Does refuelling your car class as parking? The answer appears to be yes if it\u2019s an electric vehicle. Guardian Money has been contacted by several readers who were fined after charging their cars away from\u00a0home.<\/p>\n
The motorists report being caught out by signs that fail to make clear that charging points are subject to parking tariffs or to store opening times. Also, they have found some chargers being advertised as available for use when it would be a breach of the car\u00a0park\u2019s terms and conditions to use them.<\/p>\n
Kevin Laban hoped his electric car would save him money as well as the planet. However, after he used a charger in a supermarket car park he received an expensive surprise. Through the post came a \u00a370 parking charge notice (PCN) for using the service when the supermarket was closed.<\/p>\n
The app operated by the EV charger operator Pod Point had directed him to a bay in an Aldi car park in Weymouth. Parking is not permitted on the site\u00a0outside store opening times and, unbeknownst to Laban, EV charging is deemed to be parking by the landowner.<\/p>\n
Parking fines from charging bays in some car parks range from \u00a370 up to \u00a3100. Photograph: Nigel A Messenger\/Alamy<\/p>\n
\u201cPod Point advertises the charger as open to the public, while the car park\u2019s cameras are set to immediately fine anyone who enters to use it,\u201d Laban says. \u201cIf the landowner does not want people charging outside store hours, the chargers must be deactivated, or the EV apps must sync with the parking restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laban says there were no signs in the car park, on the charger or on the app stating it could only be used during store opening times.<\/p>\n
Aldi cancelled the PCN when Laban complained and insisted that car park terms and conditions are clearly displayed.<\/p>\n
Pod Point told Guardian Money that landowners are responsible for notices about parking charges and restrictions displayed in its app and on site and while some prominently detail the relevant terms for EV drivers, others do not.<\/p>\n
Laban\u2019s experience exposes an anomaly in the rollout of EV chargers on private land: car park rules have not evolved to accommodate vehicles that stop solely to charge in a designated bay.<\/p>\n
Another motorist, Clive Sanders*, paid more than he had bargained for when he charged his new EV in a Devon car park. He received a \u00a3100 PCN from the parking operator, Smart Parking, because he had only paid for charging. \u201cThere was no indication\u00a0on the InstaVolt charger that I needed to pay the parking tariff as well as the charging fee,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstaVolt assured me they could get the PCN cancelled and gave me a letter to send to Smart Parking, but it refused to comply.\u201d<\/p>\n
InstaVolt said car park rules are set by the landowner and notices around its chargers warn that parking restrictions apply. It\u00a0offered Sanders a \u00a350 credit for the \u201cinconvenience\u201d after Guardian\u00a0Money questioned the clarity of the signs.<\/p>\n
\u201cParking terms vary from site to site and may refer to time limits rather than charges, so to tell drivers that \u2018parking charges apply when charging\u2019 would not accurately reflect the range of conditions that exist across our network,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat said, we do recognise that for drivers who are newer to public charging, the distinction between charging fees and site-specific parking terms may not always be immediately obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n
An electric vehicle recharging sign stipulating terms and conditions on parking. Many such signs, say motorists, aren\u2019t so succinct. Photograph: Nigel A Messenger\/Alamy<\/p>\n
Smart Parking said it was up to drivers to check the terms and conditions before using the car park. \u201cThere is no free parking and motorists must pay for the duration they stay,\u201d a spokesperson said. \u201cIn this case, the driver stayed for nearly an hour without paying for his parking, so was he correctly issued a charge.<\/p>\n
Anthony Stone* was hit with a \u00a3100 PCN after using an advertised charger in a Holiday Inn car park without registering his number plate at the hotel.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many contracts should a driver be expected to enter to charge a vehicle?\u201d he said. \u201cI\u00a0understood that I was contracting with the charger operator to provide electricity, but it seems I was also entering one with the hotel or its parking\u00a0operative.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for Holiday Inn said vehicles are identified by ANPR cameras that do not distinguish between parking and charging. It claimed that the display screen tells drivers to register their cars for free parking before charging. It agreed to cancel the PCN after Guardian Money got in touch.<\/p>\n
PCNs for charging are an increasing problem for EV drivers, according to the motoring group the RAC. \u201cSignage needs to be clearer, so drivers realise straight away whether they\u00a0need to pay for parking, how long they can stay to charge and the\u00a0hours of operation,\u201d said its head of policy, Simon Williams. \u201cEqually, charge point operators should add a warning to their devices and apps to make drivers\u00a0aware.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that private car parks are governed by contract law and that tariffs for using EV chargers must be clearly displayed. It said it plans to publish a new code to raise standards for private parking later this year.<\/p>\n
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