I'm not sure about the laws in US, but the right thing to do would be to get the car towed by the police or the owner of the infrastructure. Also a warning sign about it is needed.
At one time I leased a very desirable parking space in what was a half-private, half-public lot. People would sometimes ignore the warning sign stating that the space was private parking only and violators would be towed.
When I would arrive in the lot and there was someone in my space, I just called any tow company in the phone book and they'd (very rapidly) send out a truck to remove the offending vehicle. All I had to do was sign the bottom of the form attesting that I was the legal user of that space.
This was Texas, so other states may vary.
In Texas theres a phone number, 311, a website and the towing company should also leave a sign at the parking lot entrance/exit with instructions.
There was a story on reddit a few weeks ago where this happened outside a hotel. The hotel staff called the cops who knocked on rooms and found owners.
The tricky part is in a lot of situations it can be hard to find the property owner so they can call the cops. Tow truck companies are careful about having an authorized person request the car to be removed.
To make sure the right towing company is called, the lot owner puts up signs detailing the terms of parking and stating which towing company is responsible for the lot. Every time somebody sees a car parked in violation with the stated rules, they can call that towing company who will show up and tow anybody they can, making a tidy profit from each car they tow (they profit by holding those cars for ransom.)
These signs are a fairly common sight in America: https://i.imgur.com/nPYaOBf.gif This system works, only the occasional idiot will dare testing those signs.
That being said, I prefer it being hard to tow, privately administered ticketing systems are much better. While in this case the pickups are knowingly taking spaces that aren’t theirs, most people I know (including myself) have only ever been towed when they’ve accidentally broken broken a rule, often in a disputable manner. There is no trial or attempt to resolve, property is seized with no chance to appeal a priori, and people’s means of transportation and livelihood are held hostage for payment. It’s really a pretty awful system.
I’ve had an issue with parking in apartments before. I wasn’t able to call and get a car towed. The office staff were the only ones. After hours and late night it was an issue.
Isn't it a civil matter? Does it involve the Police?
I would assume numbered gasoline pumps will see no change. Gas stations can attract purchases from electric car owners by providing low-cost chargers away from the pumps.
If anything, gas station owners are just capturing a new market segment.
(For the record, I'm a big fan of gas station hotdogs and beef jerky.)
I too am a big fan of gas station hotdogs, and I must say one station's dog is about as good as another station's dog. Time spent on the warmer is more important than brand of dog at a gas station.
http://pluginsites.org/plug-in-vehicle-parking-legislation-r...
Disclaimer: Have worked with a municipality to craft their EV legislation using home rule.