EV Charging Bays (ICE Vehicle Bay Hogging)

An EV charging bay refers to a dedicated parking bay equipped with electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities specifically for new energy vehicles (NEVs). "ICE vehicle hogging" (commonly known as "ICEing") refers to the phenomenon where internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles occupy charging bays, preventing NEVs from charging. Regarded by many EV owners as the "number one headache" in their charging experience, this issue has drawn significant attention from government authorities, including the National Energy Administration, which is actively working to resolve it.

Key Manifestations

Bay hogging mainly manifests in three forms. First, ICE vehicles directly occupying charging bays, choosing to park in charging bays even when standard vacant bays are available nearby, with some drivers even ignoring "Charging Only" signage to park long-term. Second, NEVs "occupying bays without charging", where an EV parks in a charging bay without plugging in the charging gun, similarly preventing owners in actual need of charging from using the facility. Third, failing to vacate the bay promptly after charging is completed, which prevents subsequent vehicles from plugging in and is essentially another form of bay hogging.

Underlying Causes

The root cause of rampant bay hogging lies in a lack of site management and weak compliance with parking rules. Many charging stations operate unmanned, mixing conventional parking bays with charging bays without clear segregation. Some ICE drivers park there simply for convenience despite knowing the bays are reserved, while car park operators often lack enforcement power and can only contact vehicle owners by phone to request them to move their cars—a slow and ineffective process with no mandatory leverage. Furthermore, some charging stations that offer free parking end up attracting more non-charging vehicles to hog the spaces. From a policy standpoint, the National Energy Administration noted that inadequate infrastructure and staffing at certain charging stations have made ICE vehicle bay hogging particularly prominent.

Technical Solutions

Various regions are exploring technical measures to tackle the bay-hogging dilemma.

Smart ground locks combined with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) serve as a relatively mature solution. The system identifies vehicle registration plates via cameras and only lowers the lock for NEVs; once charging concludes, the ground lock automatically rises to prevent overstaying. After adopting this setup, the Kaiyuan Shangcheng car park in Linyi has virtually eliminated charging queues.

Barrier boom gates have achieved notable results in pilot trials across Yuecheng District, Shaoxing. Each charging bay is fitted with an individual boom barrier that automatically lifts upon identifying an NEV number plate, boosting bay utilisation by more than sixfold.

Smart push-rod and ground lock linkage systems are on trial in Yichun, where drivers authenticate via an app or QR code to lower the barrier, with the ground lock automatically raising once charging ends, driving up the average daily throughput per charging gun by 50% to 100%.

Charging reservations and smart queuing systems address bay hogging from a resource-allocation perspective. Vehicle owners can reserve charging slots in advance while the system locks the bay to prevent unauthorised parking, with data showing a roughly 25% increase in charging bay turnover during peak hours.

Economic and Administrative Measures

"Idle fees" or "overstay fees" are administrative tools widely adopted by charge point operators (CPOs). Non-charging vehicles occupying charging bays, or vehicles that overstay after charging is finished, are charged additional fees based on the duration of the occupation. In a case in Shanghai, after a shopping mall prominently displayed its fee schedule at charging bays, an ICE driver who occupied a bay was charged an idle fee of RM20. The Consumer Council ruled that the fee was reasonable given that the operator had fulfilled its duty of disclosure.

Some operators have implemented stricter measures. PetroChina Yantai branch introduced a "smart ANPR + violation accumulation" mechanism, where any vehicle accumulating three unauthorised bay-hogging offences is barred from entry. Coupled with prominent ground markings and on-site staff guidance, charging volume quickly met projected targets.

Policy Guidance

At the national level, the "Implementation Opinions on Further Enhancing the Service Guarantee Capabilities of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure" issued by ten authorities including the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in 2022 clearly proposed encouraging car parks and charging operators to innovate technical and management measures to guide zoned parking between ICE vehicles and NEVs. The National Energy Administration stated that it will work with the transport, public security, and other departments to guide operators in strengthening charging order and encourage the adoption of technological solutions such as smart ground locks and surveillance cameras.