Extension Cord Sidewalk Push Back

[DanTeSX]

Little dramatic but I see what you mean. My neighborhood will need to face that more and more people around here are buying EVs and they also own townhomes.

I as well as another person does this with his model s in the same street. He doesn’t even cover his. I imagine more and more people will have this issue in the coming years.

Safety and ADA issues aside, I think this solution looks terrible. It’s easy to overlook one person doing it. But when a bunch of people are doing it, it’s going to be a horror show of frayed charging cables laying all over the place looking very sloppy. You’ll love it when ford gets their electric pickups on the road, and you have people throwing polyester NASCAR driver blankets laid over their charging cable on the sidewalk (or American flag blanket that they may drunkenly lawnmow over).

I really don’t understand why people buy these cars when they don’t have private off-street parking, and expect to be able to charge their cars. For as much as I like nice townhouse communities, their residents need to work with their HOA for an EV friendly infrastructure, and drive ICE vehicles until then. Not just show up one day at a HOA board meeting asking to grant a waiver for their new EV.

 

[boiler81]

Sounds like you will need to bite the bullet and install it the like the commercial installs...Tesla sign optional.

 

[valaeyron]

You may have a right to install a charger. However you DO NOT have the right to create a trip hazard on a public sidewalk.

This. One right does not automatically override others. If someone trips over your cord and gets hurt they can certainly sue you.

If law says whoever created the hazard is liable…it doesn’t matter that you “have the right to charge”…If the HOA is responsible for permitting you to do this, they can also be sued - transferring the “cost” of the legal exposure to the entire neighborhood. The HOA couldn’t afford to pay off 20 injury lawsuits (including lost wages, etc).

 

[RipVanFinkle]

Waiting for the inevitable vandalism post.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I live in MD and we are a right to charge state which means I can install a charge at my home with HOA consent.

They don’t have a problem with my charger but they do have a problem with it extending over the sidewalk in front on my TH.

I’m not even sure what the legalities of this. I know it can be a tripping hazard which is why I bought the rubber mat.

They are talking about it this week and they will let me know their decision.

Anyone else have this kind of issue in their neighborhood?

I can't find the thread anymore, but someone was in a similar situation and installed an outlet on ground. It's similar to this, except without the grass:
Installing a Model-S Charger on a Public Right-of-Way

 

[Floydsox]

Thank you for the replies. When I said I have right to charge I didn’t mean to impede others or obstruct the sidewalk. I just meant the installing of a nema 14-50 charger at my house within the law.

Im just looking for better solutions on the current charging solution that I have to get that current to my car within the legalities of the county, HOA ect.

My HOA said they will “discuss” it at their next meeting. Just trying to be prepared.

Lots of great ideas presented. Thank you for that.

 

[LionXng]

You may have a right to install a charger. However you DO NOT have the right to create a trip hazard on a public sidewalk.

Trip hazard is a pretty strong claim for a highly visible warning mat with a slight raise in the middle that is even easy to go over with a wheel chair. By that argument you DO NOT have the right to run a hose to wash your car? That's a little thicker than the charging cable after all.

Hoses, recycle bins, toys, bikes, flower pots, sticks, and even just uneven sidewalk all regularly create trip hazards on sidewalks. There is an expectation that you will reasonably look out for yourself if you walk outside and considering people step over hoses all the time I wouldn't be a sympathetic juror if you said that mat made you fall.

 

[Floydsox]

Sounds like you will need to bite the bullet and install it the like the commercial installs...Tesla sign optional.

View attachment 769597

If I could have this next to my car at my home, I’d pay for it.

 

[father_of_6]

Yeah, that looks great. Just wondering though... how do you prevent others from using it?

 

[DanTeSX]

Yeah, that looks great. Just wondering though... how do you prevent others from using it?

You can monitor your charger from it’s IP address config screen.

 

[thefrog1394]

Like others have said, the best solution is installing a pedestal on the sidewalk. That's going to be much more involved, both in terms of physical construction (ripping up the sidewalk, burying electrical) as well as legality. You likely don't own that property. I'm not sure what the processes would be for the HOA to allow you to install an electrical outlet onto shared property. Worth looking into, especially given MD laws on "right to charge".

Honestly, the simplest end result might be convincing the HOA to install a few ChargePoint or Blink units with pricing designed to cover install and maintenance costs. There's even companies that handle the entire processes and maybe even upfront charger install costs? (ex Electrada in Ohio). Of course you're stuck paying 40 cents per kwh or whatever at that point.

As far as the trip hazard, there are cable ramps made for this. I use this one across the public sidewalk to charge my car while street parked in front of my house. These prevent trips, allow folks with restricted mobility to pass, and protect the cable from damage. At a minimum you should get something like this (will likely need two to span the sidewalk). I unplug and wind up the cord off of the sidewalk when not charging, and typically only charge once a week or so to minimize the time that the cable spends extended across the sidewalk.

 

[father_of_6]

You can monitor your charger from it’s IP address config screen.

But no way to restrict it to only your vehicle?

Watching it's config screen all day long to then run out and ask someone to stop using it doesn't sound like a solution.

I thought my HPWC would have some controls, but now I don't even know why it has an internet connection. Seems more like just a dumb cord.

 

[DanTeSX]

But no way to restrict it to only your vehicle?

Watching it's config screen all day long to then run out and ask someone to stop using it doesn't sound like a solution.

I thought my HPWC would have some controls, but now I don't even know why it has an internet connection. Seems more like just a dumb cord.

I’m a newer owner who only home charges. I may had mistakenly assumed that the charger and car talk to each other at some level to identify and recognize only whitelisted cars. But I’m sure that for a tech mind, a simple monitoring app could watch the IP from the charger and send an alert.

Perhaps it is as simple as some sort of a physical lock on the end of the unused charger? Perhaps someone should run with this as a business idea?

Or just reel the cord in side when not in sue. The Tesla app will alert on disconnects anyways.

 

[techzelle]

You can just switch the breaker off when not in use so no one can charge on it.

 

[ODWms]

I may have missed it, but is there a way to install your charger in your garage, or next to your driveway rather than across the street? That seems like a better solution.

 

[terranx]

I may have missed it, but is there a way to install your charger in your garage, or next to your driveway rather than across the street? That seems like a better solution.

Sounds like he doesn't have a driveway or garage (house isn't identical to the ones across the street)

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Here's a pretty interesting article about this, it's several months old, but still very relevant:

Confessions Of A Sidewalk Charger - CleanTechnica

I have a confession to make. For 4 years I charged my electric car using a 50-foot long, yellow extension cord. I would plug the cord into an 120V outlet on the side of my house and run it over my retaining wall, across the sidewalk (covered with a cord protector for safety), and attach it to my...

cleantechnica.com

 

[DopeGhoti]

You may have a right to install a charger. However you DO NOT have the right to create a trip hazard on a public sidewalk.

I would imagine the argument could be made that using cable-routing mats as demonstrated upthread is evidence of a good-faith effort to not create a hazard or obstacle.

 

[RipVanFinkle]

Buy a house. Problem solved.

 

[father_of_6]

Buy a house. Problem solved.

This IS his house. HOA = Homeowner association.

If Tesla were *really* Tesla, these cars would charge wirelessly.