A Croydon man is frustrated after his neighbor continues to use an electric car charger as “his personal parking space”.
Billy Gater, from Addiscombe, says he noticed the same car, a silver Kia Optima, was parked outside his house and connected to the charging port for four or five days at a time.
It comes as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan called on Londoners to switch to electric vehicles to support the city’s green transformation.
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Croydon resident Billy Gater posted on a local Facebook group for the people of Croydon: “This car will stay at this charging point at St Luke’s Close Addiscombe for four or five days.
“It will be treated like his personal parking space.”
Locals were outraged, saying: “Looks like we need some kind of time limit for street charging stations.”
A second added: “It was supposed to be a limited time bay.”
A third chimed in: “Totally selfish to do that.”
A local resident pointed out that the vehicle owner has “a good right” to park there if the car is correctly taxed and insured.
To which another replied: “Legally you are right. But totally selfish to prevent others from charging their vehicles.”
Others joked that he should “cut the cord” or “report him to the council”.
In 2021, the number of electric cars bought in the capital rose by 95 percent.
There are now more than 8,400 charging points in the capital, meaning that almost a third of the country’s ports are in London.
Mike Hawes, Chairman of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “Electric car sales are growing rapidly, with an ever-growing range of new models on the market.
“London and the South East are leading the way, but to accelerate the transition to zero-emission driving, particularly in urban areas where many people lack dedicated parking or access, urgent action is needed to improve our charging network.”
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