Electric car owner gets a HUGE fine for stealing power after plugging into a council electricity box in the bush
- A Western Australian man was fined $500 for stealing electricity
- WA Police shamed the man on social media
- However, the existing infrastructure for EVs is questionable
A man has been fined by the police after using a municipality’s power box to charge his electric car.
The car was spotted around noon on Sunday at the council in Mt Barker, 363km southeast of Perth.
Police then charged the 78-year-old Cranbrook man with stealing the electricity and fined him $500.
It is illegal in WA to charge an electric car in public anywhere except at an authorized service point.
A WA man was fined by police after using a council electrical box to charge his electric car
It is illegal in WA to charge an electric car in public anywhere except at an authorized service point
Mt Barker police used their Twitter account on Tuesday evening to set an example for the man.
‘Clarify. If you want to charge your e-vehicle, DO NOT steal the electricity to do so,” they posted, along with a photo of the man’s car plugged into the power box.
“The police will prosecute in ANY case. This charging cost the vehicle owner a $500 theft fine from the Shire. To be better.’
The Electric Vehicle Council’s Australian EV Charger Map on their website shows a Shire of Plantagenet charging station in Mt Barker, another in Cranbrook and two more in Kendenup, which lies between the two towns.
The Twitter post was shared by WA Police Force’s main Facebook account, with comments supporting both sides.
According to The Electric Vehicle Council’s Australian EV Charger Map, there were many options for the thief in the area (pictured)
Some said the incident showed why EVs were not viable in regional areas, while others said it showed more charging stations needed to be installed nationwide.
Others around the country have questioned the existing infrastructure supporting EVs, including 2GB’s Ben Fordham who took to Facebook to share his thoughts.
The radio host compared wires scattered across Sydney’s Millers Point to a ‘plate of spaghetti’ and argued that makeshift setups are an ‘accident waiting to happen’.
In New South Whales, EV owners can charge their cars at stations, at work or at home – with the latter option leading to dangerous entanglements on busy streets.
A makeshift charging setup involved a yellow extension cord hanging from an upstairs balcony, then looped around the branch of a tree and plugged into a power board.
Another dodgy setup was with a long power cord in Manly, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
The cable snaked over the front fence and twisted off the road and up a driveway to a nearby house.
Fordham said the “bizarre” scenes will become even more common when there are millions of electric cars on the road.
In Manly, Sydney cables were spotted snaking over a fence and winding up a driveway to a nearby house
Another makeshift Sydney setup involved a yellow extension cable hanging from an upstairs balcony, then looped around the branch of a tree and plugged into a power board