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From this week, drivers who park their vehicle in an electric vehicle charging bay – for any reason other than to charge an electric vehicle (EV) – could receive a fine of up to $111.
The new laws, which were introduced by the South Australian government and gazetted in November last year, state ‘A driver must not stop in a parking area for the charging of electric-powered vehicles unless:
a) the driver’s vehicle is an electric-powered vehicle; and
b) the electric-powered vehicle is plugged in to an external source of electricity.
Further, the rule applies to charging bays that are clearly sign posted as an electric vehicle charging bay, or carry a road marking which consists of an electric vehicle charging symbol.
RAA Charge Program Director Andrew Howard said the new rule would help free up EV charging bays and address confusion for some drivers.
“The majority of drivers now understand the importance of EV charging bays and do the right thing,” Mr Howard said.
“But we do see instances where a car is parked in an EV charging bay and is not plugged in and charging – and as a result, these bays appear to be available on charging apps.”
“You can imagine for person who has driven to a car park under the assumption that there is a free charger there, finding a car parked in the bay and not charging is frustrating and an inconvenience.
“This legislation is an important step forward as more South Australians choose to drive electric vehicles. We hope a uniform approach will help educate all drivers and act as a reminder to practice good parking etiquette, and that applies to EV drivers too,” he said.
While the new rule came into effect from 1 April, Mr Howard said it would take some time before Councils install the signage and start issuing fines.
“As the state’s largest EV charging network operator, we will be working with the government and Councils to ensure all of our public EV charging bays have the appropriate signage, in addition to our yellow EV charging bay road marking,” he said.
For more on the RAA Charge network visit raa.com.au/charge.