Electric vehicle owners have been warned that they could be about to get hit with some unexpected fines for leaving their cars at charging points for long periods to top up their batteries.
A series of new motoring laws took effect from the beginning of April and the overstay fines are designed to prevent drivers from blocking others from using the facilities.
However, this could be a major problem for some drivers who could be restricted in how long they are able to leave their cars at charging stations, with the fear of not being charged up enough or being hit in the pocket potentially putting some off getting an electric vehicle – which would be bad news for government plans to get everyone to switch over.
The best solution could lie in getting far more chargers installed, all of them able to charge quickly. That way, there will be enough facilities for all and the problem will no longer exist or require draconian solutions. However, to provide enough workers to meet this challenge will require more electricians to take an EV charging course.
Numbers of electric vehicles are growing and increasing the number of chargers fast enough is a major challenge, one that means the skills needed to install them are in big demand.
As well as more outright ownership, novel schemes are emerging to expand access to electric vehicles such as a car-sharing scheme in Oxfordshire.
As the BBC reports, the project is being trialled in partnership by Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, and Cherwell, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Oxfordshire district councils. There will initially be 14 cars in the scheme, which can be hired on an hourly or daily basis.
Such schemes may be part of the revolution in electric vehicles. But it will only work if in Oxfordshire, as anywhere else, there are enough chargers.