Charger rage, digital vigilantism, and the cultural politics of EV infrastructure

The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) has introduced new conflicts over public infrastructure, exemplified by the phenomenon of charger rage–a visible and affectively charged response to resource scarcity at EV charging stations. Unlike petrol stations, which offer rapid refuelling, charging infrastructure requires prolonged occupation of space, fostering tensions over access, fairness, and entitlement. Viral videos capturing queue disputes, unplugging conflicts, and ICE-ing retaliation (where internal combustion engine vehicles block charging stations) illustrate how EV infrastructure is not merely a technical necessity but a contested social and political space. This paper situates charger rage within the broader cultural transformations of automobility, digital surveillance, and the governance of commons. Drawing on affect theory, we explore how frustration and entitlement materialize in everyday interactions at charging stations, turning them into sites of competitive rather than cooperative behaviour. We contrast governance models in market-driven economies such as the U.S. and Australia, where users self-police access through informal enforcement and digital vigilantism, with state-led transitions in Norway and the Netherlands, where cooperative norms have reduced conflict. By analysing charger rage as both a symptom and a critique of electrification, we argue for a reimagining of charging infrastructure as a commons rather than a battleground.