I already found this electrifying Mazda Miata a few years ago. Back then, the parking garage where I also found the Estima and some other cars converted 8 parking spots on the first floor for electric charging.
Almost every other weekend I would spot this Miata hogging one of those spots. It’s quite interesting because I could see the benefits of an electrically powered Miata: lightweight, good balance and high torque would be awesome. However, as this car was never connected to the charging port I reckoned it wasn’t converted. So what was the reason for this person to park his/her Miata in those charging spots? I can think of a few.
The first reason: a wider parking space
The first reason would be the convenience of a larger parking space. This parking garage was built in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Back then cars were much smaller than nowadays. According to Andy from Big Car, the average parking spot in the UK has grown. The same applies to this garage: parking spots are quite narrow and also the corners are quite tight. Often when I encounter a large SUV in the opposite direction, we can’t pass each other in the corners and one of us has to wait for the other to pass. I sometimes have to skip a parking spot because someone parked their car up to the line of the spot, making my spot too narrow for my 2013 Honda Civic.
The electric charging sports are much wider as they must be large enough for modern electric cars or plug-in hybrids. These cars tend to be much wider than the 1970s/1980s cars. In this garage, they converted from the usual 3 parking spots between pillars to only 2 spots. Could this have been the reason for the owner to park the Miata in a larger electric charging spot?
Second reason: conveniently close to the exit
The second reason I can think of is that these electric charging spots are located conveniently. The spots are located on the first floor, while on Saturday mornings I often have to drive to the third or fourth floor to find a spot. These spots are also located opposite the staircase and lift, so it’s much quicker to exit the building from these spots. Could this then have been the reason for parking the Miata in such a spot?
Conclusion
I think we’ll never know the true reason. I haven’t seen the electrifying Miata over the past three years. Perhaps the owner got scolded by the owner for hogging these spots or perhaps moved on to a true electric vehicle?
And before I forget: this Mazda Miata was originally sold in the US or Canada in 1990. It was imported into the Netherlands in 1997. It still has MOT until September this year, so the owner still hogs EV charging spots wherever he/she can!
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