A Tesla driver found it hard to snag a spot at a Supercharger site in New Mexico with nearly all the bays full. But the lack of availability wasn't because they were all taken by electric vehicles.
In a post to the r/TeslaModel3 community on Reddit, they shared a picture of charging areas at the Las Cruces parking lot taken up by cars powered by internal combustion engines.
These vehicles should not be parked in these areas as they do not need to access the charging infrastructure — and they block EV drivers from getting some extra juice as a result. There could be some explanations as to why this happened, though.
First, giving the ICE driver the benefit of the doubt, maybe they were in a rush and needed somewhere to park for a few minutes to run an errand. Perhaps the car park was full, and they had limited opportunities to go elsewhere. Or, maybe they didn't even notice this was a spot reserved for a particular type of vehicle.
However, there is also a chance this was done as a form of protest. Other EV drivers or irritated citizens have been uploading their own pictures of dirty-fuel-powered vehicles taking up EV-charging spots, a practice known as ICEing.
To prevent drivers of clean, electric vehicles from refueling, ICE drivers have been taking up one or multiple spots to annoy drivers who have decided to move on from gas- and diesel-powered cars.
Cars that produce much less planet-warming pollution compared to conventional vehicles are a benefit to everyone, though. Stopping the release of harmful toxins into the air, which remain in the atmosphere and encourage thermometers to creep upwards, will help to keep the overheating Earth cool.
In a state that experienced fires in June, per the Guardian, you'd think residents would welcome any attempt to reduce pollution. Extreme weather events are exacerbated by rising temperatures.
Thankfully, electric charging points are increasing in numbers, thanks to helpful government initiatives encouraged by the Inflation Reduction Act and businesses installing the infrastructure to encourage customers. But seeing spots taken up by vehicles that don't need them remains annoying.
Fellow Redditors shared their feelings of irritation at the situation.
"Call your local tow company," one suggested.
"Until cops ticket these guys for illegally parking, it won't change," said another. "Need mayors and governors to drive this."
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