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Comment by chrisseaton | Hacker News Reader

> get the car towed by the police

Isn't it a civil matter? Does it involve the Police?

9 States and DC have laws prohibiting non-EVs from parking in EV charging spots. If you want them ticketed, you call the cops.

http://pluginsites.org/plug-in-vehicle-parking-legislation-r...

Disclaimer: Have worked with a municipality to craft their EV legislation using home rule.

Ticketing them is not required though. You could also get them towed by a private towing company that has a deal with that privately owned lot. And trust me, that will still punish the offender's wallet. And unlike ticketing, your turn-around time is going to be much faster. The cops will write a ticket for the guy, but they won't tow him. So if you want the car removed you have to wait for the towing company anyway.

You might not know who needs to be called to tow, or your state might not allow for towing, while still allowing for law enforcement to ticket.

Towing companies profit from adequate signage, so that's not really a problem so long as state laws permit this business model.

Which states do not allow for towing of unauthorized vehicles on private property?

Sibling comment mentioned some state laws. Also, at least in the case of some of the gas station chains that have Superchargers, they are free to ask the trucks to leave or have them towed/arrested for trespassing.

In the particular case of gas stations, the economic incentives seem poorly aligned for enforcement. Those trucks are probably owned by people who bring in much more money for the gas station than owners of electric cars. Unless the charging company that has rented space at the gas station is willing to terminate their contract in response to non-enforcement, the gas station will profit from keeping the truck owners happy while disregarding the convenience of the electric car owners.

Are you certain that is true?

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.

Maybe this is just stereotyping, but the demographic of people I witness stocking up on hotdogs and beef jerky inside gas stations is closer to "pickup truck owner" than "tesla driver." But I was referring more to the frequency and magnitude of their gas purchases.

(For the record, I'm a big fan of gas station hotdogs and beef jerky.)

I would argue the counterpoint that few people maintain loyalty to a specific gas station. Maybe to a specific brand due to a loyalty card, but even in the 3-station small town I grew up in everyone would hit up whichever station with the lowest price (a penny or two difference, maybe). Given a gas station's proximity to major highways, customer throughput must be a more important metric than repeat customers for a fuel stop.

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.

No company profits by allowing its customers to intimidate other customers. If you can’t play nice you gotta go.

Yes it’s a civil matter. The property owner can simply have the car towed.

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