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Drivers of petrol and diesel cars could now be fined up to $2,200 under a new road rule all Australians need to know about
- Drivers fined for blocking electric vehicle charging bays
- Motorists could be fined $2,200
- New law ensures electric vehicle drivers can charge cars
Motorists in NSW could now be fined up to $2,200 for parking at electric vehicle charging stations under a new road rule.
Owners of gasoline, diesel and electric cars will be penalized for parking or blocking charging bays under the new law.
Drivers of non-electric cars have been fined $99 in Victoria and $55 in Queensland for parking in charging bays since November last year.
The maximum penalty for NSW drivers is 20 “penalty units” worth $110 each, which means the fine could be as high as $2,200.
Drivers will not receive any demerit points for breaking the new law.
Gasoline and diesel car owners can now be penalized for stopping or blocking charging areas indicated by traffic signs under the new law (file image)
New signage (pictured) labeling cargo bays must be displayed for laws to apply
The NSW Rules of the Road state: ‘A driver must not stop in a parking area designated for charging an electric car unless he is driving an electric vehicle.’
NSW, Victoria and Queensland are currently the only jurisdictions that penalize drivers who block EV charging stations.
New signage labeling loading bays must be displayed for the laws to apply.
A newly coined term ‘ICEing’ is when gasoline or diesel cars block electric charging stations, a growing problem for electric vehicle (EV) owners.
If a charging bay becomes blocked, EV drivers can be left with a dead battery for several days before they manage to secure a power source.
Electric vehicle owners have been advocating for laws that punish all types of drivers for parking or blocking charging stations for some time.
Over the Christmas holidays, Tesla drivers were forced to wait in 90-minute queues (pictured) at charging stations as thousands hit the roads.
It comes as EV drivers continue to struggle to find a place to charge their car.
Over the Christmas holidays, Tesla drivers were forced to wait in 90-minute queues at charging stations as thousands hit the roads.
Queues for charging stations were detected across the country, in Victoria and NSW.
The footage showed Tesla owners standing aimlessly around their cars as they waited for their turn at a Wodonga station on the New South Wales-Victoria border.
Similar scenes at a Coffs Harbor charging point in northern New South Wales, with Teslas spreading out across the parking lot as drivers waited their turn to charge.