Electric vehicles have been found to be better for our planet, but we can only reap the benefits if the vehicles can be charged.
One driver, who owns a Tesla Model Y Performance, recently took to Reddit to share their frustration after being unable to charge their vehicle. What stopped them? A gas-guzzling pickup truck.
"Pulled in to charge this morning and two trucks with GA plates are parked in charging [places]," the EV owner wrote in a post to r/TeslaModelY. "We've had our MYP for four years and have never seen this before."
The driver went on to ask if the owners of the large trucks would face any repercussions for blocking necessary access to the electric charging spots.
"So… what's the deal? Will Wawa have them towed?" they said.
Driving EVs is just one way we can protect our planet. These cars emit far less air-warming pollution compared to those that rely on the harmful energy source of gas. That's not to say the production of EVs doesn't cause any pollution, as the vehicles rely on the mining of rare-earth metals such as lithium for their batteries.
At the same time, the Department of Energy has found electric and hybrid vehicles boost local economies and save drivers thousands of dollars every year. The department estimates that, on average, a driver who owns a gas-guzzling vehicle such as a 2020 Ford Explorer may end up spending $1,863 annually on fuel, while those who drive EVs such as the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt may only spend $676 on electricity costs for the car every year.
Despite these benefits, EVs have been criticized by anti-environmentalists, and charging infrastructure has been vandalized or blocked across the country.
EV owners have blasted the culprits for limiting access to the stations, saying some are doing it maliciously.
"Going out of your way to try and inconvenience people you don't even know is just sad and pathetic," one driver wrote under the Reddit post.
"It's such a weird thing that pick up truck owners go out of their way to inconvenience EV drivers," another commented. "You really have nothing better to do? Like I don't even give a second thought about what people drive. Like EVs? Cool. Don't like EVs? Cool. Like pick up trucks? Cool."
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