Charging to 100% b/c you're staying longer at public charging

[JetFalcon]

I usually just charge to 90 percent since that's the safe zone. I have not yet needed to take a huge roadtrip where every percent counts.

But sometimes I like to use public EV chargers when its free, since most the time I can easily make it home thus don't have much need for paid public charging. But if its free, why not. I also used to supercharge just for fun, even though I didn't need to, and only in the first few months when I was still on the 10V charger instead of the NEMA 15 Charger. I mainly just wanted to experience supercharging.

But yeah say you're at a shopping center and you charge up, SuperCharger or public charger, but you end up staying a little longer than expected and your car is at 89-90 percent. Do you simply swipe the battery icon in the app so it charges to 100 percent? To give yourself some more time and not get penalized for not charging. I only believe getting penalized mainly applies to Tesla super chargers, which is where I really try using it.

What if its free complimentary charging, can you get penalized or are you just being an asshole that's parking but not charging?

What is the rule of thumb when it comes to 100 percent charge? To like drive it right away after its done charging? Or try drain it to 90 percent minimum before parking it? I've only seen one warning stating "charging to 100 percent can decrease battery life" the second time I did it and forgot to switch back to 90 percent in the app.

 

[OCR1]

I’ve wondered the same thing. I had tickets to a play at the Laguna Beach Playhouse during the Pageant of the Masters and parking was $20. There was an EV parking spot available for $3/hr. I only needed about 3 hours until the end of the show but if the car was finished charging prior to the three hours I would have had to move the vehicle or risk getting a ticket. I wasn’t sure if there was a way to slow down the charge speed so I didn’t want to risk it but I’ve been curious to know if there was a way to do so.

 

[Saghost]

I’ve wondered the same thing. I had tickets to a play at the Laguna Beach Playhouse during the Pageant of the Masters and parking was $20. There was an EV parking spot available for $3/hr. I only needed about 3 hours until the end of the show but if the car was finished charging prior to the three hours I would have had to move the vehicle or risk getting a ticket. I wasn’t sure if there was a way to slow down the charge speed so I didn’t want to risk it but I’ve been curious to know if there was a way to do so.

With AC charging, you can manually set a lower charge rate. AFAIK that can only be done from the center screen though, not from the phone app.

As long as there are plenty of other spaces, I think it's fine. If you'd be stopping someone else from charging by doing it, it's kinda rude.

 

[notrhj]

just a charge-hole

 

[ewoodrick]

Charging is never free, someone is paying for it. You don't need to take advantage of whoever is paying for it.
Other people may need the charging, Not all EVs have the range that you do, so make sure that you don't block the charging for those who really need it.

 

[animorph]

I generally wouldn't use the small free chargers. Those may be needed by some short-range electrics just to make their local trips.

If I'm on a road trip and have plenty of driving before I stop for the night I might charge closer to 100% if I can't make it back to the charger in time. Not something I'd plan on, but sometimes you just need time to finish dinner. I only charge to 90% if that's it for the day, to avoid having it sit at 100% for hours. When staying at a hotel with a Supercharger I'll charge to 90% when I arrive, move the car to a normal parking spot for the night, and then charge to almost 100% during breakfast before I leave. That'll save a few minutes at our next Supercharger stop that morning. At a crowded Supercharger I'll try to leave as soon as possible. Definitely nothing near 100% in that case.

 

[OCR1]

I made the mistake of using a supercharger while eating lunch. I was so stressed out about hitting a full charge before I finished my meal that I couldn’t enjoy eating it. I won’t do that again.

 

[justsomeguy]

If you have enough juice, just move the car. Why add that stress to your battery when it's completely unnecessary?

 

[qdeathstar]

I made the mistake of using a supercharger while eating lunch. I was so stressed out about hitting a full charge before I finished my meal that I couldn’t enjoy eating it. I won’t do that again.

Most of the super charger on this side of the country are only 50 percent full 3-4 spaces so there is no anxiety... even right outside of DC no problem finding spots... need to increase the gas tax....

 

[OCR1]

Most of the super charger on this side of the country are only 50 percent full 3-4 spaces so there is no anxiety... even right outside of DC no problem finding spots... need to increase the gas tax....

But there are still idle fees.

 

[qdeathstar]

But there are still idle fees.

They only charge idle fees if it’s more than 80 percent full...

 

[Knightshade]

They only charge idle fees if it’s more than 80 percent full...

Supercharger Idle Fee

50% full. And fees double if 100% full.

 

[NickleNiceness]

I believe it is half full. So at a super charger with two stalls, if you are there and one empty, it is half full. In any case, unless you are doing a big trip after you unplug, I wouldn't charge to 100% at all, free or not.

Supercharger Idle Fee

The Tesla app allows owners to remotely monitor their vehicle, alerting them when their charge is nearly complete and again once fully charged. For every additional minute a car remains connected to the Supercharger, it will incur an idle fee. If the car is moved within 5 minutes, the fee is waived. Idle fees apply when a Supercharger station is at least 50% full, and double when the station is 100% full. To be clear, this is purely about increasing customer happiness and we hope to never make any money from it.

 

[OCR1]

They only charge idle fees if it’s more than 80 percent full...

Whether it’s 50% or 80% I don’t want to have to worry about how many people are charging their cars while I’m eating my lunch. How am I supposed to know how many people are using the supercharger if I’m not within eyesight of it? I get a text message whenever I’m close to full saying “idle fees may apply” regardless of how many people are there.

 

[qdeathstar]

Whether it’s 50% or 80% I don’t want to have to worry about how many people are charging their cars while I’m eating my lunch. How am I supposed to know how many people are using the supercharger if I’m not within eyesight of it? I get a text message whenever I’m close to full saying “idle fees may apply” regardless of how many people are there.

just trying to take the anxiety away... but now that it is 50 percent i might have some anxiety of my own...

 

[JetFalcon]

I’ve wondered the same thing. I had tickets to a play at the Laguna Beach Playhouse during the Pageant of the Masters and parking was $20. There was an EV parking spot available for $3/hr. I only needed about 3 hours until the end of the show but if the car was finished charging prior to the three hours I would have had to move the vehicle or risk getting a ticket. I wasn’t sure if there was a way to slow down the charge speed so I didn’t want to risk it but I’ve been curious to know if there was a way to do so.

Yeah, this is also another incentive in case a charging EV spot is cheaper than general parking. So far, I have not had a situation where I chose to pay to charge my car because it was cheaper than general parking. But I've had other ways to try not pay for parking. It's alot easier if you can ride a motorcycle.

If I go to Disneyland, I will just buy something at Downtown Disney and get 3-5 hour validation instead of paying $25 to park at the structure. Or if I'm super cheap, I know a secret neighborhood next to the Disneyland parking structure which is only an extra 10-15 min walk. And they don't even include parking on annual passes anymore unless you're crazy enough to spend $1100-1300 on the premium passes. Kinda like they force you to buy the most expensive annual pass to get free parking and if you refuse and buy the cheaper one, you'll end up paying $25 per visit until you could have bought the most expensive pass.

Or if I go to cities like LA, where you're forced to pay for parking. Now that they have Lime Scooters, those things can be much cheaper than paying $25-40 for city parking. Just find a free parking spot, hopefully near a Lime Scooter, and pay Lime instead of parking. I've done that when I went to E3 or Staples Center, I looked for free parking spots in random areas, then rode a Lime Scooter over. For Comic Con, it was necessary to find a Lime Scooter. Trying to park right next to the convention center is a bad idea because there is so much traffic and roads are closed off. So even if you had the $30-50 to park, you'll end up wasting time being stuck in traffic. So you were better off parking off kinda far and taking a Lime because something like Comic Con is way too congested to just park right there.

 

[Knightshade]

How am I supposed to know how many people are using the supercharger if I’m not within eyesight of it?

The app shows how many stalls are in use at nearby chargers

 

[OCR1]

The app shows how many stalls are in use at nearby chargers

But it’s constantly changing. Am I supposed to monitor this the entire time I’m eating my meal and be prepared to run out and move my car as soon as it hits 50%?

 

[Rottenapplr]

I took a 800 mile road trip and still only charged to 90%. Long range is the best car imho. I guess if you do so from time to time, charging to 100% is not gonna hurt but I personally won’t do so in my car.

 

[outdoors]

With free public you get stories like this:

State park campground no electric. By the beach had a single free public use charger. Same women charging her Chevy Bolt going through her mail and paying her bills. With stamps and checks. She said it was her electricity and she charges there every day for 2 hours. Even though she lives 4 miles down the road. She said I was welcome to come back in the evening or on Sunday when there was no mail. I was very nice and respectful. Her bark made me think she had a conversation like this before. I know this is an exception to how most behave, but it does occur.

I personally only use public use when I am traveling. I figure if I am bringing business to a community and they are offering. I will take advantage and also tell the business or even call the public works to say thanks and it helps. Still don't need to charge to 100% and I always move my car.