It isn't just annoying when gas-powered cars park in designated electric vehicle spots — depending on where you live, it may even be illegal.
In the r/TeslaLounge community, a Redditor shared a photo of an AT&T parking lot in which gas-powered vehicles were taking up spots intended for EVs. "Tesla Chargers in Georgia," they wrote.
Not only is this an inconvenience for EV drivers who need a charge, but it's illegal in some states, too. This can result in you getting your car towed or leave you with a several-hundred-dollar fine.
Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for EV drivers to find their charging spots occupied by vehicles that shouldn't be there. Some gas-powered drivers do it out of convenience. For example, some charging spots are closer to stores, or other spots may not be available.
Some seemingly do it out of defiance — like this driver, who decided to take up not one, but two designated EV spots. Others even take their frustration out on the chargers themselves, damaging them or stripping them of their valuable copper wire.
Despite this, electric vehicles are growing more popular as increasingly affordable options make their way to market — with affordability boosted by discounts and tax credits available as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.
They are also much cheaper to operate and maintain than their gas-powered counterparts. Not to mention they don't spew toxic pollution from their tailpipes when driven, which is why some states, like California, are working to phase out the sale of new gas-powered vehicles. According to the International Energy Agency, across the globe, "Nearly one in five cars sold in 2023 was electric."
Commenters of the original post were frustrated but recommended a path to swift justice.
"Obviously this is bad, and the only real solution here is to call the cops and hope they start towing people," one user said.
🗣️ When you think about owning an EV, what concerns you most about public charging stations?
🔘 Chargers not working 🚫
🔘 Chargers not being available 😥
🔘 Charging being too expensive 💰
🔘 Charging taking too long ⌚
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Another Redditor directly recommended that the OP "Call the cops."
One thing we don't know from the post, though, is whether the parking in the area is ample enough for the businesses nearby. If a parking lot only has 50 spots and 10 of them are for EVs, it becomes hard to blame anyone driving a gas-powered car for using one of the EV parking spaces once the other 40 spots are taken. So part of the evolution in this area must also be for businesses to deploy their EV charging spots in sensible locations, with enough total parking to meet demand.
Long term, one can imagine a future in which a higher ratio of spaces in a parking lot each have an EV charger available and any restriction on who can park where is lifted. But for now, it remains a courtesy, and sometimes the law, to avoid taking up a parking space for an EV charger if you're not going to use it, similar to not parking in front of a gas station pump without planning to use it.
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