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Tesla and other electric vehicle owners recently received a small victory in New York, after an anti-ICE-ing bill passed the Senate this week. Now the bill is headed to the Governor’s desk to be signed. The bill, Senate Bill S6836, would protect EV drivers’ access to public charging facilities by putting a stop to ICE-ing, one of the most annoying situations EV owners endure sometimes.
The practice of ICE-ing involves an internal combustion vehicle parking at a spot designated for charging an electric car. Doing so blocks EVs from recharging their batteries, possibly resulting in its passengers being inconvenienced at the least and stranded at the worst. Such practices have caused their own fair share of shocking incidents, with some ICE drivers ending up on the wrong side of the law due to their behavior.
The anti-ICE-ing bill was introduced by State Senator Jen Metzger and Assemblymember Amy Paulin. New York has an aggressive goal for its EV targets, with the state looking to get about one million electric cars on the road by 2025. With this in mind, it is pertinent to ensure that electric car owners today are protected against the practice of ICE-ing. Chevy Bolt driver Senator Metzger (SD-42) explained the bill’s rationale in a statement.
“EV drivers need access to charging stations just like non-EV drivers who pull up to the pump, and it’s critical that the public only use charging spaces for their intended purpose—to charge. To make the shift to electric vehicles, drivers need to have the confidence that these facilities will be available, and I’m pleased to see this bill pass the Senate,” said Metzger.
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Assemblymember Amy Paulin further explained that while EV owners usually charge their vehicles at home, they should also be ensured that their vehicles are supported even when they are away from home. Bills such as SB S6836 could also make it easier for the state to support the growing number of EV owners, considering that electric cars are now going mainstream with vehicles like the Tesla Model 3 and the Model Y.
“Reserving parking spaces for electric vehicles must be enforceable. This is important for practical as well as public policy reasons. Practically, owners of electric vehicles need to be able to charge their vehicles when they are away from home. On a public policy level, this legislation will provide a further incentive for drivers to purchase electric vehicles and help reduce carbon emissions,” she said.
Back in December, for example, a Mustang owner ended up parking at a Tesla Supercharger station. When informed by a Tesla owner that he could not park at the spot and that there was a line of vehicles waiting for charging stalls to open, the Mustang driver proceeded to flip off the Tesla owner. Cops were eventually called and the Mustang ended up being towed. Unfortunately, instances such as these are not at all that unique, as ICE-ing affects a good number of EV owners. But with NY’s Senate Bill S6836, perhaps these incidents could now be less frequent.
NY S6836 by Claire Dev on Scribd
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Ma. Claribelle Deveza
Longtime writer and news/book editor. Writing about Tesla allows me to contribute something good to the world, while doing something I love.