With electric vehicles rising in popularity, some drivers are experiencing the frustration that comes with the lack of infrastructure and consideration needed to charge EVs.
In the subreddit r/mildlyinfuriating, a Redditor posted a photo of a Honda HR-V, a vehicle with an internal combustion engine, parked in a spot clearly marked as an EV charging station.
"Despite 200+ open spaces, this non-EV Honda routinely & intentionally parking in an EV spot—the last one available," the original poster wrote.
In the United States, there are more than 2.5 million electric vehicles on the road, and analysts at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory project there could be between 30 to 42 million on the road by 2030.
The average EV can travel around 216 miles on one charge, so people don't have to charge them every day. Nonetheless, there are multiple instances of gas-powered cars taking up EV charging spots. Some cities are even dealing with vandalization of their EV charging stations.
According to the Department of Energy, violators who park in EV spots without the proper type of vehicle could face a penalty of at least $350. Despite this, it appears there are still people willing to break the rules.
"It's not uncommon for me to pull in at a public charger, and have a gas vehicle parked in front of the charger," one commenter said.
"This is a trend if you haven't noticed," someone else wrote.
"Don't hold up the line for decent, fast chargers for no good reason," another said.
Happily, it appears some help might be on the way, with California and Boston among the places adding to their charging infrastructure to support the more eco-friendly and lower-maintenance vehicles, but some commenters had advice for people who run into the issue.
"Talk to the building, they'll likely tow it because they paid to make those chargers available," one person suggested.
"Report it [to] the garage management company. They'll send the owner a ticket or bill and if they don't pay it they'll send it to collections," another said.
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