Courtesy info supercharging station

[VirtualE]

Yesterday I was in Folsom, CA and all four charging stations were busy and 3 Model S owners were waiting to charge.
From talking to them they have been waiting for a long time...I have to admit I was at the movies...while my model S was charging.

Tesla asks to provide courtesy information so the spot can be made available in case of need.

As one of the individual holding the spot for longer than I needed, and forgetting to place my contact info, I decided to develop a quick "courtesy info card" to place on the front window.

In addition, since I love to network with other Model S owners, we are a big family, I also added my linkedin QR code info. To create your own LinkedIn QR code I used: http://blog.qr4.nl/QR-Code-LinkedIn.aspx

You can find attached the blank courtesy card for you to customize.
If you would prefer, I have the Photoshop file ready to be customized, just send me a private message and I will send it to you.

 

[ORWA]

Tommaso- curious why you thought leaving your MS plugged in while going to see a movie was acceptable? If you had left your contact info were you going to leave the movie and come out and move your car? How would other MS owners know if your car was finished charging and therefore you should be contacted? I'm just trying to understand what is going through a persons mind when they decide to tie up a spot for hours. Are you on a road trip and decided to see a movie while charging or are you local and just decided to get some free juice? I know people tying up Superchargers for hours are causing all kinds of problems for people waiting forever for a slot. I know I would be furious if I was on a long trip and I had to wait for hours for someone to finally return and unplug. As a courtesy, why not come back after 30 minutes and move your car? I do give you full credit for admitting to seeing a movie and doing something publicly to make the situation better.

 

[AlMc]

The idea of placing a courtesy card is a good one. I use a local SC in Delaware from time to time but never leave the area. Admitably I do get 'free juice' this way but I also hang with the car to answer questions from potential Tesla owners and to meet other owners. If all the spots happen to be taken while I am charging (has never happened) and an additional long distance traveler comes by for a charge I would think it only natural courtesy to move.

While I thank the OP for admitting his mistake and apologizing for it, this was poor judgement at best. It is bad enough to be 'ICED' out of a spot, but to be TESLAD out of one??

 

[cybrown]

I don't fully understand why this is necessary. I'm currently waiting on delivery of my Model S, so I don't have the perspective of real-world use, but in my opinion you should only park at a SC for as long as you need to charge. You should monitor your status and move the car after it is full. Therefore there shouldn't be much of a need to ask people to move, because if they are charging, they need it. The idea that you can use SCs as parking spaces while you go to the movies or do other long tasks without returning is just rude. IMO you have a responsibility to more your car when full!

 

[AlMc]

I don't fully understand why this is necessary. I'm currently waiting on delivery of my Model S, so I don't have the perspective of real-world use, but in my opinion you should only park at a SC for as long as you need to charge. You should monitor your status and move the car after it is full. Therefore there shouldn't be much of a need to ask people to move, because if they are charging, they need it. The idea that you can use SCs as parking spaces while you go to the movies or do other long tasks without returning is just rude. IMO you have a responsibility to more your car when full!

Exactly. Cybrown you will find out that 'ICING' is much more common that the above mentioned problem. Good luck with your S!

 

[VirtualE]

First of all, thank you for the "public hanging", I hope you will never keep the spot more than one second more than you need.
....at least I was honest in admitting that I "iced the spot", my apologizes.

Tesla Charging stations are placed in strategic location where you can can shop, have fun, and dinner.
While we always have good intentions, it might happen that you end up staying longer: you might be in the middle of a last purchase, or just seating down enjoying a meal while waiting; or even relaxing while watching a movie during a road-trip.

Usually I use the supercharger only for the necessary minutes, sometimes I wait in my Model S. Last evening it was the first time I saw so many Model S at the same time, seven in total. It is testament of the success of Tesla, and the Folsom location on the route to Lake Tahoe and Bay Area.

So, before we pass judgment, it might happen to "ice" the spot, and that all the other spots are FULL. I feel it is just good courtesy to display a quick contact information like the one above. My idea was to suggest the correct behavior.

 

[AlMc]

Basically, you were inconsiderate. Correct. And you admitted to your mistake and have offered to a possible solution. Correct. I give you credit for stepping up and admitting to your mistake. Time to move on.

 

[Jason S]

I've thought it would be nice to have such a thing on my dash but then I've considered the times I've supercharged and... I've never stayed a minute longer than I've needed. I've been anxious to move on.

Such an item would be better suited to getting opportunity charges at regular J1772 outlets. Only useful if I was getting a charge and could cut my 'visit' short.

 

[gaswalla]

My issue with this thread is that the SC was essentially put out of commission by a local resident while folks on long distance road trips waited for the local to return.. I wish there was some way to limit use of SC's that are nearby to the owner's residence.

 

[tdiggity]

The unfortunate side affect of free charging. Gotta get used to this on crowded holidays and during peak hours.

 

[Sakamoto]

Well, there doesn't seem to be much more to say on this topic (for me at least) except the one thing that seems to be missing: Thank you Tommaso for not only creating the calling card, but also sharing it with everyone. I don't need one just yet as I usually charge at home, though I will certainly keep it in mind on my next road trip.

 

[Jason S]

My issue with this thread is that the SC was essentially put out of commission by a local resident while folks on long distance road trips waited for the local to return.. I wish there was some way to limit use of SC's that are nearby to the owner's residence.

Well, I have used the Folsom supercharger twice as well. (It is semi-local to me; about 25 miles away)

Once because I'd forgotten my mobile charger 100 miles into a longer trip and it would've been near impossible to make the trip that same day without returning through Folsom and topping up then going back on the trip. I'd needed the supercharger desperately then.

Second time was returning from such a trip while still charging overnight from the 110V in my garage. I needed a partial top up so I could make it through the week without needing to spend time at some other higher amp charger during the week (normally I caught up over the weekend). That second time I just stuck it out at the car since I only needed 15-20 minutes.

In both cases the 'local' supercharger was quite welcome and it would've been highly inconvenient without them. Now I have a HPWC so both issues are fixed, so no worries.

 

[gaswalla]

Don't feel guilty for using it appropriately.. On the other hand, if you live locally, use the SC, and go to the movies, that's a whole different issue.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Yesterday I was in Folsom, CA and all four charging stations were busy and 3 Model S owners were waiting to charge.
From talking to them they have been waiting for a long time...I have to admit I was at the movies...while my model S was charging.

Tesla asks to provide courtesy information so the spot can be made available in case of need.

As one of the individual holding the spot for longer than I needed, and forgetting to place my contact info, I decided to develop a quick "courtesy info card" to place on the front window.

In addition, since I love to network with other Model S owners, we are a big family, I also added my linkedin QR code info. To create your own LinkedIn QR code I used: http://blog.qr4.nl/QR-Code-LinkedIn.aspx

You can find attached the blank courtesy card for you to customize.
If you would prefer, I have the Photoshop file ready to be customized, just send me a private message and I will send it to you.


View attachment 25182

Wait, let me get this straight… you want to make it someone else's responsibility to contact you when you hog up a supercharger space while you are at a movie, having dinner or shopping? How on earth can you feel it appropriate for someone else to page you to ask you to move your car? That's something you should do of your own accord. When you pull into a supercharger, you know how much charge you need and how fast it's charging. You absolutely know, immediately, how long it's going to take you to charge up and IT'S YOUR BLOODY RESPONSIBILITY to manage your movie-going, shopping and dining schedule appropriately - not to put the notification responsibility on someone else.

I do not at all applaud anything about you, especially this lame attempt to make someone else contact you to do something that you should plan for and do on your own. Are you one of those people who has other people do everything for them? And what on earth made you think that this sort of douchey behavior would be appropriate in the first place?

First of all, thank you for the "public hanging", I hope you will never keep the spot more than one second more than you need.
….at least I was honest in admitting that I "iced the spot", my apologizes.

Did you expect to be praised and applauded for your rude and inconsiderate behavior?

By the way, if you have owner access to the Teslamotors.com forums, there is a private owner thread there all about you, specifically. It seems you've really made your mark on the Tesla community.

Tesla Charging stations are placed in strategic location where you can can shop, have fun, and dinner.
While we always have good intentions, it might happen that you end up staying longer: you might be in the middle of a last purchase, or just seating down enjoying a meal while waiting; or even relaxing while watching a movie during a road-trip.

Um, no. Superchargers are not "parking places" for you to use while you shop, dine and watch a movie. Tesla puts the SCs in central locations with lots of traffic. If you can't spend 20-40 minutes charging your car without needing to take a shopping, dining and movie-going excursion, then you better make sure you are back by the time your car is done charging. Set the damn alarm on your phone - assuming you have one of those things? Is that so hard to do?

So, before we pass judgment, it might happen to "ice" the spot, and that all the other spots are FULL. I feel it is just good courtesy to display a quick contact information like the one above. My idea was to suggest the correct behavior.

I propose "correct behavior" as not being a selfish prig in the first place.

 

[Keith72]

It's great that you're now using a sign to let people know, but how is someone going to text you when you're at a movie? Are you also one of those inconsiderate people who leave their phones on while in the movie theater? As others have mentioned, people need to take responsibility for moving their own cars. It's very easy to estimate when your car will be done, or you can follow the charging on an app (but again you'll need to leave your phone on while watching the movie).

 

[dsm363]

Let's try and be as civil as possible.

The Superchargers are intended for people to other things briefly while charging but that usually means taking a quick break, grabbing a coffee or a sandwich but staying in the area. If none of the spots are full when you arrive then leaving your contact info and going for a short dinner is not the worst thing in the world but if it is busy, you really need to try and stay in the general area or at least monitor the charge on your mobile phone so you can arrive back at the car when it is done. You can always go back to your meal. Going to a 2 hour movie with your phone off (unless you keep your phone on during the movie) when the Superchargers are busy (even if you leave your contact information) probably isn't the best way to do it. That means you likely miss 10 min of the movie you paid to go see just to move your car. Better to charge for 10 min before the movie, park your car and see the movie, then come back and finish charging if it works out that way.

 

[Kipernicus]

When you pull into a supercharger, you know how much charge you need and how fast it's charging. You absolutely know, immediately, how long it's going to take you to charge up

Actually, you don't. The SC ramps down the charging rate as the SOC gets higher. Neither the car nor app tells you estimated time to finish like when you plug into a level2 charger.

I propose "correct behavior" as not being a selfish prig in the first place.

I suppose this rant was a shining example of "correct behavior"?

 

[dsm363]

Actually, you don't. The SC ramps down the charging rate as the SOC gets higher. Neither the car nor app tells you estimated time to finish like when you plug into a level2 charger.

I've never used a Supercharger but you have a general idea though, right? If you pull in with 100 miles of rated range and do a max range Supercharge at 120kWh you know it isn't going to be more than 20-30 min at most meaning going for a 2-3 hour movie will be blocking the spot for much longer than necessary.

I don't think everyone expects people to hover over the charge port to unplug with 5 seconds of finishing but if you don't leave a note with your mobile number and don't stay within a few min walk then you really need to keep a close eye on your charge or just plan on coming back in 20-30 min to unplug.

When I plug into a level 2 charger, the iPhone app says '3 hours remaining' for example so it does tell you how much longer.

 

[markb1]

When you pull into a supercharger, you know how much charge you need and how fast it's charging. You absolutely know, immediately, how long it's going to take you to charge up and IT'S YOUR BLOODY RESPONSIBILITY to manage your movie-going, shopping and dining schedule appropriately - not to put the notification responsibility on someone else.

It's not really true that you know when it will be done charging. Since superchargers are shared between two cars, and the charge rate is a curve, it's hard to know when it will be finished. If you're the second one to plug into the supercharger, your car is doing a range charge from empty, and the first car to plug in just started a range charge from empty, it's not unreasonable that it could take as long as a movie to complete.

 

[dsm363]

It's not really true that you know when it will be done charging. Since superchargers are shared between two cars, and the charge rate is a curve, it's hard to know when it will be finished. If you're the second one to plug into the supercharger, your car is doing a range charge from empty, and the first car to plug in just started a range charge from empty, it's not unreasonable that it could take as long as a movie to complete.

But all this assumes you are keeping an eye on the charge though. If you are checking your phone often during the movie to watch the progress so you can walk out when it is done to unplug then that is fine. If you go away for over 2 hours and turn your phone off not knowing what time the charging will be done (and there are 3 people waiting when you get back) then it is more of an issue.