‘Slap yourself’: Tesla act at Woolies slammed

Electric vehicles continue to generate controversy in Australia over driver etiquette.

A Tesla driver has been caught out spending more than four hours at a free charging station in a move that has been heavily criticised.

The electric vehicle enthusiast was captured watching movies in the front seat of their car for hours at a charging station in a Woolworths carpark in Kirrawee, a suburb of Sydney’s south.

One angry customer called out the driver on social media, in a post that included a picture of the car at the station.

“If this is you, do the community a favour and slap yourself,” they wrote.

“Utter selfishness when the purpose is for free charging for those that shop at Woolworths.”

Depending on the vehicle, a Tesla can take up to eight to 10 hours to charge.

The Tesla driver was slammed for a ‘selfish’ act. Picture: Facebook

The Woolies shopper pointed out there was a Tesla Supercharger – which can charge a car in as little as 20 to 30 minutes – was available “literally across the road”.

Charging of electric vehicles has caused controversy in other areas of Australia too.

Another driver has sparked outrage from neighbours for running an extension cable across a suburban footpath to charge an electrical vehicle.

Keith Bensley was out on his morning walk in Sawtell on NSW’s Mid North Coast when he came across the hazardous obstacle leading to a parked car on the roadside.

“It surprised me, it was a real trip hazard,” he told the ABC.

Tesla charger frames. Picture: Robyn Beck / AFP

Mr Bensley said the cord snaked all the way from the gutter to the top story of a nearby block of flats.

The electrical engineer noted the unorthodox charging method wasn’t just a tripping hazard but a serious fire hazard too.

“There was no attempt to put anything over the cable, and it had rained the night before, so it was nice and wet,” he said.

“If (water) had got in between the plug and the socket. It can actually burn and could start a fire if it was on dry grass,” he said.

Keith Bensley was out on his morning walk in Sawtell in NSW when he came across an extension cable running across a footpath. Picture: Facebook

Meanwhile, China has been accused of “cheating” in the race to control the world’s electric vehicle market, spending a staggering amount of money in order to crush its rivals.

Dozens of Chinese brands and countless models have been developed with the help of US$231 billion (AU$347 billion) of subsidies from the Communist Party over the past 15 years.

That extraordinary generosity has sparked an innovation and manufacturing boom in the country, while also allowing companies to oversupply international export markets.

By saturating Europe, the United States and the United Kingdom with stock, Chinese brands are able to significantly undercut Western rivals on price.

It comes as electric vehicle sales doubled in 2023 in Australia, according to the Electric Vehicle Council.

A report conducted by the council found there are now more than 180,000 electric cars on Australia’s roads, with the majority of EVs being sold in outer metro and regional areas.

Originally published as ‘Slap yourself’: Tesla act at Woolies slammed