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EV parking priority

Discussion in 'Electric Vehicles' started by Picasso, May 21, 2009.

  1. hundreds of cars also run out of gas and are parked illegally on the shoulder of freeways as well...Emergencies are something different than normal use.
     
  2. bonnie

    bonnie I play a nice person on twitter.

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    I vote for sharing. It could also be argued that a Roadster driver has longer range and shouldn't need the charger as frequently as a Leaf or Volt. First come, first serve, and free up the charging station when you have enough range for your purposes.

    If we don't share, we run the risk of being labeled 'those elitist Roadster drivers who think they're entitled, leaving the little guys out in the cold'. There is not a pecking order here. If a driver feels they need to charge, they should be able to charge. I don't expect a Volt owner to park somewhere else just because an EV owner *might* need the charging station.

    And consider that maybe, we might gain a lot of help in encouraging businesses to build out the infrastructure. This isn't a competition. it's a team sport.
     

  3. How is a non EV vehicle parking in an EV spot different than a vehicle without a handicap placard/plate parking in a handicapped spot? Both are illegal? Either a car is an EV or it is not, if it has an ICE motor then it is not an EV.
     
  4. mattjs33

    mattjs33 Member

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    I realize this might be a wildly unpopular statement here, but I can't imagine having the audacity to expect to be able to charge for free. Most cities charge you just to park next to a losy concrete curb, for Pete's sake. Electricity costs money folks. I started a thread here some time ago regarding the presence of free charging, and the general consensus was that eventually charge points will be pay to play. Outlets won't continue to put in chargers just because it makes them feel warm and fuzzy.

    It's relevant to this topic, because the charging is FREE. People will gladly take free stuff, whether they need it or not. When people have to PAY, it's funny how they realize what they can do without. As long as the charge points are free, anybody with a charge port on a car is going to plug in. If it costs money (like it rightly should), someone will think twice about whether they really need the juice to get home. I guarantee this problem will solve itself when free charging points disappear. At that point the plug-in Prius, with its 8 mile EV range, will seem even more pointless than it already does.
     
  5. ckessel

    ckessel Active Member

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    Another vote to share.

    Anything that increases electrically driven miles should be encouraged.
     
  6. Yea but there will always be charge stations that will be free (i.e. company owned charge station for employees etc)......I have actually paid for a chargepoint and the cost was outrageous I think I paid 8 dollars for 2 hours of charge(probably .50 worth of electricity)...This is more expensive than gasoline. If this is similar to the pricing structure of future public charging then it would make no sense whatsoever...The costs would be prohibitively high to charge anywhere but home.
     
  7. bonnie

    bonnie I play a nice person on twitter.

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    And if the costs are high (or even just a little more than the going rate at home), people won't use a charging station unless they need it.

    I've yet to pay while using a ChargePoint. But charging a nominal fee might make sense if it filters out the drivers who don't really need a charge, leaving the location free for those who do.
     
  8. Lloyd

    Lloyd Well-Known Member

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    Not if you charged in San Luis Obispo. 30 amps = 6.6 Kw per hour X .28cents per Kwh (peak demand) = $3.70 for Electricity.
     
  9. Larry Chanin

    Larry Chanin President, Florida Tesla Enthusiasts

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    I agree, in the early phases of EV adoption sharing until charged is the way to go.

    We will first need to focus on intelligently written, unambiguous laws prohibiting pure ICE vehicles from parking in EV spots.

    I also favor paying for charging.

    Larry
     
  10. ElSupreme

    ElSupreme Model S 03182

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    What happens when someone has a handicapped/disabled hang tag and an EV. Do they get the primo spot?
     
  11. I have actually seen non ev vehicles but with a disabled placard parking in EV desginated spaces. I am all for moving EV charging stations/parking spots in inconvenient locations, personally I would prefer if the EV parking/charging spots were far away from normal spots.
     
  12. mattjs33

    mattjs33 Member

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    Exactly my point. Public (pay to charge) access charge points would be left for those who really need it, for example those traveling.

    In my mind, if you're a gas station operator along an interstate (or even just a main highway), and you DON'T have a plan to eventually install a level 3 (pay) quick charger, you are not looking forward enough. Like it or not (and I know a lot of EV people deride gas stations), that's the easiest way to build a charging network. The proper locations are already established, at least in terms of long distance travel. Grab lunch, charge up. The restaurants are already there too.

    As you say, I would expect that many employers will offer free charging to its employees while at work as a benefit, even in the face of pay chargers.
     
  13. Dan5

    Dan5 Member

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    I agree, there is no real reason besides wiring that EVs have to be close to the place of business. If it's at a mall, have the handicap parking close and have the EV parking far away. I would prefer that. I don't mind walking and if I don't want to charge I can still park in normal parking spots
     
  14. doug

    doug Administrator / Head Moderator

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    I spoke with a guy a couple weeks ago that told me about an instance where he needed about a 20 minutes charge on his Roadster to be able to make it home, but the EVSE he wanted to use was occupied by a Volt. Not only is the Volt able to get by on gas, but its puny charger wasn't even able to use the full capacity of the EVSE. So he unplugged the Volt, plugged in his Roadster and waited by his car intending get just enough and to plug the Volt back in when he was done. However shortly after disconnecting the Volt, the Volt owner got a message on his phone that his car was unplugged and came out yelling...
     
  15. #115 smoothoperator, Apr 4, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 4, 2012
    The cost is too great to use these stations, I think once Chargepoint etc levies a fee (if it is indeed $4/hr or something similar) I would only use these stations in an emergency or drive my ICE....Would probably end up trying to find a RV park and charging there instead with my UMC. What if Prius drivers create a charge cable and start to do this as well? I really do not like where this is going and the way I see it, nothing good can come from hybrids that invade the public charging landscape. How is paying for something that you have to wait longer for better than something that was free and had no wait? Making a black and white distinction between EV and Non EV charging would preserve the EV car industry rather than have it all lumped in together. This not only causes marketplace/perception confusion but also confusion for enforcement agencies as well as EV/PHEV owners.

    Set the policy that if your car has an ICE motor it cannot charge at EV designated charge stations (perhaps Toyota should build their own network of PHEV only charge stations?), EV means pure not PHEV etc and that needs to be enforced. Billing people for public charging may or may not solve the problem, I know for a fact enforcement will.

    I enjoy plugging in for free in public (when I need a charge) and I think this is an important perk for EV drivers.
     
  16. Lloyd

    Lloyd Well-Known Member

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    What we have not discussed is that by having their own proprietary plug, Tesla has set up a priority for thier own vehicles once their network is in place. What we once chided, may actually be a benefit!! I find it very unlikely that others will build adapters to be able to charge from the Tesla system, where we will be able to charge from multiple sources as well as the Tesla system.
     

  17. Post 75 :tongue:

    EV parking priority
     
  18. dpeilow

    dpeilow Moderator

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    You're assuming that he Tesla charger isn't sharing the parking place with another charger.
     
  19. JRP3

    JRP3 Hyperactive Member

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    I disagree. Charging is cheap enough, you don't really need to charge for free, and you probably shouldn't expect it to continue for very long in most locations. Someone installing a charge point is spending money in the installation and equipment, it's not unreasonable for them to be compensated. Plus it helps eliminate casual charging for people who just want some free electricity but don't really need it.
     
  20. Lloyd

    Lloyd Well-Known Member

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    My experience is that Tesla is negotiating their own locations for charging.
     

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