Electric car drivers face £100 fines for hogging charge points

ELECTRIC car drivers have been fined more than £100 for taking too long at charging points.

In London, overstay fees vary depending on the energy provider. ESB Energy charges £8 at 350 charge points after an hour, while at Geniepoint, drivers pay £10 after 90 minutes, with an additional £10 for every 90 minutes after that.

One van driver charged his vehicle at a service station on the M4, expecting to pay £26, but was given a £123 levy for overstaying earlier this month.

The driver said he had to charge the van overnight because he could not take time out of work to power the battery. However, his employer would not absorb the cost, The Times reported.

Tesla, the world’s largest electric car manufacturer, levies an overstay fee of between 50p to £1 per minute, and Liberty Charge fines 8p per extra minute.

In Aberdeen, a £30 penalty will be charged for those staying at charging points for than hour, effective from April 1, while drivers in Sheffield will be charged £20 from the same date.

The fines come on top of an increase in the standard price for charging.

Surging energy prices have resulted in a rise in costs. On average, users are charged 14 per cent more to utilise a rapid and ultra-rapid device, compared to Sept 2022.

In addition, the up-front cost of plugin vehicles has become unaffordable for many as inflation increases the price on expensive models.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zap-map, an app used by EV drivers to search for charge points, told The Times: “The introduction of overstay or idling charges makes sense on highpowered rapid chargers where charging time is short.”

Quentin Willson, founder of Faircharge, a campaign group, said of the fines: “It’s absolutely right to do that because somebody else needs to use the charger.

“What we don’t want is a predatory parking industry coming into this and seeing it as a revenue opportunity.”