Electric vehicle charges - your views online

Drivers of electric cars have complained after being hit with massive parking fines for using public charging points.

George Sanderson

I'm sorry but this is the best laugh I have had all day - my how the righteous have fallen. They foolishly believed all the government BS, hook line and sinker!

Kate Taylor

I was fined £40 by Lidl car park in Northallerton the second week of having an EV. Used a charger in their car park and shopped. However, when I came out of the shop it had not picked up the charge to the car. I then had to reset the charging unit and ensure there was enough charge to make it home before I drove away. I was less than 20 minutes over what they said was their limit. The areas are lacking chargers and we were still at that point, waiting for the one at home to be installed and had to drive 15 miles to the nearest one that worked.

Gordon Smith

This is just the start. What about all the people who live in terraced property without car parking? How do they charge their car? Then we will have millions of these batteries on wheels and only wind turbines on a calm day to charge them all. One huge cock up.

Jacques Georgie Aitch

It's fast becoming clear that electric cars are a non starter! Batteries aren't lasting long enough to get you from A to B. Public charging points advertised are faulty. People are being hit with unnecessary parking fines for using one. Electric car batteries are horrendously expensive to replace, in some instances, costs more than the vehicle is worth!

Paul Smith

Exactly why I wouldn’t have an electric car. There is nowhere near enough infrastructure to support their use.

Callum An Derson

I remember my milk being delivered by an electric 'float', then people cleverer than me decided to do away with them.

Sara Twigg

Those caught out are trying to get a full charge for free and were ignorant to the rules. We all have to obey them.

Martyn Armstrong

Had my EV over a year, it’s not difficult, read what it says. Super chargers have a limit so the next car can get on. Most public chargers are still free and can stay on as long as you want.

David Kyle

Another big problem that people will have like myself. I can’t afford a brand new car and always buy a 4-5 year old car. Now, with an electric car, the batteries wear down - not as effective from when they were new. I read a story where a guy bought a seven-year-old car and the bill for a new battery was £12,000. Car was £15,000.

Anne Amato

Not only that, after four or five years a new battery has to be bought which, according to Top Gear programme, will be £5000 and upwards. Who in their right mind is going to buy an electric car?

Steven Grieve

I hear people with electric cars telling me they abuse these spaces to get hours worth of shopping or dining as it's cheaper to charge than park. About time something was done about space hogging.

Susan Avella

I have seen people charging cars from the street to their house with wires stretched across the pavement, dome shielded with a 'ramp' style device. A hazard for walkers, those on mobility scooters wheelchairs! Imagine a street full of cars with one charging point, who goes first? "Sorry I am late for work! I couldn't charge my car" Another government tick box exercise!

Grant Dickson

They should equip EVs with messages warning “vehicle approaching" as it’s just about to hit you, due to them being so quiet.

Brian Russell

If Samsung and Apple, two of the biggest companies in world, can’t get a battery to last any longer than 10 years ago, then how are we ever gonna have electric vehicles?

Rob Torrance-Hay

Solar panels all over the car – that will keep it charged. Or attach windmills!

Stephen Flynn

Edinburgh is lucky if it’s got a dozen charging points. The whole thing is a farce and that’s before you mention what it takes to mine stuff for batteries.

Michael Kong

Electric vehicles helps reduce global warming, but still needs electricity which needs to be generated. Unless it’s 100 per cent green energy or nuclear powered, any other generation also still gives off CO2. Probably a more efficient way of power generation, but power gets lost during transmission from power plant to charging point to the EV and while it is stored to battery. However, I've not seen any news on how much less CO2 it will produce.

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