Heathrow short stay

[JCremonini]

I am overseas from next Tuesday until Friday and have already pre-booked in to the short stay car park.

Now, they have free charging available but I just want to check what everyone else would do considering I am away for 3 days.

Option 1 - don’t use then as I will be hogging a space unnecessarily.
Option 2 - they are there to use so use them regardless.
Option 3 - see how busy they are when I get there. If they are quiet then go ahead and use them.

I am thinking Option 3. Thoughts ?

 

[KennethS]

Do you mean leave it plugged in for the three days whilst you are away? If so, the thing with #3 is the level of busyness when you go to park will not necessarily be indicative of the activity over the three days. Since the car will certainly be able to maintain a sufficient charge in your absence, can you top up the charge upon your return and thereby not tie up a charger for the three days?

 

[JCremonini]

Yes - I’m talking about all 3 days. Apparently they have 16 bays over 4 floors. If a couple of floors are empty then I think it will be indicative of the next 3 days ?

 

[Chalks99]

Do you mean leave it plugged in for the three days whilst you are away? If so, the thing with #3 is the level of busyness when you go to park will not necessarily be indicative of the activity over the three days. Since the car will certainly be able to maintain a sufficient charge in your absence, can you top up the charge upon your return and thereby not tie up a charger for the three days?

Or get there 45 / 60 mins before you’d originally planned to arrive, charge / top up and then move it to a ‘normal’ parking bay ? Car happy, conscience clear, enjoy your trip ?

 

[Mr Miserable]

I wouldn't worry you'll find them all occupied by Outlanders.

 

[Cowpring]

Surely the point of these chargers is people can leave their EVs plugged in so that they are fully charged on return? Is there a maximum time you can stay plugged in? If not, I say definitely leave the car plugged in for three days.

What's someone gonna do, approach you when you return to the car and get angry that they have been waiting three days for a parking space?

 

[Durzel]

No one is parking at Heathrow to use the chargers, it’ll be people going away on their holidays etc.

That many chargers implies to me that a) they’re fast chargers at best, not rapids, so you getting there early or charging when you get back isn’t the sort of usage they’re intended for, and b) they assume people will leave their cars connected while they’re away.

Nice that you should ask but in this instance I’d say it’s perfectly reasonable to leave your car plugged in while you’re parked.

 

[JCremonini]

Thanks for the replies. I just wouldn’t want to be seen going against charger etiquette. I agree they must be there for people to charge over a longer stay rather than pick up as they are 7kw chargers so not rapid chargers. I, therefore, intend to use them

 

[Generator]

Or get there 45 / 60 mins before you’d originally planned to arrive, charge / top up and then move it to a ‘normal’ parking bay ? Car happy, conscience clear, enjoy your trip ?

This.

Hogging a charger for 3 days is unnecessary, and downright selfish. Just get there early.
Doesnt matter that they’re only 7kw, while your car is parked there, no-one else can use it.

 

[JCremonini]

This.

Hogging a charger for 3 days is unnecessary, and downright selfish. Just get there early.
Doesnt matter that they’re only 7kw, while your car is parked there, no-one else can use it.

But it does matter that they are 7kw. An hour on one of those will give you, what, 28 miles ? Not really worth the bother when there are superchargers a mile down the road. There are 16 of them and, on reflection, I think the intention is for people to leave cars for a period of time rather than just to top up. You could, of course, argue that most people who use the short stay do so for single day or a trip over two days.

I’m going to see how busy it is and make a call when I get there.

 

[Durzel]

This.

Hogging a charger for 3 days is unnecessary, and downright selfish. Just get there early.
Doesnt matter that they’re only 7kw, while your car is parked there, no-one else can use it.

Normally I would agree, but the short stay car park isn't a regular car park. The minimum you’re going to be spending to use it ad hoc is £4.20 (for 30 minutes), £12.00 for 1-2 hours, and it goes up from there. Do you think people are going to be paying those prices to use “free” fast charging?

Heathrow also advertise it as a feature of the parking, so it’s clearly intended to be for people who are travelling.

I guarantee the only people using these chargers are people that are leaving their cars there while they go on holiday.

 

[arg]

In T2, I would agree that the supply/demand balance at present is such that there's no problem with occupying one for several days. There's a large number of points and they are (in my experience) little used. You are more likely to inconvenience someone by waiting to use a supercharger on your return than in the T2 carpark.

In T3, there's IIRC only 4 of them so arguably less acceptable to hog.

I've never taken a car to T5 so can't comment on that.

Another issue: last time I did the "long stay in the short stay by pre-booking" thing, the pre-booked ticket required that I park on the higher levels (which don't have the chargepoints). That was T3 - but you might want to check that there's no similar restriction at T2.

 

[Durzel]

Because of how it works though, having to book your place and give entry and exit times (I don’t know how flexible that is) is it really realistic to plug in before you arrive or when you get back?

Hauling the family out of bed 1-2 hours earlier than they are already getting up, or delaying getting home after getting back at whatever time, just so you can add ~30 miles as mentioned above... you wouldn’t be very popular that’s for sure.

If there were free rapids provided for a splash and dash when you arrive or get back, then fair enough, but these are clearly intended for holidaymakers, and are advertised as a feature of the parking.

I can’t see any other practical use for them except leaving your car plugged in while you’re away.

 

[JCremonini]

In T2, I would agree that the supply/demand balance at present is such that there's no problem with occupying one for several days. There's a large number of points and they are (in my experience) little used. You are more likely to inconvenience someone by waiting to use a supercharger on your return than in the T2 carpark.

In T3, there's IIRC only 4 of them so arguably less acceptable to hog.

I've never taken a car to T5 so can't comment on that.

Another issue: last time I did the "long stay in the short stay by pre-booking" thing, the pre-booked ticket required that I park on the higher levels (which don't have the chargepoints). That was T3 - but you might want to check that there's no similar restriction at T2.

The limitation in T2 is you cannot use the fast track zone on level 1 but can park anywhere else.

I usually use the Meet and Greet service but really don’t trust any old Joe with the nuances of the M3.

 

[Generator]

But it does matter that they are 7kw. An hour on one of those will give you, what, 28 miles ? Not really worth the bother when there are superchargers a mile down the road. There are 16 of them and, on reflection, I think the intention is for people to leave cars for a period of time rather than just to top up. You could, of course, argue that most people who use the short stay do so for single day or a trip over two days.

I’m going to see how busy it is and make a call when I get there.

Most people who use short stay are there picking up people, since you can’t pick up from the terminal forecourts anymore. They are there for about an hour, sometimes more, and they might well need that bay. You’re forgetting that not everyone drives a Tesla. The Nissan Leaf I had on loan for while would struggle to do 100 miles on a charge. Less when it was cold and raining. So that 28 miles of additional range, or half that on a cold winters night, is the difference between getting home, or not...

The fact remains that hogging a charger for your own convenience, when ‘there are superchargers a mile down the road” that you could use when you get back, is plain, unadulterated selfishness. It matters not what you consider the intention of the chargers is, it matters that you are denying the use of them to everyone else when you don’t need them.

Put the shoe on the other foot. How would you feel when you arrive back from your trip to find the dreaded vampire drain has eaten into your range so that the nearest supercharger is just beyond your reach. The chargers that are within range are filled with the 100% charged EV’s whose owners have buggered off for a weeks skiing. They didn’t think your need was as important as their convenience, and besides, what are you going to do about it? Wait for them to get back?

We are at a crunch point in EV ownership. The already stretched and oversubscribed infrastructure supporting them is going to have to accommodate a number of EV’s that is expanding faster than the infrastructure can keep up. If you’re not charging, you need to get out of the way so someone else can...

I can’t believe that such simple consideration for others is even a matter for debate. It’s wrong, and no amount of guesswork at the usage, load factors, the reasons for installation or the motives of others who might or might not use them makes the hogging of a charger for three entire days ‘right’, ‘ok’, or even remotely justifiable. It’s the act of a complete arsehole, so please, don’t do it.

 

[Obliter8]

Every time I've walked past the short stay at T5 the last few weeks, they've been about a quarter occupied. Usually i3 and M3.

They are podpoint if memory serves.

No-one is going there for a splash and dash only - it costs a fortune. I would doubt that anyone would be as foolish as to get there with no charge either. It's short stay, so nobody should be there long enough to suffer vampire drain.

So, I would say consider leaving it on charge.

If not remember there's a super charger not far away, and thank you for being considerate of other EVs (and no, Outlanders don't count).

 

[Obliter8]

Most people who use short stay are there picking up people, since you can’t pick up from the terminal forecourts anymore. They are there for about an hour, sometimes more, and they might well need that bay. You’re forgetting that not everyone drives a Tesla. The Nissan Leaf I had on loan for while would struggle to do 100 miles on a charge. Less when it was cold and raining. So that 28 miles of additional range, or half that on a cold winters night, is the difference between getting home, or not...

The fact remains that hogging a charger for your own convenience, when ‘there are superchargers a mile down the road” that you could use when you get back, is plain, unadulterated selfishness. It matters not what you consider the intention of the chargers is, it matters that you are denying the use of them to everyone else when you don’t need them.

Put the shoe on the other foot. How would you feel when you arrive back from your trip to find the dreaded vampire drain has eaten into your range so that the nearest supercharger is just beyond your reach. The chargers that are within range are filled with the 100% charged EV’s whose owners have buggered off for a weeks skiing. They didn’t think your need was as important as their convenience, and besides, what are you going to do about it? Wait for them to get back?

We are at a crunch point in EV ownership. The already stretched and oversubscribed infrastructure supporting them is going to have to accommodate a number of EV’s that is expanding faster than the infrastructure can keep up. If you’re not charging, you need to get out of the way so someone else can...

I can’t believe that such simple consideration for others is even a matter for debate. It’s wrong, and no amount of guesswork at the usage, load factors, the reasons for installation or the motives of others who might or might not use them makes the hogging of a charger for three entire days ‘right’, ‘ok’, or even remotely justifiable. It’s the act of a complete arsehole, so please, don’t do it.

While people's selfishness incenses me as much as it does you, I think you have to consider the charger and why it's there. A 7kW is not a fast charger, it's meant for connecting for hours. Clearly in an airport short stay car park, you are either there for 30-60 minutes, or a day or two. 30-60 minutes is not useful for charging, so the intent must be for a longer duration.

If they are 40kW and above, then I agree with you.

 

[Keeper]

Why not plug it in when you arrive and then trigger the charging remotely for the appropriate amount of hours before you return so it looks like you’ve only been away for that day. Who would know!

 

[nightowl]

Personally I'd just go via a supercharger and park in a regular space, as I hate feeling like I could be inconveniencing someone else. I doubt anyone is going to be waiting for hours just to be able to charge though if they're going to the airport... Presumably it's just first come first serve so if they're busy, other EV drivers will just find somewhere else to park without charging?

 

[Torokruger]

Why not contact the Management Company of that car park and ask them ?