Dirty little secret: The cost of materials for heated seats and steering wheel is about $10-$20. Most automakers charge a markup of >100% for that feature.

If they broke it out into two options, you’d be paying $350 for each, instead of $400 for both, because they’re not going to give up $200 of revenue to save $20 of cost.

Eh, not really. The person that voided the ticket made a mistake.

It’s pretty unambiguous that the signage means that you must have disabled plates and must be charging. It’s an AND condition not an OR condition.

Ask yourself this: If you had both regular handicap and handicap charging spaces, what signs would you put up for the latter to distinguish them from the former? The answer is easy: You’d do exactly what is in the photo.

Right now there aren’t enough EVs to matter in North Carolina, but I guarantee they will stop voiding tickets once enough disabled people complain that all the handicap spots are taken by EVs.

are you able to use accessible (ADA) charging spaces if you’re not disabled?

Dunno about other states: In California it’s unambiguous, if it is marked handicapped and EV parking, you need disabled plates (or tag) AND you have to be plugged in.

What parking authority is allowed to cite these spaces?

The police. If the parking space is on private property (like a business), the property owner can have you towed (though I’ve never heard of that happening).

In their view having a bare bones 240 or 850 right next to an XC90 Recharge didn’t send the right message to potential buyers.

But that’s kind of weird, right?

I mean, Volvos have never been cheap cars. I remember that in the 80’s the 240 was popular among doctors and dentists and other upper-middle class professionals who were more into safety than performance. Same with the 850 in the 90’s.

With a starting MSRP of ~$75k, the XC90 in firmly in upper-middle class territory… it’s much more “mass affluent” than “aspirational”.