An electric car spent the night at a popular beach after its red-faced owner underestimated the extra weight it was carrying.
The BYD Seal EV got stuck on Perth’s City Beach in Perth Saturday after hitting the sand for beautiful sunset photos.
Two electric vehicles were initially driven onto the sand, but only one was able to leave without assistance as passersby began taking photos of a group of five men trying to figure out how to free the BYD.
They were no closer to removing the vehicle on Sunday morning.
Lifeguards and a council ranger tried to maneuver the electric car out before nearby swimmer John Phillips offered to tow it out with his 4WD.
A BYD Seal EV was stuck at City Beach in Perth overnight on Saturday after driving onto the sand for a beautiful sunset photo
‘I got out of the water and took a shower and it was still there. “I was about to get coffee and the tow truck driver pulled up, so I thought I’d just wait and see what happens,” he said. told Yahoo News.
“It turned out they didn’t have the right equipment, so I offered to help with my vehicle.”
The BYD’s grateful owners offered to buy Mr. Phillips a cup of coffee for his help and thanked him profusely, he said.
Photos of the stuck vehicle were posted online and quickly went viral.
“Recovery is not going well in City Beach and as a few drops of rain have fallen, every recovery vehicle in the city will be occupied,” The Bell Tower Times wrote alongside the images on Facebook.
Some believed that the EV’s heavier construction was the cause.
“Some of the equipment, but still no idea,” one man commented.
One woman added: “Why, oh why are they trying to drive their car on the beach?”
A Surf Live Saving vehicle failed to tow the heavy EV out before a 4WD came to the rescue on Sunday
Peter Fullarton, from 4WD Recovery and Charters, said the number of incidents of cars stranded on WA beaches was increasing.
He blamed ‘inexperienced’ drivers who overestimate their car’s ability to handle the difficult terrain.
BYD electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular in Australia and recently overtook Tesla in global sales.
The Chinese carmaker hopes to be Australia’s largest car seller by 2030.