‘Charge Rage’ Across UK as Electric Vehicle Owners ‘FIGHT’ For Electricity

Experts have called for an immediate code of conduct to prevent motorists from arguing at charging stations.

Drivers have reported instances of irate motorists arguing over whose turn it is to use a charging station, and even unplugging other vehicles to give themselves a turn.

Jessica Fletcher, an electric vehicle owner, spoke out about her negative experience in a supermarket parking lot just one week after receiving her vehicle.

“I’ve had the car a week, never had to queue for a charger, but tonight I think (if the shouting bloke is correct) I inadvertently jumped the queue,” she explained.

“There appear to be so many unwritten rules and so much resentment toward those who break them.”

“I pulled in the car park and saw a bloke in a little smart car waiting for the chargers.

“I thought I’d done the right thing by parking up in a bay out of the way so when the smart car had a space I moved into his space.

“Only then I ended up with some bloke in a huge Audi jumping out of his car jabbing his finger and shouting at me that I’d jumped the queue – he’d been waiting and I’d just pulled up.

“I soon realised that there was no point in trying to explain that I’d been parked in a bay and just begged him to leave me alone.

“Is this what it’s like? Did my first charge lull me into a false sense of friendliness because the guys using the chargers were lovely?”

Ms Fletcher’s sentiments were well received, with many fellow electric vehicle drivers rallying to her side, stating that rules governing public charging should be clarified.

According to Tim Alcock of LeaseElectricCar.co.uk, the industry should publish guidelines to prevent incidents of “Charge Rage.”

“Contrary to popular belief, not all electric vehicle owners are tree-hugging vegans who wouldn’t hurt a fly,” he continued.

“The truth is that EVs are now mainstream, and the drivers who use them are simply a subset of the general public.”

“They become just as angry and frustrated as other road users, but they also have to deal with a scarcity of charging points, as well as the additional stress caused by range anxiety.”

Mr Alcock continued: “We need better infrastructure to keep up with demand but we also need a clear code of conduct around the use of public charging points and what is and isn’t acceptable.

“Clearly it is never acceptable to become aggressive and intimidating and what happened to Jessica sounds very frightening.

“But until the number of charging points significantly increases and a code of conduct is adopted and integrated into the Highway Code, we fear incidents of Charge Rage will only increase.”

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