“Sorry, I went ballooning:” It’s high time charging networks cracked down on EV squatters

Although an extreme case, a recent article by thedriven.io made mention of an EV owner who had taken up one of only two charging bays at one of our fast charging locations, The Farm in Byron Bay. The EV owner was nowhere to be seen, but returned some hours later after enjoying a hot air balloon experience. 

In the EV community, there's lots of talk about etiquette and comradery amongst fellow EV owners and early adopters with owners sharing experiences with challenges whilst infrastructure continues to rollout. 

Although usage of our network is currently free for all EV owners, and it's recommended to charge to 80%, we will be implementing a payment structure and real-time access of charging status and availability as we look to also increase chargers in existing sites. 

Whilst this is welcome news for some, the question remains, exactly how long is OK for an electric car to spend at an EV fast-charger?