Drivers Want Green Signs In Order To Stop ICE-ing
Electric car drivers want green signs to clearly mark spaces reserved for their vehicles. The hope is that they’d help to prevent the ICE-ing phenomenon…
Green Signs To Stop ICE-ing
ICE, in automotive terms, stands for ‘internal combustion engine’. When it comes to the expression ICE-ing, we’re referring to the increasingly common practice of drivers of petrol and diesel models parking in spaces reserved for electric cars. For drivers of EVs, it’s extremely frustrating and can make it difficult to charge up their vehicles’ batteries; after all, charging infrastructure, despite improvements, is still somewhat lacking in the UK. According to a new survey, drivers believe better signage may help to address the problem.
Conducted by the AA, 17,628 drivers were consulted as a part of the survey. Approximately 85% said that green signs should be used to mark spaces that are reserved for electric cars and vehicles. It’s thought that the signs would make the significance of the spaces stand out more. Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, commented on the results. He said, “drivers believe there are a lack of charging points, but the case is they are hidden in plain sight. While fuel forecourts have the benefit of large totem poles, charge points can blend into the background. Changing to a green parking sign will help them stand out and reassure drivers who are thinking about buying an EV that there are more charge points than they think”.
But Will It Work?
That so many people want to reduce the chances of ICE-ing should be welcomed. After all, it implies that drivers who’ve never so much as sat in an EV empathise with those that rely on them to get around. The trouble is that ICE-ing isn’t necessarily accidental. Indeed, it’s sometimes deliberate; with drivers of petrol or diesel vehicles simply being indifferent to the inconvenience they can be causing. In America, some drivers of petrol models have been reported as parking in spaces reserved for EVs deliberately; simply looking to frustrate and to antagonise. One also has to wonder how easy it is to obliviously park in a space juxtaposed next to a charging point.
Either way, EVs are still relatively novel in the UK. That’s despite the fact that their numbers are growing relatively quickly. Perhaps many drivers are simply unaware that the spaces are intended to be exclusively used by electric vehicles. In which case, green signs may make a difference until the technology becomes more widely understood.
We’ll Refer To Electric Cars As Just ‘Cars’ By 2030 – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/electric-cars-just-cars-2030/
Debunking Electric Car Myths – https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/debunking-electric-car-myths/
