ELECTRIC VEHICLE DRIVER'S ANNOYING HABIT THAT COULD COST $330
- Councils are cracking down on EV street charging
- Many EV drivers do not have off-street parking to charge their vehicle
- READ MORE: The real story behind this image of Australia's 'Tesla graveyard'
A Tesla driver was left stunned after he was threatened with a hefty fine if he didn't stop charging his car by running a cord from his property to the street.
John Slaytor received the letters from North Sydney Council after rangers noticed a cable going from the Waverton resident's home to his electric vehicle.
The resident, who is one of many locals to receive the letters, does not have a driveway and cannot park his car on his property.
Mr Slaytor has plastic covering over his charging cable when he unrolls it at 10pm to help prevent the risk of any pedestrians tripping on it, the Daily Telegraph reported.
Despite the resident's safety measure, the council's letter said the 'practice must cease immediately' and warned if caught again he would be issued a $330 fine.
Mr Slaytor, who spent $1,000 on his charging equipment, said he was 'stunned'.
'I was astonished – we were only charging at night and we live on a very quiet street with barely any pedestrian traffic after 6pm,' he said.
'A lot of homes in Sydney don’t have driveways and it’s a huge issue for electric vehicle owners because there’s no other way of being able to charge cars from home.'
The resident also questioned the council's priorities saying they appeared to be more concerned with being sued than with the climate crisis.
The move follows other Sydney councils who are also taking the same approach to cords that cross public land, urging residents to use public EV charging stations.
A North Sydney Council spokeswoman said electric cords that lay on footpaths are a hazard.
'Electrical cables that run across footpaths are unlawful (and) we encourage residents who are not able to charge electric vehicles on their own properties to make use of the charging facilities available at five council car parks,' she said.
Despite being urged to use public charging stations, Mr Slaytor said it was cheaper at his home which is only 8c per kilowatt compared to 50c at charging points - and it can take at least an hour with a 'fast' public charger.
An estimated 30 per cent of drivers in NSW are without access to any private off-street parking to charge an EV, which has forced many people to charge on their street.
The use of power cords has been an ongoing issue in Australia with one Tesla driver in Melbourne recently sparking outrage for trying to cover it with a piece of wood.
The makeshift cover was slammed with many residents claiming it was a hazard.
'Zero awareness of people with disabilities or mobility issues,' one person wrote on social media.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the NSW Government was investing more than $4 million in grants in order to increase more public kerbside electric vehicle chargers at 391 sites across the state.
Daily Mail Australia contacted North Sydney Council for comment.
Read more 2024-06-27T01:41:43Z dg43tfdfdgfd