By Pranav Harish For Daily Mail Australia
07:17 12 Oct 2023, updated 07:17 12 Oct 2023
Residents living along a busy street that has limited parking spaces are divided over the inclusion of electric vehicle charing stations in the area.
Drivers noticed the charging stations had been installed on Brown Street in Newtown, Sydney‘s inner-west.
The stations were rolled out recently by the local council in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
The move has sparked a furious response from some locals who claim the stations are taking up parking spaces that could be used by petrol cars.
Several residents took to Facebook to vent their frustration saying those who don’t own an electric vehicle won’t be able to use the parking space.
‘I guess the warning is to not park here if you’re not charging an electric vehicle. No idea how it works as I don’t have an electric car,’ one wrote.
‘Looks like it takes two cars though.’
Others said the stations are used by a small minority of motorists as only those who can afford the expensive cost of an EV would benefit from them.
‘So even if the spots are sitting there empty, we can’t use them because they’re reserved for the privileged?’ another resident wrote.
‘Maybe buy a charger for home and allow access to rock star parking spots for the rest of us plebs.’
Others however hit back at the suggestions the objects are a nuisance saying many EV drivers don’t have access to charges.
‘When an EV is parked there, there is another spot which it is not taking up, because people with EVs who park there do so because they cannot charge at home,’ one wrote.
Some pointed out the stations are a hassle for drivers as efforts continue to be made to encourage the uptake of EV’s in Australia.
‘The aim is for everybody to have an EV, not just ‘privileged’ people,’ a Sydney local wrote in response,’ one user said.
‘Need more in the area.’ Awesome to see these round Inner West!’ another wrote.
Daily Mail Australia contacted City of Sydney and Inner West Council for comment.
A City of Sydney spokesman told Yahoo some chargers have been put up around parts of the local government areas.
He said there is a time limit which drivers must observe to charge their vehicles.
‘That space is reserved for EVs to charge. It is time restricted during 8am and 8pm and can be used overnight but only while charging,’ the spokesman said.
The council recently partnered up with EVX, a company that manufactures the EV charging stations that have been rolled out across several parts of Sydney.
The company states on its website that public EV infrastructure needs to keep up with the demand for these technologies in order to continue to fast track the goal of reducing emissions.
‘With ongoing discussion about a ban on sales of all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, Councils need to start preparing their EV charging networks for this move now’.
Sydney has 187 publicly available charging stations across various parts of the city.
A 2022 report by the Electric Vehicle Council estimates there are almost 2400 EV chargers available across the county for motorists that own an EV.
Demand for EV’s has grown significantly in Australia with almost 47,000 EV’s sold across the country as of June 2023 according to figures by the peak electric vehicle body.
