Public Charging Etiquette, BEV , Hybrid compete for limited slots

[Pjlightning]

new to the EV world, and 8 months into my Lightning- and still trying to learn the ropes of public charging.

With limited slots at a free destination row of chargers, it seems A full battery EV with no ICE would be more in need of a charger than a Hybrid that has a gas up option.

I am noticing a plethora of Hybrids sitting in public destination Charger parking spots for an all day charge when it would seem they only need a little energy versus an EV that is relying exclusively on these chargers for “fuel”.

curious if there’s any Sort of etiquette around this sort Of thing ?

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[Joneii]

There is no hierarchy or priority users for public charging. It is first come, first serve. That being said, the vehicle should be charging or promptly removed from the charger when it is finished charging. There is no way to know every user’s situation, so we have to rely on common courtesy for people to move their vehicles when they have enough charge for their situation and there are other folks waiting to charge.

 

[Pjlightning]

There is no hierarchy or priority users for public charging. It is first come, first serve. That being said, the vehicle should be charging or promptly removed from the charger when it is finished charging. There is no way to know every user’s situation, so we have to rely on common courtesy for people to move their vehicles when they have enough charge for their situation and there are other folks waiting to charge.

I hear ya…

it’s a lot of hoping for people to do the right thing I suppose…..

just this morning I had an interesting conversation with a Jeep hybrid owner that pulled in next to me at the row of free public destination chargers at a ski hill in Vt.

I had just plugged in using a Tesla adapter since the Rivian and Volvo next to me had beaten me to The CCS chargers there ( each post every ~20 feet has one CCS charger and 2 Tesla chargers bolted to them).

Therefore… the Jeep owner couldn’t plug in his hybrid, but saw I had using an adapter.

After a few questions back and forth about our vehicles, I asked him
“so you’re looking to charge up but can make it home on gas right ? “

Yep, he just does the charger thing if it’s available to top off the battery while he’s skiing.

He asked about my need to charge, and I told him I couldn’t make it home if it wasn’t for these chargers way up here in VT. no gas back up option of course in my BEV Lightning.

I then asked, “But you’re not going to charge now because the CCS is taken right?”

He responded, “yeah looks like it, but I’m allowed to park here because it’s still an electric parking spot”.

I left it alone, but walked away realizing he was going to leave his jeep there in the precious spot, because he “qualified”, regardless of whether he was actually charging.

Not looking to get any further into it….I wished him a great ski day….

but that sort of thing just kills me to see….

knowing how desperate a BEV can be to charge, and he was going to sit there not charging because he was a hybrid and wouldn’t be towed for being there - charge or no charge. He could have been a BEV doing the same thing, to be fair, but especially knowing he didn’t really even need a charge….as a hybrid….

I’m not sure how common this is, but I’ve seen it before, but just never had the opportunity to talk to someone in the act of doing it-
Squatting on a spot for the day, that could be filled with an another car (a Tesla in this case, or a CCS with an adapter like me).

this just seems like it’s going to get worse and worse as time goes by and more EV and hybrids are on the road….

 

[GDN]

Its hard to confront and you don't want trouble out of it, but that is likely one of the worst problems there is. A charging spot is not a parking spot at all.

Destination type chargers don't usually have the capability yet to bill or charge idle fees, but those are two things we need 100% - need laws that make it illegal to block a charger not plugged in so towing is legal and if you are plugged in and charged, then you should be hit with some pretty nice idle fees.

 

[Joneii]

Its hard to confront and you don't want trouble out of it, but that is likely one of the worst problems there is. A charging spot is not a parking spot at all.

Destination type chargers don't usually have the capability yet to bill or charge idle fees, but those are two things we need 100% - need laws that make it illegal to block a charger not plugged in so towing is legal and if you are plugged in and charged, then you should be hit with some pretty nice idle fees.

I agree with the idle fees or the idea of using the market to encourage what should be common courtesy, but please don’t bring the government into it. The government rarely gets anything right and people take advantage of the poorly written or understood or enforced decrees. Just as a thought exercise example: the wish for the government to make parking in a charging spot without being plugged in illegal, and a towable offense is granted. You park and plug in, but some hater walks by and unplugs you. You are skiing on the backside of the mountain with no signal and are unaware of the problem. After a long day on the slopes you drag yourself back to your vehicle, but alas it has been towed! I get nervous whenever people implore the government to solve any problems that aren’t included in the preamble of the Constitution because the track record is poor and I think the US has one of the best governments available. Just don’t ask for too much. I suppose we would still be waiting for electric vehicles if Elon Musk hadn’t just built it. People can do amazing things, but governments…? Just an early morning musing.

 

[SilverBrewer]

I love this picture. For some reason it’s only the mini vans that drive me nuts. I swear those people just bought them to park close and wreck other people with door dings. Nothing boils my blood more than seeing a Chrysler at a charging station. NOTHING.

 

[GDN]

I agree with the idle fees or the idea of using the market to encourage what should be common courtesy, but please don’t bring the government into it. The government rarely gets anything right and people take advantage of the poorly written or understood or enforced decrees. Just as a thought exercise example: the wish for the government to make parking in a charging spot without being plugged in illegal, and a towable offense is granted. You park and plug in, but some hater walks by and unplugs you. You are skiing on the backside of the mountain with no signal and are unaware of the problem. After a long day on the slopes you drag yourself back to your vehicle, but alas it has been towed! I get nervous whenever people implore the government to solve any problems that aren’t included in the preamble of the Constitution because the track record is poor and I think the US has one of the best governments available. Just don’t ask for too much. I suppose we would still be waiting for electric vehicles if Elon Musk hadn’t just built it. People can do amazing things, but governments…? Just an early morning musing.

We are a little late because the Govt created this mess known as EA.

You've got to do something about blocked chargers. If you want to drive an EV then you've got to play and learn the hard way. If you're worried about your car getting unplugged then talk to your manufacture who left you out in the cold by not locking the plug to the car while it is locked. Once again Tesla for the win on that one. Done right.

 

[RickLightning]

As vehicles multiply, there's got to be new rules for everyone to follow. Eventually, either an abundance of chargers, or you can't leave it there all day / all week (airports), without paying a high fee or getting a ticket. No reason you can't get a message that says your vehicle is done charging and you have 60 minutes to move it. And they should really not allow PHEVs from using destination chargers for more than the 2 hours needed.

 

[Joneii]

We are a little late because the Govt created this mess known as EA.

You've got to do something about blocked chargers. If you want to drive an EV then you've got to play and learn the hard way. If you're worried about your car getting unplugged then talk to your manufacture who left you out in the cold by not locking the plug to the car while it is locked. Once again Tesla for the win on that one. Done right.

Yeah, I’m not sure if the Lightning locks in the charger if the doors are locked. I’ve always had my phone or key FOB with me so the charger comes out when I hit the stop charge button. I know Tesla locks it in because my PAAK doesn’t always work with the Tesla and you can’t unplug if the car doesn’t recognize you!

 

[RickLightning]

Yeah, I’m not sure if the Lightning locks in the charger if the doors are locked. I’ve always had my phone or key FOB with me so the charger comes out when I hit the stop charge button. I know Tesla locks it in because my PAAK doesn’t always work with the Tesla and you can’t unplug if the car doesn’t recognize you!

Neither the Lightning nor the Mach-E lock the cord. Simply pushing the button next to the port with level 3 / DC charging unlocks it. Level 1 or 2 charging it's not even locked, simply push the button on the handle.

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