To get a driving license you need to be able to read and write and have some common sense. However, it seems that this Avanza driver lacks one of the three elements needed to get a driving license.
A Toyota Avanza has been spotted parking in an EV charging bay at the petrol station.
Now to those who are wracking your brain why haven’t they heard of Toyota launching an EV or PHEV version of the Avanza, let me assure you that they have not. And this purely petrol-powered Avanza is simply driven by one totally inconsiderate driver who has decided to take up a space that actually serves a purpose for electric vehicle and plug-in vehicle drivers.
Before anyone rushes to the driver’s defence saying that he might be in a rush to use the toilet or has just went in the petrol station kiosk for a short while, apparently the driver of this white Avanza has just left his car here in the EV charging bay and has went off in another car for what some would say was a good long while.
To add insult to injury, apparently a tense exchange of words was made between the petrol station attendants and the driver of the white Avanza, who was clearly in the wrong. Even more galling is that this is allegedly not the first time the driver has been accused of pulling this inconsiderate act.
Parking your non-EV or PHEV car at the charging bay for any amount of time should not be condoned. It is certainly true that PHEVs and EVs are still a comparatively rare sight in Malaysia, and it is even more true that the number of times one actually charges that usually very expensive electrified vehicle using the petrol station charge point is even more rare.
That being said, the principle of leaving that space empty for those who need it should still be a thing that every motorist abide to. For those who are still trying to grasp this fairly easy concept, think of this EV charging bay as a disabled parking space.
Sure there are not many disabled people around, but society deems that those disabled parking spaces you see right in front of shopping mall entrances be left empty for use exclusively by people who are handicapped. There is a saying for those who park in handicap parking bays who are not physically disabled, but let’s keep the discussion here civil.
To the driver of this Avanza in particular, this could all be avoided if you had just parked your car in a proper parking bay.
If you really want to park in that EV charging spot maybe swap in what looks like a fairly new Avanza into a PHEV or an EV instead. Then you can park in that spot to your heart’s content. Until then though, perhaps leave that space empty for those who might actually need the facility.
Opinion and Text by Joshua Chin
