Charging Etiquette

[Brian May]

Looks like a good example of what *not* to do: Pedestrian Menace on Twitter

Can understand it might be frustrating on the EV owner however if they have nowhere better to park.

 

[baillies]

At least they did not sling it over the overhead power lines so that dangled down to the car and was not on the footpath!

 

[hobz_]

What is the proper public charging etiquette? I saw this guy confront another driver who was charging her car and chucking a fuss because she didn't check in on Plugshare... Seemed a bit over the top to me.

 

[danwale]

What is the proper public charging etiquette? I saw this guy confront another driver who was charging her car and chucking a fuss because she didn't check in on Plugshare... Seemed a bit over the top to me.

Using Plugshare is considerate, especially while we have limited charging infrastructure, being able to see if someone is there already and message each other. Abusing someone for not using it isn't the answer, maybe they'd never heard of it, it's always better to offer advice and people can take it or leave it.

 

[choppa]

What is the proper public charging etiquette? I saw this guy confront another driver who was charging her car and chucking a fuss because she didn't check in on Plugshare... Seemed a bit over the top to me.

This scares me more than the chimes

#chargerage

 

[Braz]

What is the proper public charging etiquette? I saw this guy confront another driver who was charging her car and chucking a fuss because she didn't check in on Plugshare... Seemed a bit over the top to me.

It's never alright to abuse or confront someone over things like this. Some people just needs to chill.

 

[PcS000]

What is the proper public charging etiquette? I saw this guy confront another driver who was charging her car and chucking a fuss because she didn't check in on Plugshare... Seemed a bit over the top to me.

Jeez, at the moment I would know to do that either.
In my mind rather than jumping all over someone for not not doing the accepted or right thing, why not trying explaining it to them? How is making a fuss about it going to make their car charge faster? What if they’re new to all this? Single minded, selfish a’holes really tick me off.
If explained properly, the next time they’re charging they will hopefully remember to login, rather than being worried about their last experience with PlugShare Nazi!

 

[Mal Cartwright]

What is the proper public charging etiquette? I saw this guy confront another driver who was charging her car and chucking a fuss because she didn't check in on Plugshare... Seemed a bit over the top to me.

Great, now we have to deal with entitled Charger Karens. Is Plugshare a requirement to use a charger? Cos if not, nobody can reasonably expect someone to use it. I don't think it would end well if someone gets up me for doing nothing wrong.

 

[Vostok]

What is the proper public charging etiquette? I saw this guy confront another driver who was charging her car and chucking a fuss because she didn't check in on Plugshare... Seemed a bit over the top to me.

This is a topic which probably deserves its own thread @meloccom what do you think?

My views:

• Only park in an EV charging spot if you are actually plugged in and charging (natch)
• Unplug your car and move it as soon as practicable after charging is finished, especially if you are at a site with only 1 or 2 stalls
• Don’t charge to a level higher than necessary if the site is full or people are waiting
• Checking in on PlugShare is good etiquette on single-stall sites and non–networked sites (i.e. sites that do not provide real-time usage indicators on their respective Apps). Checking-in on such sites does a few things. Firstly it provides recent information to others as to whether a particular site is working - otherwise people would have no idea - and that can greatly relieve trip anxiety. Second, it helps people judge whether a site will be available when they go there but of course that is not foolproof. Someone might turn up 1 minute after the previous check-in or 1 month after the previous check-in (at more remote sites). Totally random.
• rage and anger have no place at an EV charging station.

I generally check-in at every public charger I use. But I have observed that people rarely do it at Tesla Superchargers for example and I think that is fine. At multi-stall sites with real-time availability information, checking in really doesn’t add any particular value that cannot already be obtained, maybe apart from usage history which gives an idea of congestion likelihood.

Which is why chucking a hissy-fit over someone not checking in is so petty and rude, particularly if it was a metro site with realtime availability information.

 

[Skurfer]

I would have just unplugged the car and sat there watching Netflix just to rage him more. Then got out and topped up the 2% I used doing that. He would blow a valve lol.

 

[meloccom]

This is a topic which probably deserves its own thread @meloccom what do you think?

My views:

• Only park in an EV charging spot if you are actually plugged in and charging (natch)
• Unplug your car and move it as soon as practicable after charging is finished, especially if you are at a site with only 1 or 2 stalls
• Don’t charge to a level higher than necessary if the site is full or people are waiting
• Checking in on PlugShare is good etiquette on single-stall sites and non–networked sites (i.e. sites that do not provide real-time usage indicators on their respective Apps). Checking-in on such sites does a few things. Firstly it provides recent information to others as to whether a particular site is working - otherwise people would have no idea - and that can greatly relieve trip anxiety. Second, it helps people judge whether a site will be available when they go there but of course that is not foolproof. Someone might turn up 1 minute after the previous check-in or 1 month after the previous check-in (at more remote sites). Totally random.
• rage and anger have no place at an EV charging station.

I generally check-in at every public charger I use. But I have observed that people rarely do it at Tesla Superchargers for example and I think that is fine. At multi-stall sites with real-time availability information, checking in really doesn’t add any particular value that cannot already be obtained, maybe apart from usage history which gives an idea of congestion likelihood.

Which is why chucking a hissy-fit over someone not checking in is so petty and rude, particularly if it was a metro site with realtime availability information.

Yes absolutely and there already is one.

Charging Etiquette

Looks like a good example of what *not* to do: Pedestrian Menace on Twitter Can understand it might be frustrating on the EV owner however if they have nowhere better to park.

teslamotorsclub.com

From my point of view I generally Check In on PlugShare if the public charger is a single bay installation or obviously busy and I’m going to be away from the car. I rarely check into Tesla Superchargers as they are multi-bay and Navigation can tell how busy the location is automatically. Having said that I do sometimes forget, only human and all that.

 

[Vostok]

Yes absolutely and there already is one.

Charging Etiquette

Looks like a good example of what *not* to do: Pedestrian Menace on Twitter Can understand it might be frustrating on the EV owner however if they have nowhere better to park.

teslamotorsclub.com

Cool… is it possible to move the posts in this thread on charging etiquette to that thread? Don’t want to create work for you though

 

[meloccom]

I was recently at ChargeFox Shell Cove for some regular work meetings and decided to use the DC charging. The first time I was there I dutifully checked in then left to get lunch, 15 minutes later the charging stopped well short of the 90% and I ran back to unplug and replug the car, but it would only charge in 15 minute bursts.
The second time I returned I was more concerned about if it would work, wether it was my car or the chargers and I forgot to CheckIn on PlugShare. (Naughty- Bad Mark!)
This time it all worked perfectly and filled back up to 90% and matched the time it took to have lunch perfectly.
I returned to find a Kia e-Nero driver angrily circling the charging bays which were now full.
It was then I realised I hadn’t checked in and worse when I opened the PlugShare app the other charge user had checked in. I tried to wave to the e-Nero driver but he was still circling like a shark but for some reason couldn’t or wouldn’t see me waving.
So I dropped a Charged Successfully into the app and moved my car to another non charging space and noticed as I went to the meeting he had found the charging bay.
That’s why they call it ”Etiquette“, as in a polite manner but not compulsory.

 

[moa999]

For me the key rule is charge as to how you would expect others to charge.

And that means acknowledging that we're still in the early days of charging and they are a limited resource with often decent distance to the next one.

So for chargers
- don't park in an EV spot if you aren't actually charging
- unless you absolutely need to don't charge beyond about 80% at a DC charger (where it starts getting slow - in most cases that's better for the battery too)
- move your car on completion of charge (Tesla superchargers have idle fees to encourage this)

Probably the only exception to move your car when complete would be if charging on AC overnight at a hotel, or during the day in an office/ railway station carpark.

In rural areas with few chargers, don't plan on arriving at low SoC. Ideally ensure you have enough range to the next site in case it's just broken or in use.

Checking in on Plugshare is a good thing to do, but reality is it's first come- first served and even if you checked Plugshare just before driving to the site, someone else might have plugged in one minute before you arrived.

 

[paulp]

I’ve only ever charged at the supercharger in Adelaide. We’ve maybe had the supercharger for 5 years. Today I learn that you are supposed to checkin on plugshare. Is that before or after the covid checkin?

 

[Vostok]

Checking in on Plugshare is a good thing to do, but reality is it's first come- first served and even if you checked Plugshare just before driving to the site, someone else might have plugged in one minute before you arrived.

This happened to me recently (not on PlugShare though). On my recent road trip I wanted to use ChargeFox Coolangatta Surf Club while eating nearby. My hotel was barely 3 minutes from the charger and I checked it was not in use on the ChargeFox App immediately before leaving. When I got there, a Mercedes EQC driver had just plugged in. That’s how it breaks sometimes. I just gave him a wave and parked elsewhere (and I didn’t blow a gasket ).

 

[Vostok]

I’ve only ever charged at the supercharger in Adelaide. We’ve maybe had the supercharger for 5 years. Today I learn that you are supposed to checkin on plugshare. Is that before or after the covid checkin?

As others have said above, it’s not a sin to not check-in, particularly at a Tesla Supercharger. But at a single stall site in western NSW, 200 km from any other charger? I think it is extremely good etiquette to do so and is very helpful for other drivers.

 

[bcarp]

To all those who are saying it's good to check in using Plugshare, how many EV owners are there in your state/area? How many do you think frequent this forum or others where Plugshare is mentioned, or have had Plugshare drilled into them by their EV dealer/seller? Surely, there are many many more EV owners than Plugshare users, so it's not reasonable to expect everyone to check in.

 

[moa999]

If you aren't using Plugshare you won't know where half the chargers are given the growing number of networks

 

[Maximillan]

Would being able to check in via Plugshare from the car to start the session be a useful feature? What other features would improve Plugshare?