An electric car owner has issued a warning to drivers across the UK after he was hit with a fine for charging his vehicle in a supermarket car park.
Max Wilkinson drives a hybrid Mini Countryman, but lives in a street without EV charging facilities. The Cheltenham councillor combined a shopping trip at his local Lidl with powering the car at the supermarket's charging station - as Gloucestershire Live reports.
Cllr Wilkinson returned to get the vehicle after about two hours and said the hybrid Mini was about half-charged. However, he realised he had made a crucial mistake a week later when he received a letter to inform him he had received a £90 fine, which would be halved if he paid it quickly.
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The councillor was penalised for charging the vehicle for too long as signs around the car park say customers can only park for 90 minutes, including at the EV charging points. Mr Wilkinson has since paid the fine, but urged drivers to be aware of the "illogical" policy.
He said: “I’ve paid the fine and it’s a fair cop. However, it seems illogical that quite a lot of EV and hybrid owners won’t be allowed to spend enough time in the car park to get a full charge.
“The company probably should make that clear on the app or the charger itself. For me, this further highlights the need for Gloucestershire County Council to finally deliver its on-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
"People want to do their bit by switching away from dirty petrol and diesel vehicles. At the moment that change isn’t being made easy enough.”
Lidl and Gloucestershire County Council have both been contacted for comment.
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