destination charging etiquette?

[frnkblk]

I bet on a two spot destination charger on a trip and when I got there both had Teslas using them. When I came out 12 hours later Tesla’s still there. 24 hours later still there. 36 hours later, still there! I ended up going on PlugShare and a really friendly local Tesla owner let me charge at his house. He even drove me to and from the hotel.

I put notes on both cars’ windshields with my phone number to please call me as I needed a charge and was out of range of any Supercharger. 1 guy texted me a day later and the second person never contacted me.

Now, non-Tesla EV owners have figured out how to use destination chargers (but not superchargers) with an adapter they can buy online. So it will just get worse.

At work every day, EV owners plug in in the morning and don’t move their car all day until 5 pm. They don’t take their cars out of the spot after they’re charged up. Essentially using it as their private parking spaces. I spoke to one of them and he became belligerent so I dropped it.

Curious if it's better etiquette to park in the spot adjacent to the supercharger slot, stretch/pull the charger cord tight, and leave a sign on your charger port that you're doing convenience charging and they're free to steal the charger back?

 

[Big Earl]

Curious if it's better etiquette to park in the spot adjacent to the supercharger slot, stretch/pull the charger cord tight, and leave a sign on your charger port that you're doing convenience charging and they're free to steal the charger back?

I’ll do that from time to time, just to create an extra charging space while I’m there. If someone is in a pinch, they can text me and I’ll unlock the charge port. I don’t leave a note, though... they have to figure out how to use PlugShare.

 

[frnkblk]

Thanks for sharing.
While we're on the this topic, another evtiquette question: if you arrive at a hotel at 10 pm and it's 4.5 hours to charge, are you supposed to get up at 2:30 am to unplug, or is it "OK" to leave it plugged in and parked in that spot?
And second, is there a way for the PlugShare or Tesla chargers to auto-unlock when its reached the target charge level?

 

[RedModel3]

This is especially important in the Model 3 since there is no battery heater. If you charge the S/X with a cold battery, the supercharge will eventually speed up as the battery heater gets the battery up to temperature, but I don't think this will happen in the 3.

There was something added in a recent update that now, when you navigate to a supercharger location, the battery will precondition for charging. A message comes up on the screen. If the supercharger is more than a mile or two away, cold soak shouldn't be an issue.

 

[RedModel3]

I just stayed at a place in Wisconsin with destination chargers. The owners had two Teslas and two DC's. It was simply a matter of working out with them a good time to charge, and as soon as I was done I moved my car. Given that you're going to NM and not California, you shouldn't have too much of a problem. Be sure also that your watts for charging are set to the 48 amp max.

 

[Mikeydeek]

I bet on a two spot destination charger on a trip and when I got there both had Teslas using them. When I came out 12 hours later Tesla’s still there. 24 hours later still there. 36 hours later, still there! I ended up going on PlugShare and a really friendly local Tesla owner let me charge at his house. He even drove me to and from the hotel.

I put notes on both cars’ windshields with my phone number to please call me as I needed a charge and was out of range of any Supercharger. 1 guy texted me a day later and the second person never contacted me.

Now, non-Tesla EV owners have figured out how to use destination chargers (but not superchargers) with an adapter they can buy online. So it will just get worse.

At work every day, EV owners plug in in the morning and don’t move their car all day until 5 pm. They don’t take their cars out of the spot after they’re charged up. Essentially using it as their private parking spaces. I spoke to one of them and he became belligerent so I dropped it.

That’s really ignorant of those people. When using hotel desination chargers in the day I usually leave my details with reception in case anyone needs to charge. The spots aren’t usually full but if they get full at least I can be contacted.

 

[Big Earl]

There was something added in a recent update that now, when you navigate to a supercharger location, the battery will precondition for charging. A message comes up on the screen. If the supercharger is more than a mile or two away, cold soak shouldn't be an issue.

In the winter time, it will take much more than a mile or two to heat it up from cold. The 1,000 pound battery is a very large thermal mass and could take up to 30 minutes of heating for full Supercharging speed.

 

[sduck]

It varies widely. In Ithaca NY recently, which doesn't have many public chargers, the ones in the municipal lot downtown (pay to park and use) are closely watched - if they get parked by ICEs, they'll get towed and ticketed. And they make a big deal about charging and then leaving your car - they'll ticket you for staying when it's idling. Very progressive town in that regard (my hometown, so I'm glad). The Hilton in Little Rock Arkansas however - they have some 8 or 10 tesla destination chargers, but all the ones outside (4 maybe) were either blocked or not working. They gave me the code for their inside lot, which had another 6 chargers, and most of those were blocked by ICEs. But there were enough for me to charge no problem. The bottom line is to not rely on a destination charger unless you can ascertain that it'll be reserved for you.

 

[RedModel3]

It varies widely. In Ithaca NY recently, which doesn't have many public chargers, the ones in the municipal lot downtown (pay to park and use) are closely watched - if they get parked by ICEs, they'll get towed and ticketed. And they make a big deal about charging and then leaving your car - they'll ticket you for staying when it's idling. Very progressive town in that regard (my hometown, so I'm glad). The Hilton in Little Rock Arkansas however - they have some 8 or 10 tesla destination chargers, but all the ones outside (4 maybe) were either blocked or not working. They gave me the code for their inside lot, which had another 6 chargers, and most of those were blocked by ICEs. But there were enough for me to charge no problem. The bottom line is to not rely on a destination charger unless you can ascertain that it'll be reserved for you.

Just curious, why did you use the destination charger rather than the Little Rock Supercharger? Location? I know the Supercharger is not exactly convenient.

 

[Ken43]

Thanks for sharing.
While we're on the this topic, another evtiquette question: if you arrive at a hotel at 10 pm and it's 4.5 hours to charge, are you supposed to get up at 2:30 am to unplug, or is it "OK" to leave it plugged in and parked in that spot?

In my opinion , it is ok to wait till morning (7 am?) before going down to move the car out of the charging spot. The space is unlikely to be needed at 2:30 AM since most all hotel guests will have already arrived.

 

[sduck]

Just curious, why did you use the destination charger rather than the Little Rock Supercharger? Location? I know the Supercharger is not exactly convenient.

Location, and it was free.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Well, we know the motor can heat the battery when driving, and there's been speculation that there is a zero torque mode that can generate heat without generating torque, but I have not yet seen proof that this is true.

@GooseSerbus and @joelliot

Awesome for you to disagree on a year-old post, which was back when the details of the battery heating mechanism in the Model 3 weren't publically known. It's nice and convenient to sit back and allow other people to discover the truth for you so you can go click Disagree as if you know better.

Newbies. Can't live with 'em, can't ban 'em.

 

[C3P0]

I am looking for ideas on how to responsibly use a hotel destination charger.

Here is the situation. I am flying out of this airport for a 2.5 days (60 hours) trip. There is an airport hotel with a destination charger, and the hotel offers parking to non-guests for $8/day. I will arrive fairly empty, and could use about 5-7 hours of charge at the DC to get back home. This hotel offers a good solution. The car gets parked and a needed charge for a fair price.

But I don't want to hog their destination charger for 60 hours when I only need 5-7, and during 50+ hours prevent others from charging.

How would I do this?

I know I can leave a note and phone number, and I can unlock the cable remotely. But I won't be able to move my car from the EV charging space, and I really don't know how long the cable is or whether it could reach other spaces. The hotel has no valet service and will not move my car. I contacted the hotel and they said to just leave it plugged in for the 60 hours, as they don't get many Teslas. But I still feel bad about it. If another Tesla came by and needed a charge, I'd feel really bad.

Any ideas on how to get my car charged responsibly? I know that other options include spending hours there before or after my trip to charge, or take the 50 mile detour to a supercharger, but I would rather not do those it at all possible.

 

[ebmcs03]

If you’re getting there that early. Park a few spots next to the charger and leave a note. Then when another tesla comes they can park in the normal sport and you can unlock the charge port. (Hoping there are normal spots close by that you can park and reach)

 

[frnkblk]

@C3P0 If you're staying there that long, can you just use a 110 VAC/15 A outlet? No need to use destination charger.

The charging "model" of charging at home with a Level 1/2 charger versus at a DC fast charger versus a Level 2 charger at grocery store versus a Level 2 charger at hospitality and a Level 2 charger at airport are different. I think the first three are pretty well managed, but the last two are problematic because of the extended time the EV is in a parking spot.
If the hospitality sites and airports are OK with providing charging at no cost, and are willing to forgo tracking per-parking space usage, my recommendation is that many more standard 110 and 220 VAC outlets be installed so that the EV owner can use their own mobile charger, leaving the formal Level 2 charging stations for those who may have forgotten their mobile charger.

 

[Stanwood Steve]

Curious if it's better etiquette to park in the spot adjacent to the supercharger slot, stretch/pull the charger cord tight, and leave a sign on your charger port that you're doing convenience charging and they're free to steal the charger back?

I noticed a Model 3 at a recent Supercharger stop that had a label fixed to the inside of the charge port door that said "Text me at xxx-xxx-xxxx if you need this charger". I actually thought that was a pretty good idea so if your car is at a level 2 or destination charger and is done, the owner can be contacted if another Tesla requires the charger. I plan to do the same thing with my car.

 

[rgedad]

I carry one 4x6 colored note card with my Phone Number to call if they need to use the charger - I put this in the driver window when charging at a hotel destination charger - I will then let them know when it is available. I also carry a second set of printed business cards size (you can buy the printer paper with multiple cards) with my number and asking to contact me when the charger is available.

I stayed at a hotel at Galveston Island, TX and that system worked out quite well for the 4 Teslas that were sharing the two available chargers. Even if I could not get immediate access to the charger, I typically knew when the other person would be either willing to move, or when they were leaving.

 

[jboy210]

I carry one 4x6 colored note card with my Phone Number to call if they need to use the charger - I put this in the driver window when charging at a hotel destination charger - I will then let them know when it is available. I also carry a second set of printed business cards size (you can buy the printer paper with multiple cards) with my number and asking to contact me when the charger is available.

I stayed at a hotel at Galveston Island, TX and that system worked out quite well for the 4 Teslas that were sharing the two available chargers. Even if I could not get immediate access to the charger, I typically knew when the other person would be either willing to move, or when they were leaving.

Sounds very civil. Nice job.

 

[TydalForce]

I picked up these
2 pads of 25 "Can You Plug Me In?" Sticky-Notes
and these
Electric Vehicle Charging Hangers

Haven't had an opportunity to use them yet but I like the design and can just keep them in the glovebox