Motorists who charge their electric cars using a public charging station must remove the vehicle as soon as the battery is full or face a fine of €95, appeal court judges said on Monday.

The case concerns an MG owner from Noordwijk who was fined after leaving his car in a public parking bay for at least two hours longer than necessary.

A traffic warden had noted the green light registered the battery was full, and after waiting one hour and 59 minutes, returned to the vehicle to issue a fine.

Noordwijk bylaws state that occupying a charging station for too long is forbidden but do not state how long that is considered to be. The car’s owner had argued that one hour 59 minutes was not long and that would be impossible to expect owners to wait by a vehicle to move it as soon as the battery is fully charged.

The court said that it is up to the motorist to remove the car when the battery is full, pointing out that many cars already given an estimated duration for the charging process.