Australian motorists have scorned a viral image of an electric vehicle hitting the curb while charging, highlighting yet another problem with the government’s plans to dramatically expand the country’s EV network.
The photo of a gray Tesla plugged into a BP Pulse charging station at an unknown location was shared in a Facebook group on Thursday with the caption: ‘I’m aware they don’t have a spare wheel, I wasn’t aware they don’t have reverse. ‘
It is clear that most of the car had climbed the front curb well beyond the boundaries of the bay.
Social media users were quick to criticize the position of the car and questioned why the driver did not reverse to make it easier for the charging cable to reach the socket.
The image shared on social media showed the Tesla well outside the boundaries of the bay, with most of the car climbing the front curb.
“Obviously I don’t have brakes either,” one wrote, suggesting the Tesla had accidentally rolled forward.
Others labeled the move ‘stupid’ and ‘idiotic’.
But it soon became clear why the Tesla crossed the boundaries of the parking lot when the original image, which had been cropped, resurfaced to reveal the Tesla was towing a trailer.
It highlights yet another glaring problem with the government’s plans to dramatically expand the country’s EV network by 2030.
Of the 3,000 electric vehicle charging points currently available nationwide, none are equipped for towing caravans.
Due to the current infrastructure, drivers often have to disconnect the trailer to effectively charge their vehicle, otherwise they risk blocking other vehicles.
Carola Jonas, CEO and founder of Everty, said charging station owners and operators should “pay close attention” to this.
“I think we need to look at this holistically,” she added.
As well as having a lot of catching up to do in terms of having enough charging stations, both roadside and in buildings, Jonas argued that ‘a balance’ needs to be struck with the types of charging spots available to drivers.
“If you look at the charging stations in Wilson or Secure car parks in the city’s CBDs, the parking spaces there are limited, but you wouldn’t use these with a trailer either,” she says told Yahoo News Australia.
The original image of the Tesla, which had been cropped, resurfaced to reveal the car towing a trailer – highlighting another problem: Australia’s EV charging stations are not equipped for cars that tow caravans
‘But if you look at highway charging or charging at more public, open locations, it would certainly be good if the charging networks implemented a mix. [of suitable bays].’
Some charging networks are currently installed in the ‘truck areas’ of some gas stations, so trucks and longer electric vehicles can still use them, Jonas continued.
‘So even if you come there with a normal passenger car, you can simply drive into the truck parking lot and use the charger. The other way around it would not have been possible.
“So there are solutions, but it’s really up to the infrastructure providers to make sure they have the right mix.”