NRMA_Paul's profile
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Silver user

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251 Messages

Monday, January 30th, 2023 2:30 AM

“Sorry, I went ballooning:” It’s high time charging networks cracked down on EV squatters

Although an extreme case, a recent article by thedriven.io made mention of an EV owner who had taken up one of only two charging bays at one of our fast charging locations, The Farm in Byron Bay. The EV owner was nowhere to be seen, but returned some hours later after enjoying a hot air balloon experience. 

In the EV community, there's lots of talk about etiquette and comradery amongst fellow EV owners and early adopters with owners sharing experiences with challenges whilst infrastructure continues to rollout. 

Although usage of our network is currently free for all EV owners, and it's recommended to charge to 80%, we will be implementing a payment structure and real-time access of charging status and availability as we look to also increase chargers in existing sites. 

Whilst this is welcome news for some, the question remains, exactly how long is OK for an electric car to spend at an EV fast-charger?

EV community admin

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49 Messages

2 years ago

Need to start charging idle fees similar to the Tesla Superchargers that are starting to open up now in Aus

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73 Messages

2 years ago

@NRMA_Paul I think the answer to your question depends on fast charger numbers. If/when we have lots of fast chargers, then timeliness is a less important. However, for the foreseeable future, I think the answer has to be closer to "you wouldn't park in front of a petrol bowser, so don't park in front of a fast charger".

Silver user

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251 Messages

Hey @bje that's a good way to look at it. Sadly there's always going to some form of lack of awareness from drivers when it comes to refueling or recharging, but you're right that more chargers and faster charging times will help too. There are still some challenges to overcome, but hopefully we'll see more charging announcements made and further infrastructure to support the growth of EVs. 

EV community admin

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