EV driver billed S$20 “idle fee” for leaving her car at charging point over 30 minutes after it was fully charged

SINGAPORE: Local TikToker Cheryl Tay had a costly lesson to learn after being charged an S$20 “late fee” at Jewel Changi Airport.

“Lesson learnt!” wrote Ms Tay in a social media post earlier this month, explaining that she was unaware of charges when you leave a vehicle too long at a charging point.

Ms Tay wrote in posts on Instagram and TikTok on July 14 that she had been given a chance to test drive a BMW iX1 recently for a weekend.

She charged it at Jewel Changi, but since she does not normally drive an electric vehicle (EV), she forgot all about it.

“I got charged a S$20 idle fee because I forgot about the EV I was charging. 😭😭😭 This is a fairly new measure that was implemented to prevent owners from hogging the EV lots – which I think is great.”

@cheryltaysg

I got charged a S$20 idle fee because I forgot about the EV I was charging. 😭😭😭 This is a fairly new measure that was implemented to prevent owners from hogging the EV lots – which I think is great. Once your EV is fully charged, you will be given a grace period of 30 minutes and beyond that you will be charged $0.50/minute (the rates vary with different providers). I test drove the BMW iX1 and at this particular charging station, I didn’t realise there was this idle fee and I also forgot about the car charging (because my usual car is not an EV yet), so when I got back to the car I got a shock when I saw the final bill. 😭😭😭 Lesson learnt! #electricvehicle #EV #evcharging

♬ Oh No – Kreepa

“Once your EV is fully charged, you will be given a grace period of 30 minutes and beyond that you will be charged $0.50/minute (the rates vary with different providers),” explained Ms Tay, adding that when the final bill arrived, she got quite the shock.

She shared a screenshot of the bill. It showed that while the fee should only have been S$7.82, the “idle fee” was almost four times larger. It also showed that she had left the vehicle at the charging point for 2 hours and 20 minutes on June 28.

Ms Tay further explained that while there are more and more charging stations around Singapore, which is a plus, there is also such a thing as a “hogging issue” regarding these stations.

Hence, there is a need for an “idle fee” to prevent people from monopolizing the stations.

In March, CNA reported that one company, SP Mobility, had implemented such a fee for drivers who fail to vacate popular charging points in a timely manner, or long after their vehicles are already fully charged.

“This was aimed at deterring hogging and reducing waiting times, with the intent of encouraging considerate charging etiquette, improving charger availability, and enhancing the charging experience for all EV drivers,” CNA quoted SP Mobility head Dean Cher as saying.

A TikTok user commenting on Ms Tay’s post quipped that, in her case, it was more of a “forgetful fee.”

At one point, Ms Tay was the only full-time female motoring journalist in the country, also posting content on sports and fitness.

She founded the weekly running club ROCKrunners and the body image movement Rock The Naked Truth. /TISG