Colorado wants to fine gas-powered drivers who park at EV charging stations

ICEing, when a fossil-fuel-burning internal-combustion-engined vehicle parks in a spot designated for electric charging, can be an act of passive-aggressive evil or an unintentional act of basic necessity. Either way, it can make already more complicated

EV

ownership a pain, and a new bill in Colorado wants to permanently put an end to it. Perpetrators would be ordered to pay a fine.

During the first 2019 regular session of the general assembly under the subject of transportation and motor vehicles,

House Bill 1298

was introduced to the house on April 1, 2019. On April 18, 2019, it passed on a vote, with 41 yes to 24 no. It has since been introduced to the senate and is under consideration.

The matter at hand is keeping charging stations in public parking lots open for

electric vehicles

or

plug-in hybrid

vehicles that need to use them. This includes gas-powered vehicles or

battery

-powered vehicles that are not actively charging, and results in a fine of $150 with a $32 surcharge. There is no mention of towing in the bill.

As for what “actively charging” means, let’s leave it to the legalese dispensed by the state of Colorado: “An electric vehicle is rebuttably presumed to not be charging if the electric vehicle is parked in a charging station and is not electrically connected to the charger for longer than 30 minutes. A person may park an electric vehicle at a charging station after the electric vehicle is fully charged in a parking lot” at a hotel over night, at an airport, or between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. Typically, an electric charger will indicate if it’s in use, thereby providing proof of whether or not the parked car is being charged.

Basically, this law is not only intended to prevent drivers of non-electrified vehicles from parking where they shouldn’t, but it’s also meant to ensure fair access to chargers. Someone can no longer park their Volt for three days at a charger in order to get free parking.

As the imminent wave of

EVs

readies to crash down on society, this seems like an appropriate response to a current small problem that could become a major issue in the near future. Read the bill’s full language at

Colorado.gov

.