Decision details

Moved by Councillor Maxwell, seconded by Councillor Miller –

It is resolved that:

(A)      Council note:

(i)         the recent rollout of public electric vehicle (EV) charging bays across the City of Sydney, providing essential infrastructure to support the transition to zero emissions transport;

(ii)        that the conversion of public parking spaces into dedicated EV charging bays represents a significant investment that contributes to the City’s and the nation’s emissions reduction goals;

(iii)      that under current policy, only EVs that are actively charging may lawfully occupy these bays without incurring a penalty;

(iv)      that it appears possible for some EV drivers to plug their vehicle into a charging unit without initiating a charging session, allowing them to avoid both parking and charging fees while occupying a bay and preventing its use by others; and

(v)       that improving compliance is necessary to ensure fair and efficient use of the City’s limited public charging infrastructure; and

(B)      the Chief Executive Officer be requested to:

(i)         work with EV charging providers to explore developing solutions to address non-initiated charging behaviour, including clearer activation indicators, stronger app-based authentication and automated alerts when a vehicle is connected but not drawing power; and the introduction of an idle fee or similar mechanism;

(ii)        improve signage and user information to make clear that bays are for active charging only; and

(iii)      report back to Council via the CEO Update on practical measures to strengthen compliance and improve access to public EV charging infrastructure.

Carried unanimously, as part of an in globo motion.

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