An electric vehicle driver made an embarrassing mistake overnight and got stuck on one of Perth’s most popular beaches.
The BYD Seal EV got stuck in the sand at City Beach, leaving onlookers baffled by what had happened. Facebook page The Bell Tower Times shared a nighttime photo of two vehicles on the sand and it is understood the two electric vehicles had driven onto the beach to watch the sunset, but one was unable to leave the sand.
A Surf Live Saving vehicle attempted to free the remaining BYD on Sunday morning, but was unable to do so.
An image posted by a passerby shows a group of men standing sheepishly next to the BYD as they tried to remove it from the sand. Many online noted the extra weight an electric vehicle carries, making the rescue mission even more difficult.
Swimmer frees BYD from the beach
A 4×4 owner later came to the rescue, managing to free the BYD and tow it to safety with the help of lifeguards and a council ranger.
John Phillips was on the beach swimming in the morning and watched the difficulties unfold. He told Yahoo News Australia the unfortunate situation was “pretty strange”.
“I got out of the water and had a shower and it was still there. I was about to get a coffee and the tow truck driver arrived so I thought I’d wait and see what happened. It became clear that they didn’t have the right equipment. .so I offered to help with my vehicle,” he explained.
John said the men he helped thanked him and offered him coffee.
WA Police were not called to assist, WA Police told Yahoo.
Peter Fullarton, of 4WD Recovery and Charters, recently said “inexperienced” drivers were increasingly finding themselves stuck on WA beaches, mostly drivers who overestimated their vehicle’s capabilities.
BYD electric vehicles are gaining popularity in Australia and recently overtook Tesla in global sales. The Chinese carmaker has big ambitions in Australia and promises to become the biggest car seller by 2030, thanks to the lack of tariffs it faces in other markets such as the United States and Europe.
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