Personal safety while charging

[mongo]

When the Superchargers are upgraded to use wireless technology (hopefully), it will be simple to just drive away. There's already a wireless charging solution for the home available from Plugless Power.

Wireless will always be less efficient than direct connect .Over the entire Supercharger network, that's a lot of kWh wasted. If Tesla goes forward with the auto-connect underbody system (new vehicles and SC stations), that would achieve the same result.

 

[RaeW]

As a woman, I have to consider my personal safety when traveling. If I am alone in an ICE vehicle and facing a threat, I can start the vehicle and drive away or use it as a weapon. If there were a threat while charging my Tesla at a Supercharger, it would be unsafe for me to get out of the Tesla to unplug, thereby trapping me inside the car without being able to drive away.
Has anyone else thought of this? Any solutions beyond knives and bear spray and 911? (please skip the gun debate here)

I would love to see Tesla come up with an "Emergency Charger Eject" feature.

You don't say where the Superchargers are that scare you, but it seems to me that Tesla has taken pains to locate them where there are businesses close by, often restaurants like McDonalds or Duncan Donuts. Can you not leave your car while it is charging?

 

[RaeW]

It's not all about just stealing cars, but other possible crimes. I am a man but some of the superchargers I have stopped at late at night are completely empty and in the middle of nowhere and I admit I have had these thoughts too. I'm sitting in my car charging with the doors locked, but if anything shady happens I have no ability to drive away. It is a valid concern IMO.

Where are these Superchargers in the middle of nowhere (so I can avoid them)?

 

[NoMoGas]

This is an issue that I’m very concerned about. I agree a emergency eject feature That would activate the cars alarm and flash the headlights to prevent people from just ejecting the charger port and driving off in something other than an emergency situation might work.

Yes, they could block you win but to be honest I would put my nearly 6000 pound car up against anything that was threatening my life, at least the odds shift heavily in my direction.

I know of only one event occurring at Barstow where the person was carjacked at the supercharger but that was sometime ago but this is definitely a valid concern.

 

[RAM_Eh]

A lot of chargers are off the beaten path, behind the hotel, off where no one can see them.

 

[510Red]

You don't say where the Superchargers are that scare you, but it seems to me that Tesla has taken pains to locate them where there are businesses close by, often restaurants like McDonalds or Duncan Donuts. Can you not leave your car while it is charging?

I agree that Tesla has done a good job of locating SCs, and I appreciate the bright lights and nearby businesses. I cannot say that I've been scared or threatened, but it came to mind that there is a vulnerability with being tethered to a SC that does not exist in other situations. Considering that I was alone in my car at 3am with no businesses open nearby and the temps hovering at minus 9 degrees, it was much wiser to stay inside the car. I have traveled mostly across the Midwest and found no bad SC sites (see "Sketchiest Supercharger Sites" thread). The biggest real threat that I have had was the snow being plowed away from the SC, but leaving a snow ridge too far out from the SC and too high for my Model S to climb. Note to self: Pack a shovel.

 

[Grossvater]

As a woman, I have to consider my personal safety when traveling. If I am alone in an ICE vehicle and facing a threat, I can start the vehicle and drive away or use it as a weapon. If there were a threat while charging my Tesla at a Supercharger, it would be unsafe for me to get out of the Tesla to unplug, thereby trapping me inside the car without being able to drive away.

Has anyone else thought of this? Any solutions beyond knives and bear spray and 911? (please skip the gun debate here)

I would love to see Tesla come up with an "Emergency Charger Eject" feature.

Cordless charging ought to be standard. If a toothbrush and cellphones can be charged without a cord, why not the car? It could save a lot of connective investment.

 

[ℬête Noire]

North Houston Supercharger is in front of the Service Center in a strip mall that is deserted at night. It's anchored by the SC, not a hotel or restaurant, it's a light industrial/logistics area. There's a road running across the front but that's going to be relatively high speed, one-way traffic of the I45 service road, with a low hedge screen. It's neighboured by a gas station/connivence store but isolated from that via a tall barrier fence and dense vegetation screen.


That said if you are concerned about the behavior of someone outside your vehicle while tethered, 911 & stay in the car seems the obvious plan/solution. It's not exactly "middle of nowhere" in that the general area will have patrol cars out.

 

[FlatSix911]

This issue applies to both Men and Women.
Having said that ... Security should not be a problem in the Bay Area as all of the Superchargers are packed 24/7

 

[tander]

As a woman, I have to consider my personal safety when traveling. If I am alone in an ICE vehicle and facing a threat, I can start the vehicle and drive away or use it as a weapon. If there were a threat while charging my Tesla at a Supercharger, it would be unsafe for me to get out of the Tesla to unplug, thereby trapping me inside the car without being able to drive away.

Has anyone else thought of this? Any solutions beyond knives and bear spray and 911? (please skip the gun debate here)

I would love to see Tesla come up with an "Emergency Charger Eject" feature.

I can't speak to the gender side, and I don't know if it's a complete fix but I think the charger eject idea sounds smart! I remember reading about a company that was putting flamethrowers on cars in South Africa...maybe Tesla could electrified door handles Seriously though I think you're idea is great, and non so seriously maybe Tesla could do a special security feature where it runs pepper spray through the windshield cleaner nozzles, although that could be an issue for emergency responders.

 

[TechOps]

I don't sit in my car at Superchargers because of the magnetic flux created as a result of the movement of energy during charging. This tends to do unsavory things like mutate human DNA.

Given that, I tend to walk somewhere else, usually grab a bite to eat or something, and I must say I've been at a couple of superchargers in large parking lots that were very desolate in the middle of the night. I never had any issues, even with sketchy characters in the area, but then again I'm a big dude, and I'm always armed.

The best advice would be just to not supercharge at night, if you can avoid it. Next best would be to choose your SC locations carefully so they are in decent areas..again, if you can select them. Third choice would be to at least have a small bottle of pepper spray and your phone in hand if you're in one of these areas.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Believe the OP has a valid concern, however you still hear reports of people getting accosted at gas stations or parking garages as well, when they get out of their cars to remove the gas hose.

Possible solutions are to first choose your charging station to give you the best possible security (some are better than others). Maintain situational awareness. Keep a watch on your surroundings. If you feel threatened, don't leave your car, but use your cell phone to call the Police and ask them to respond. (Some areas have better coverage than others). Carry some sort of personal protection, a large flash light, stun gun, bat etc, Get some combat personal training so you can defend yourself and feel more secure.

A single, unarmed and untrained woman, traveling alone in an unsafe neighborhood is vulnerable. Do everything you can to even the odds.

 

[scaesare]

Cordless charging ought to be standard. If a toothbrush and cellphones can be charged without a cord, why not the car? It could save a lot of connective investment.

It can, and there exist solutions to add it to the car.

The problem is that it's very lossy. My QI pad has about 50% energy loss charging my phone, but who cares when that equates to 5W.

When charging your car at home at up to 20KW or at a supercharger (as is discussed in this thread) @ 120KW, that's a showstopper.

 

[Alrug]

I am licenseed, and It’s my personal preference, to carry a concealed weapon and have it at the ready whenever I’m charging. I also pre dial 911 so I can just push a button if I feel threatened. I have had one or two incidences where gawkers have pulled in front of my Tesla or approached it while I was charging. Thus far they have only been curious, however, you just never know. My advise is to always be aware of your surroundings, never be afraid to dial 911, and always remember that a car is not worth a life! I possible, try to plan on stopping only in daytime hours or in well lit high traffic areas.

 

[Krugerrand]

Everyone, thank you again for your input. I have found this to be informative, entertaining, and some ideas quite useful. Let's back up a step and start again with the premise that a woman is sitting inside her Tesla while the car is charging. A troublemaker comes along and would be presumed to be standing outside the car because it is doubtful he/she (we cannot presume that all troublemakers are male) brought their own chair. This clearly puts the troublemaker at a distinct advantage if the woman were to open the door an an attempt to "deliver a single killing strike". It is highly unlikely her attempt would be successful by the simple fact that she is starting from a sitting position, with her feet tucked behind the door frame, and possibly wearing her favorite ever-so-adorable shoes. Let's say that she is a confident women, well practiced in traveling alone by car, rail, jet, motorcycle, bicycle, and foot. Let's also say that she is older. Let's say 58 years. (I would go on to describe how youthful and vibrant she looks, but that is irrelevant to the premise.) She has basic skills for self defense and is constantly aware of her surroundings. She has a cool head, can produce a withering stare, and is armed with bear spray, a brand new big flashlight, a handheld stun gun, and knows how to dial 911. Being an intelligent woman and knowing her limitations, she is also more likely to avoid a physical altercation than to face it head on. We haven't discussed the one other effective tool she and most women possess. Words. She has used that tool in the form of rhetoric or humor to disarm or diffuse many a situation. In that time between the window being rolled down a crack and the perpetrator being blasted with said bear spray, what might this woman say to diffuse the situation?

‘Dude, step away from my car before I get out and throat punch you with my stiletto.’ *wave said Loius B back and forth like you mean business.’

‘Hey, your fly is down.’ *open door smashing bad guy in the back of the head with all your considerable 90lb might.’

‘You can’t afford me, my pimp just raised my prices. But he’ll be here shortly if you want to negotiate.’

‘Sweetie, while I find you super cute and all, I’ve got a splitting headache. Here’s 5 bucks for your troubles.’ *slip a fiver out the crack in the window. If he rolls his eyes, slip another dollar out and announce you can’t afford anymore as you’ve got to pay rent the next day, and if you don’t pay rent he’ll be sharing this location with you tomorrow night because you’ll be evicted, then his take home will only be half*

‘Don’t come any closer, I’m contagious. The Dr. says I’ve only got 24 hrs left to live. Wanna see the sores?’ *start disrobing*

‘Hey! Can I hire you? I just found my no good for nothing piece of crap husband is cheating on me with that blonde bimbo floozy down the street. Do you know what he says to me last night when I confront him? He makes up some stupid story about helping her fix her plumbing. Like I’m going to believe that story. *continue to rant nonstop preferably not taking any breaths; this will either bore him to death or he’ll realize you’re too crazy to deal with *

Shall I keep going? I got a million.

 

[jackbowers]

A couple of thoughts - first, two bad guys working together would have no trouble trapping a gas car at a filling station. Second, the automated Superchargers that will be necessary in the self-driving era will likely have auto-eject capability.

 

[jpaz]

Just wondering, when I use a J1772, I "unlock" the charge port with the app on my phone so I can pull out the adapter. Has anyone tried unlocking the charge port and driving off while remaining plugged in? Not sure it would be good for the vehicle but if I stop charging and unlock the port, would I be able to drive the car away even if the SC plug is still inserted?

 

[KDF]

Charge at home...

Yeah. Great plan. Like there never was a case of home invasion-ever...

 

[KDF]

Sounds like a good plan, but for me, I'll just wait for you to come back to the car to rob you. Watch out for my car

If I was a criminal in a remote and dark location I'd get myself some nightvision/thermal camera happeni g and spot you before you even know I'm close.....

 

[BerTX]

Thank you for sharing this idea. Until those numbers are posted, I am going to start my charging sessions with looking up the local police number and keeping a log for each location. My father was a dispatcher and I know they encourage people to call in any situation or perceived threat, and they prefer that people use the non-emergency number if it is not an immediate threat.

Unfortunately, this can be pretty useless and a waste of time in many areas. The office phone is answered in regular weekday daytime hours, but at night and weekends you are instructed to call 911 if it is an emergency, and call back during regular business hours otherwise. There is nobody answering the phone.