not yet been rolled out nationwide, Tim Alcock from LeaseElectricCar.co.uk wants to warn drivers to be aware that fines could soon be introduced in their local area.

He said: “I sympathise with those local authorities who feel the only way to tackle the overcharging issue is to hand out fines to electric vehicle owners.

“Despite EV owners initially being praised for switching to electric, they are now being punished.

“The government needs to gear up on their promise to install 300,000 new public charge points up and down the country by 2030. Reports show that the UK is not currently on track to achieve that.

“I’m urging the Department for Transport to focus on installing more rapid charging devices for public use so local authorities do not need to introduce hefty fines for those currently using the limited number of charge points available.

“The government is set to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, encouraging more motorists to switch to electric.

“And with more and more EVs driving along UK roads, the infrastructure for electric cars needs to be improved rapidly.

“More public charge points need to be installed up and down the country to make driving an EV easier and motivate more motorists to swap out petrol and diesel, as the government has encouraged.

“Tackling the issue of the lack of public use rapid charge points is the right way forward, rather than forcing local authorities to start introducing fines for drivers just to free up spaces for others.”

For more information on how to avoid hefty fines as an electric vehicle owner, head over to https://leaseelectriccar.co.uk/.

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