Hello and welcome to your daily Charge Smart blog! Today, we will be talking about an act called ICE-ing which is now a crime in some parts of the UK. Hint: it doesn't have anything to do with cakes
Above: An ICE-er in action in Germany
Firstly, let’s look at what ICE-ing actually is. Let me ask you this, have you been at the mall or someplace with a charging station and seen a petrol or diesel car parked in the spaces reserved for EVs? That’s exactly what ICE-ing is. It’s where traditional ICE cars purposely park by EV chargers because they have some kind of personal vendetta against EVs for being better to the environment. These are usually people whose engines are bigger than their brains.
It's been an on-going issue for EV drivers all over the world and numerous pictures have been snapped of people doing it in Germany and the UK. However, EV owners couldn’t really do anything about it until now.
Those of you who own electric cars in the Lancashire county in England can now sleep easy because it is officially a crime to park an ICE car in a designated EV charging spot over there. It’s a small step towards clamping down on the ICE-ers but a step in the right direction nonetheless. The County’s Council has plans to install over 150 charging stations across the County, some of which are already in use. The new wave of charging stations will be located at on-street parking spaces. Places that were previously reserved for all sorts of cars to park. The County’s reasoning behind this move is to turn the North West of England into a more sustainable area along with reducing the carbon footprint of the region.
Above: ICE-ing taken to the extreme
The Council’s reason to clamp down on the ICE-ers was the on-street charging points were being used as parking spaces for people with ICE-cars. The local council then took action by enforcing penalties against those who were not using the EV charging points sensibly. The chargers were put in place to make life a little easier for EV drivers who were otherwise being stressed out with frantically searching for charging stations around.
While this act of ICE-ing was taking place all over the globe, EV owners in some countries decided to turn the tables and blocked off petrol stations in retaliation. Take a look at the picture below.
Above: Reverse ICE-ing or Petrol-ing taking place in Croatia
Thanks for reading! We'll be back soon with more news from the EV world.
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