You Can Soon Get Fined for Blocking an EV Charging Station

Ontario drivers who park at an EV charging spot with a gas car or without plugging in could get a ticket and a fine under a just-passed change to the province's Highway Traffic Act.

The new rule was first brought forward in June, but passed earlier this week just before the adjournment of the Ontario Legislature until the new year. It amends the Highway Traffic act to say that "no person shall park a vehicle in an electric vehicle charging station that is identified by a sign that satisfies the prescribed requirements unless the vehicle is an electric vehicle and the vehicle is attached to the station’s charging equipment."

So if you park your gas or diesel-only vehicle in an EV charging space, you could get a $125 fine. The same goes for parking an EV or PHEV there without plugging it in. It's intended to stop what some EV drivers call "ICE-ing" or blocking a charging station with a vehicle that isn't plugged in. ICE stands for Internal Combustion Engine.

"This is common sense legislation that makes life easier for EV drivers and removes one of the barriers standing in the way of EV adoption," said Ontario Green Party leader and MPP Mike Schreiner, who co-sponsored the bill.

It's not the first such legislation in Canada, with Quebec adopting similar rules last fall. The bill is expected to go into effect next year.