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Most signs I've seen said "Parking for Electric Vehicles only WHILE CHARGING" (emphasis added).
In the Westfield mall in Century City, they just built a new lot and have 30 spots for "clean air vehicles" on the first floor. No charging, though each spot has a double gang wall plate. On each visit there, only 20 of the spots were taken. Of those, about 18 or 19 of them are traditional ICE vehicles. The others being Priuses.
In the Westfield mall in Century City, they just built a new lot and have 30 spots for "clean air vehicles" on the first floor. No charging, though each spot has a double gang wall plate. On each visit there, only 20 of the spots were taken. Of those, about 18 or 19 of them are traditional ICE vehicles. The others being Priuses.
justaddsun
Member
I think my post was a little misleading - I didn't mean I would be charging at this specific local charger b/c I certainly would never need it. But you guys are right in pointing out to: a) think about how much charge I'm actually going to get on a J1772 (ie I've got to really need it) or b) Be prepared to leave the spot if parking is more out of convenience than necessity. So, I've got to put some post it notes in the car.
Kraken
Member
A lot of people here seem to want mainstream adoption of evs but refuse to accept that this also means that the mainstream populace will be out there driving them and not following the etiquette of the original ev populace. I'd expect that if someone has discharge a good portion of a battery and they were going to a movie where there was an ev charging station, they'd plug in and go to the movie. If their charge was complete after 2 hours and its a 3 hour movie, they should sit back and relax and watch the movie.
for goodness sake, don't have someone call you in the middle of the movie... That's more disrespectful than the car sitting with a full charge.
If the charger is at a theater, I expect people to come back when the movie is done. If its at a shopping mall, I expect people to come back after shopping (or when they have a reasonable opportunity after it finishes). Id only expect to see the car moved instantly if there is nothing else to do in the vicinity of the charger. If the sign in front of the ev charger says ev parking only... I wouldn't be surprised/upset if someone parked there and didnt charge. The best thing to do is to have two stalls for each charger so one can be used for parking and the other for charging.
if the spot has signage that says for ev charging... I'd expect the, to be charging, at least initially, and then come back when their errand is done.
That being said, if it is a supercharger I expect that they plan their activities to be within 15 or 20 minutes of the car finishing charging.
I'd be ready for the mainstream populace to have very differing opinions and habits on this issue, most of which I doubt will be nearly as strict to the etiquette suggested here by a lot of early ev adopters and strong ev advocates. Be prepared for the fact at most owners aren't as dedicated to ev and ev outlets like this forum and don't know/share this etiquette.
for goodness sake, don't have someone call you in the middle of the movie... That's more disrespectful than the car sitting with a full charge.
If the charger is at a theater, I expect people to come back when the movie is done. If its at a shopping mall, I expect people to come back after shopping (or when they have a reasonable opportunity after it finishes). Id only expect to see the car moved instantly if there is nothing else to do in the vicinity of the charger. If the sign in front of the ev charger says ev parking only... I wouldn't be surprised/upset if someone parked there and didnt charge. The best thing to do is to have two stalls for each charger so one can be used for parking and the other for charging.
if the spot has signage that says for ev charging... I'd expect the, to be charging, at least initially, and then come back when their errand is done.
That being said, if it is a supercharger I expect that they plan their activities to be within 15 or 20 minutes of the car finishing charging.
I'd be ready for the mainstream populace to have very differing opinions and habits on this issue, most of which I doubt will be nearly as strict to the etiquette suggested here by a lot of early ev adopters and strong ev advocates. Be prepared for the fact at most owners aren't as dedicated to ev and ev outlets like this forum and don't know/share this etiquette.
Common courtesy should apply for anyone that a parking spot with a charging port should be used only by someone needing to charge up. I disagree that if there is more than one charge spot that one could be used just to park at. There could be more than one EV driver that needs a charge. Be kind to those who will come along needing that spot and park somewhere else.
Incredulocious
LEAF → RAV4EV → Model 3 → Model Y
Yes, yes! Unless an abundance of charge stations arise (doubtful, I think battery tech will improve faster), don't use a charge station (or worse, merely occupy the space) just because you can. Leave it available for someone who needs the charge! How's that for etiquette and thinking of others? And if that sounds crazy to you... well, that's telling. :tongue:
Thinking about the future though, it's not hard to imagine the percentage of BEV's climbing up... How long before 10%, 20%, etc? But a comparable abundance of charge stations? Even as battery range improves? If they don't grow comparably, the few there are will always be tied up just from those alone who'll take the spot out of convenience. Available stations are already becoming scarce in parts of the SF Bay Area and Silicon Valley, particularly with free-to-use stations. Which is why I prefer to see pay stations. If you're willing to pay for it, go right ahead!
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
I think the more likely outcome is the current group of ev adopters will just get aggravated by the general population that don't follow the lead. I agree with Kraken's prediction and I think people should not be surprised when they come true.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
It doesn't mean I should change MY behavior. That's my point. We can lead by example.
I didn't say you should, just don't get upset when someone else doesn't follow your lead.
Kraken
Member
that doesn't stop someone (who isn't as enthusiastic about ev as you) from seeing a sign that says "ev parking only" in front of an ev charger and figuring "hey, it's a parking spot for me and other ev users, and there is a charger there if I need a charge too".
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So..... People are going to see an empty spot and think "Bonnie didnt park there"?
Joking aside, seeing your car parked in another spot and seeing an empty ev parking spot, those same people are going to think (if they notice and think twice about it) "that spot must have been full when that car got here"
Even if it's pay-to-charge, it doesn't cost anything to park in the spot without charging. :-(
And in areas other than California, it often makes sense to plug in and charge even if you don't need to. I've seen retailers and hotel owners happy to have cars using the charger(s) they put in. And conversely having a car plugged in might appease ICE owners who drive pass two empty charging spaces every day in the parking lot and grumble at a waste of prime space. It might also open some people's eyes that EVs do exist.
Fedderman
Original: 2012 Model S (85); Current: 2024 Model S
This is clearly a demonstration of individual behavior/philosophy, and one where leading by example and peer pressure is beneficial. My personal philosophy is to use public charging only if I really need it. Unfortunately many are motivated by anything "free" or privileged. Perhaps if the EV charging stations were located in the furthest reaches of parking areas, we would have fewer individuals preventing the "needy" from charging.
Question: your recommendation for note-leaving devices?
Backstory:
I think that one way to help the parking problem is through additional communication, such as leaving notes.
When I first ordered my S, I read much on TMC about parking etiquette. So I purchased an electronic erasable slate on Amazon, one of those things that have a battery that last for months, you write on it with a stylus and it holds that image forever, until you hit a master erase button. If I recall correctly, it also had a light so that the text could be read at night. (I've forgotten the name of the product & manufacturer.) My idea was that I would leave messages on it, e.g., "started charging @ time T, expect to finish at time T1, call me at my cell #XXX if there's a problem/emergency". I'd just use its magnetic backing so that I could leave it hanging on the car next to the charging port.
You see what an idiot I was, right?
Aluminum body. Magnetic slate.
Man, was I disappointed when that thing fell to the ground like a brick. Well, a slate-like brick. Disappointed and then quite shame-faced.
My Question: what would you recommend as a note-leaving device for this car? I don't want to use pen/pencil/paper because then it has to be taped somewhere. Something that can be seen at night as well as during the day. Maybe it could be left on top of the parcel shelf so that it would be visible through the rear window. It's also got to last a long time on a battery charge.
Thanks,
Alan
Backstory:
I think that one way to help the parking problem is through additional communication, such as leaving notes.
When I first ordered my S, I read much on TMC about parking etiquette. So I purchased an electronic erasable slate on Amazon, one of those things that have a battery that last for months, you write on it with a stylus and it holds that image forever, until you hit a master erase button. If I recall correctly, it also had a light so that the text could be read at night. (I've forgotten the name of the product & manufacturer.) My idea was that I would leave messages on it, e.g., "started charging @ time T, expect to finish at time T1, call me at my cell #XXX if there's a problem/emergency". I'd just use its magnetic backing so that I could leave it hanging on the car next to the charging port.
You see what an idiot I was, right?
Aluminum body. Magnetic slate.
Man, was I disappointed when that thing fell to the ground like a brick. Well, a slate-like brick. Disappointed and then quite shame-faced.
My Question: what would you recommend as a note-leaving device for this car? I don't want to use pen/pencil/paper because then it has to be taped somewhere. Something that can be seen at night as well as during the day. Maybe it could be left on top of the parcel shelf so that it would be visible through the rear window. It's also got to last a long time on a battery charge.
Thanks,
Alan
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Hah. I meant leaving a note.
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I go old school: I keep a few preprinted notes in the glovebox of my Roadster, basically saying 'glad to share the charge, call me at xxx to see if I have enough charge to be unplugged'. Then I close the driver's door on the edge of the note, so it's right by the charge port (for the Model S, I'd use the passenger door, obviously). That way if someone is tempted to unplug me, they see the note.
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There are other issues at play here that add confusion to the issue. In some jurisdictions EV parking is provided as incentive to get an EV. Another is availability, for example in the Northridge Mall there is one charger yet two "electric vehicle" parking spaces. Clearly they aren't requiring vehicles to charge in order to park. There may be a "etiquette" to being an EV owner and to be clear I support it, but we do need to remember there are those who don't know or care, they just bought a car, not a crusade. For those who are so anti-government and anti-regulations... this is why they exist.
Sadly until the rules are clarified, legislated and enforced, this, ICEing and general moronicism will continue.
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goneskiian
Active Member
Poor visualization of what made me laugh:
Sharing in case others find it amusing. No offense intended.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
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