DRIVERS of electric vehicles are calling for a new code of conduct around using public charging points.
It comes as a video on TikTok showed Tesla owners queuing for up to three hours to charge over the Christmas period.
A TikTok user caught Teslas queuing at Tebay services on the M6 motorwayTiktok – @geoffbuyscars / Craig
Experts from LeaseElectricCar.co.uk say a code of conduct is needed urgently to put a stop to motorists bickering at charging points.
Drivers have reported multiple incidents of irate motorists arguing over whose turn it is to use a charging point.
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Some are even unplugging other electric vehicles so they can use the charger themselves.
New electric car driver, Jessica Fletcher, took to Facebook to complain about the treatment she received at a charging point in a supermarket car park.
On the MG4 owners group page she said: “I’ve had the car a week, never had to queue for a charger but tonight I think (if the shouting bloke is to be believed) I inadvertently jumped the queue.
“There seems to be so many unwritten rules and so much anger toward those who get it wrong.
“I pulled in the car park and saw a bloke in a little smart car waiting for the chargers. I thought I’d done the right thing by parking up in a bay out of the way so when the smart car had a space I moved into his space.
“Only then I ended up with some bloke in a huge Audi jumping out of his car jabbing his finger and shouting at me that I’d jumped the queue – he’d been waiting and I’d just pulled up.
“I soon realised that there was no point in trying to explain that I’d been parked in a bay and just begged him to leave me alone.
“Is this what it’s like? Did my first charge lull me into a false sense of friendliness because the guys using the chargers were lovely?
“How do you know what order to wait in? Or is it best not to bother waiting and not seek out supermarkets, gyms or restaurants with charging? I’m wishing I’d stuck with petrol right now if I’m honest.”
People joined in below the post agreeing with Jessica and telling their own tales of Charge Rage.
It comes as videos of Teslas queuing to use chargers at Tebay serviced on the M6 were posted to Facebook and TikTok.
Members of a Tesla driver’s Facebook group said they were waiting for hours to charge their cars.
One said: ‘Been here over an hour.
‘Still 15 in front of me in the queue for a charge,’ they said, ‘easily another two hours to wait – minimum.’
On Twitter, a Tesla car owner who braved the queue said: ‘Really upsetting to have the whole family wait for two hours to charge the car.’
Reacting to the increase in Charge Rage, Tim Alcock from LeaseElectricCar.co.uk said: “Contrary to popular belief not all electric vehicle owners are tree hugging vegans who wouldn’t hurt a fly. The truth is EVs are mainstream now and the drivers who use them are simply a cross section of the wider public.
“They get just as angry and frustrated as other road users. But they also have to deal with a scarcity of charging points along with the extra stress which comes from range anxiety.
“When you factor these things in, it’s little wonder that we are seeing a worrying rise in reports of Charge Rage as drivers compete for a limited number of public charging points.
Some people were waiting as long as three hours to charge their carTiktok – @geoffbuyscars / Craig Read More