Warning for EV drivers as hefty fines introduced to deter selfish users at public charging points

ELECTRIC CAR drivers have been warned about hefty fines introduced to deter selfish users at public charging points.

EV owners can be fined for stopping at charging points as the cost of electricity continues to rise.

Owners of electric vehicles (EVs) could see themselves slapped with hefty fines under rules designed to stop them hogging much-needed charging points.

If you leave your vehicle at one port for too long, you could face a charge of up to £30, depending on where you live.

 City Council has already imposed that particular fee, while other local authorities are bringing in 'overstay' charges of £20, according to .

This 'overstay charge' has been introduced to ensure drivers aren't taking up connection points unnecessarily and preventing other motorists from being able to charge their car.

In one instance, a driver left his vehicle charging overnight, expecting to pay £26, but ended up being hit with a fine of £123 for overstaying,  reported.

Popular EV manufacturer Tesla also includes an 'idle fee', with drivers charged 50p per minute if they overstay their time slot.

There is an idle cost for each additional minute a car is connected to a Tesla Supercharger.

In the UK, the idle fee rises to £1 per minute when the station is 100% occupied.

The Tesla app allows owners to remotely monitor the vehicle, alerting them when their car is nearly charged and again when it is fully charged.

And if the car is moved within five minutes, the fee is waived.

These fees will apply when a Supercharger station is at 50% of its capacity or more.

ESB Energy charges an overstay fee of £8 after one hour, while GeniePoint charges £10 after 90 minutes and £10 for every hour and a half after that.