'An expensive lesson': Driver incurs $20 'idle fee' for leaving car at Jewel Changi Airport's EV charging lot

One woman was taught an "expensive lesson" after leaving her electric vehicle (EV) at a charging lot longer than necessary.

Full-time content creator Cheryl Tay, 37, told AsiaOne on Friday (July 18) said that she had a shock after incurring the $20 'idle fee' at Jewel Changi Airport.

"This was new to me," said Tay, who has over 68,000 followers on Instagram.

Taking to social media in a July 14 video, Tay clarified that she does not own an EV, adding that the BMW she drove last month was for a test drive.

After plugging her vehicle at a charging point in Jewel Changi Airport, Tay returned for it two hours and 20 minutes later. 

Tay said she was at least an hour late in collecting her car. 

"It slipped my mind that I had a car charging," she said.

"When I first started charging the car, I saw 'idle fee: 50 cents per minute' in the app. I didn't know what it meant," Tay told AsiaOne. "I wanted to Google it but I had to rush off for my appointment and forgot about it."

The charging points there are operated by SP Mobility, a subsidiary of utilities company SP Group. 

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From last December, SP Mobility has been penalising drivers who do not unplug and move their vehicles from selected SP charging lots within a grace period of 30 minutes after a session has ended with a $0.50 fine per minute, capped at $20 each time, reported CNA in March.

Implemented at Changi Airport and 45 other locations, fees apply between 7am to 10.30pm every day, except at petrol kiosks, where the rule applies all day.

Dean Cher, head of mobility, sustainable energy solutions at SP Group, told CNA then that the idle fee is aimed at deterring hogging and reducing waiting times, as well as encouraging considerate charging etiquette, improving charger availability, and enhancing the charging experience for all EV drivers.

Other EV charging providers - including Charge+ with 1,500 charging points islandwide - are also looking to impose fines to users from overstaying at charging stations.

Despite incurring an idle fee, Tay said that it is a great measure to prevent users from hogging charging points.

"I didn't realise what it actually meant in the app, so I deserve this fine," she added. "An expensive lesson for me."

AsiaOne has contacted SP Group for more information.

ALSO READ: Public EV charging will likely cost more for drivers due to new rules, operators say

chingshijie@asiaone.com