Charging idiots or charging etiquette - you pick it!

[Jonathan S.]

I am so envious of such charging curves!

The problem here though is definitely not the grid.
Tesla has stations of almost a hundred chargers.
But EA stations of even just four chargers are often derated.
And the newer EA “balanced” 350 chargers are a step backwards (especially given how EA first debuted 350 chargers back in May 2018) as they are essentially guaranteed up front to be derated if anyone else is charging.

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[JIP1080]

On a semi-related note, how does one properly treat the situation where the parking spaces are diagonal and the cable does not reach when properly parked? On a recent trip to the North Georgia mountains I decided to use the only DC charger around for quite a few miles so I wouldn't need to stop on the way home. Two AC chargers next to it on the left. Pulled in (left side closest) properly, tried reaching the cable to the passenger side, but no dice. Tried using the spot immediately to the left, still no dice. Ended up nosing straight in and taking a bit of the spot to my left, and pulling with an inch of the metal post protecting the charger. Still had the cable pulled tight to reach. So yeah, what's the proper etiquette in this case? Didn't seem like the cable would reach any other way ?‍ Hoping not to be "that guy" in the future ?

 

[JRNJTAYCAN]

Do you mean Chevy Bolt ? I had a Volt and it did not have DC fast charging..

I did sorry.

 

[outie]

My local station was upgraded to the 350kW ones. I’ve never gotten above 150kW from them even with a low state of charge. Doesn’t seem all that big of a deal. Even if there was a benefit to charge above 150kW, it’s been proven to be minimal once you reach certain state of charge.

Finally, please blame EA for having mixed chargers at a given station. The users are innocent.

 

[Jasper4S]

This forum turned us into snobs IMO. As long as the others are charging they have as much right as us to use a charger. If they use a charger too fast for their car, let it be, just wait for your turn or use the “slow” 150kwh one. We are not entitled to something better or faster because our vehicle is capable of something faster

The debate about them charging all the way to 100% and wasting their own and your time.. see my first point, but also; Not everyone can charge at home, not everyone is doing just small trips. Maybe it is a rental with a full/full policy or any other of the possible reasons

My 2 cents: Others and us leaving our fully charged car on a charging spot should be fined and charged by the charging stations

 

[Gru]

worst case I faced (several times...) in Greece: small motorbikes parked on charger spots because... it's close to the entrance of the supermarkets (where fast chargers are often located).
?

 

[kort]

worst case I faced (several times...) in Greece: small motorbikes parked on charger spots because... it's close to the entrance of the supermarkets (where fast chargers are often located).
?

the local authorities need to enact laws or regs that prohibit blocking chargers like that. here in the states many places have enacted such laws and cars could be ticketed or towed away if they park at a charger and are not capable of charging.

 

[PorscheCH]

My 2 cents: Others and us leaving our fully charged car on a charging spot should be fined and charged by the charging stations

Why? In some (most?) countries several networks/providers offer a 60-min grace period after the car has charged to 100%. If one does not remove the car past the 60 mins, one gets charged (eg. 0,3 eur per min) not fined.

So as per your principle and the current regulations, it's ok to charge up to 100% and leave the car plugged at the stall for 60 mins after the charging reached 100% - there may be motives for that..

 

[Jonathan S.]

An idling fee that is imposed after a grace period of an entire hour? That seems like it would almost always be pointless.

Electrify America has a far more sensible grace period of ten minutes.
But then the screen for cars that have been abandoned for even over an hour show idle fees adding up to exactly nothing.

Here’s the dire warning from Blink.
(Took over half an hour to initiate a charge even with their staff on the phone, then that rate was even well below the 50kW rating, and the credit card overcharge still hasn’t been refunded to me, so perhaps Blink in general just isn’t in much of a rush.)

 

[JRNJTAYCAN]

This forum turned us into snobs IMO. As long as the others are charging they have as much right as us to use a charger. If they use a charger too fast for their car, let it be, just wait for your turn or use the “slow” 150kwh one. We are not entitled to something better or faster because our vehicle is capable of something faster

The debate about them charging all the way to 100% and wasting their own and your time.. see my first point, but also; Not everyone can charge at home, not everyone is doing just small trips. Maybe it is a rental with a full/full policy or any other of the possible reasons

My 2 cents: Others and us leaving our fully charged car on a charging spot should be fined and charged by the charging stations

Hi, my post was not about coming across as a “snod”. Sorry it if came off that way to you, for me its about connecting with a group of people around the world that has the same passion I do about this brand and the joy of owning something that most in this world does not.
It’s about sharing our experiences both good and bad and learning a thing or two alone the way. I enjoy my car and enjoy chatting with folks who share the same passion. That’s why I stay on this forum and post my experiences from time to time.

 

[PorscheCH]

An idling fee that is imposed after a grace period of an entire hour? That seems like it would almost always be pointless.

Electrify America has a far more sensible grace period of ten minutes.
But then the screen for cars that have been abandoned for even over an hour show idle fees adding up to exactly nothing.

Yes, two pointless approaches

My only point is that if one has to 'tolerate' any kind of behaviour at the charging stations - as long as it does not violate regulations, one must conclude that it is OK to use the whole grace period (in Europe 60 minutes, at many stations).

if EVs are the future, things will have to change - today in many locations there is no way to even form a queue...

 

[FlyingPoint]

We are not really addressing the problem in this thread. It is not the folks, it is the lack of reliable CCS chargers in many parts of the US. Build more reliable chargers, plain and simple - problem solved.

I have never seen a Tesla supercharger station full in the eastern part of the US.

 

[kort]

Why? In some (most?) countries several networks/providers offer a 60-min grace period after the car has charged to 100%. If one does not remove the car past the 60 mins, one gets charged (eg. 0,3 eur per min) not fined.

So as per your principle and the current regulations, it's ok to charge up to 100% and leave the car plugged at the stall for 60 mins after the charging reached 100% - there may be motives for that..

I agree about having reasons for using the entire time allotted, for example if I know that I am doing a full charge, about 50 minutes I'll go get something to eat and I might be slow to return to the car.
however if it is a busy station, and these days most chargers are busy, I'll do my best to limit my dwell time so others can get their turn to charge.

to bring it back to charging etiquette, there is a severe lack of understanding about how EVs taper their charge after reaching 80% or so of charge. too many are trying to get every last bit of that "free" juice and they are the ones clogging up the chargers.
these days it is rare to need to charge to 100% in order to reach the next charger while on a long trip.

 

[kort]

I have never seen a Tesla supercharger station full in the eastern part of the US.

not to be argumentative but encountering a full tesla charger is very dependent on where you are. I have seen many full tesla chargers in S Florida, and this was years ago before the model 3/y explosion in sales.

 

[Jonathan S.]

Given the typical EA derating in the Northeast, the tapering after 80% is often trivial.
And hard to blame EV drivers if they value free kWh over their time spent at a charger (or at nearby amenities).
Instead I blame EA for the free charging plans. And for not instituting idle fees once those vehicles hit 100% with their owners nowhere in sight.

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