A Victorian council is bringing in a $1-per-minute fine for EV drivers who leave their vehicle in a public charging bay for too long as it also puts an end to free charges at the facilities it operates.

Glen Eira City Council, which covers suburbs in Melbourne’s south-east about 10km from the CBD, is bringing the penalty in as of October 1 as part of a shake-up of its charging stations.

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The overstay fee applies to drivers who leave their vehicle in a charging bay beyond the advertised parking time limit. Motorists will also be charged 25 cents per kWh to use the chargers from that date.

In a statement, the council said the changes are being made to “help keep the charging network reliable, available and sustainable for everyone who uses it”.

“As more residents switch to electric vehicles, it’s important that our charging stations are available to the people who need them,” said Mayor Simon Zmood. “A user-pays approach helps encourage drivers to use charging bays responsibly and comply with the advertised parking time limits.

“We’ve seen times when vehicles remain plugged in, or parked in charging bays, longer than the advertised parking time limits. Introducing charging and overstay fees will help improve access so more EV owners can use the network.”

Glen Eira isn’t the only council to adopt the measure. Canterbury-Bankstown Council in Sydney’s inner west also charges overstaying drivers $1 per minute, but it applies after two hours and they get 10 minutes to move their vehicle before the fine kicks in.

Tesla’s Supercharger network also slugs customers to the tune of 50 cents per minute if they remain plugged in after they’ve finished charging.