An exasperated witness in a mall parking lot snapped a photo of several large diesel trucks intentionally parking in the electric vehicle charging station spots. The photo sparked outrage on Reddit, where the user posted it with the sarcastic caption: "Ha Ha Let's park our diesels in the ev charging spots."
The picture was met with digital eye-rolling and frustration. "This is like the equivalent to going to a grocery store parking lot and pulling all the carts out … and spreading them around the lot behind and in front of parked cars," one person wrote.
"I'd immediately call a tow truck," another said.
Unfortunately, unprovoked acts of aggression towards electric vehicles have become somewhat common from certain vehicle owners, who view the adoption of EVs as an attack on their own diesel-burning cars and trucks.
People have been documented parking in EV spots like in this example, vandalizing EV charging stations or physically destroying them, and engaging in coal rolling. Coal rolling is a practice wherein diesel drivers intentionally blow a noxious cloud of smoke to communicate their disdain, typically aiming it at electric car owners (though sometimes they target cyclists, pedestrians, or, in one example, an entire restaurant).
Not only are these actions rude, but they're baffling, given the data on driving gas versus electric vehicles. While EVs tend to have a higher sticker price, owners save significantly on gas and maintenance in the long run, generally making EVs more affordable.
Electric vehicles also produce lower pollution than traditional gas-powered cars, making them more environmentally friendly. With transportation producing nearly 30% of harmful air pollution, many consumers will need to make the switch to help achieve the ambitious pollution goals that many countries have set for the coming decades. And part of encouraging people to make that switch begins with cultivating respect for EVs.
"I wonder when they'll pass a law like the handicapped spots. $250 fine for parking a non-EV car in charging stations," one commenter wrote.
While a very small number of countries and states do enforce fines, it's not yet a widespread practice — but EV drivers remain hopeful that this will improve.
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