How Some Tesla Owners Break The Law to "Stop ICE-ing"

@SteelClouds explains what some Tesla owners do when ICE cars park in a charging spot...

This is a clip from Tesla Motors Club Podcast #13. The full podcast video is available here: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/will-elon-musk-finally-improve-tesla’s-service-tmc-podcast-13.269425/

 

[Don.Church]

Nothing?

I mean, they're paying, rite?

I think you made a good point. It’s aggravating to everyone else, but they are within their rights to use it as a pay station.

 

[SteelClouds]

Decorate his / her car

 

[sleepydoc]

Similar but different issue:
Our local utility offers Level 2 chargers at several locations, free for the first two hours and then a dollar an hour, up to a max of eight dollars.

At one of these charging stations at the shopping mall, there is a white Model 3 that uses it everyday, all-day. So basically, this person has a personal charger that no one else gets to use.

What do you do in this situation?

Put a sticker on the window?

I’d start by leaving a note, then perhaps contact the utility? My guess is it’s someone that works in the mall that figures they’ve got a dedicated charging spot every day and either doesn’t realize or doesn’t care that they’re monopolizing it and preventing everyone else from using it. The Tesla community used to be smaller and more considerate. Unfortunately as they’ve become mainstream, inconsiderate behavior such as this is becoming more common.

 

[RayK]

Similar but different issue:
Our local utility offers Level 2 chargers at several locations, free for the first two hours and then a dollar an hour, up to a max of eight dollars.

At one of these charging stations at the shopping mall, there is a white Model 3 that uses it everyday, all-day. So basically, this person has a personal charger that no one else gets to use.

What do you do in this situation?

Personally, if it affected my charging opportunities on a regular basis, in other words, I also work at the mall but need to charge my car for several hours, I would talk to whoever makes the rules for the stations and ask that the "idle" fee be increased to something like $1/min after a four hour time limit. That should be plenty enough incentive to move. Keep the same "first two hours free", then $1/hr. There would also need to be a way of monitoring any gaming of the system, like unplugging and re-plugging in order to reset the 4 hour timer. Since it's a paid system, maybe lock out the same credit card / charging account from being used twice in a row on the same station?

A change like this should incentivize a long-term parker into moving their car at least once a day. Their overall cost for parking will actually go down (they'll get four free hours, instead of two) and making them move will open up a space that normally would be taken all day. For shoppers, it shouldn't be a problem as I would think that hardly anyone would spend more than 4 hours at the mall. Even if they are at a 2 1/2 hour movie, that still gives them 90 minutes for lunch/dinner.

edit: Thinking about this for a few minutes I realized that it might be possible for two people to conspire to get around the "move your car after the 4hr limit". It would take some time coordination to pull off and also long enough charging cables but it could be done, I can think of no way to prevent this scenario other than the hope that eventually one of the participants fails to get back to their car in time and racks up a large enough idle fee that convinces them to abandon the idea.

 

[evphile]

Similar but different issue:
Our local utility offers Level 2 chargers at several locations, free for the first two hours and then a dollar an hour, up to a max of eight dollars.

At one of these charging stations at the shopping mall, there is a white Model 3 that uses it everyday, all-day. So basically, this person has a personal charger that no one else gets to use.

What do you do in this situation?

If “FREE” EV charging wasn’t offered, then it wouldn’t be abused. Why should those who choose NOT to purchase an EV be forced to subsidize those who DO choose to purchase an EV? Same goes with the .gov subsidies and tax rebates. Let EV’s stand on their own market merits and the best value proposition will win.

 

[Don.Church]

If “FREE” EV charging wasn’t offered, then it wouldn’t be abused. Why should those who choose NOT to purchase an EV be forced to subsidize those who DO choose to purchase an EV? Same goes with the .gov subsidies and tax rebates. Let EV’s stand on their own market merits and the best value proposition will win.

How about the concept of offering limited free charging (which is what we are talking about here) to encourage EV adoption? Once EV‘s begin to be close to mainstream, then phase out the free perks.

 

[CyberGus]

If “FREE” EV charging wasn’t offered, then it wouldn’t be abused. Why should those who choose NOT to purchase an EV be forced to subsidize those who DO choose to purchase an EV? Same goes with the .gov subsidies and tax rebates. Let EV’s stand on their own market merits and the best value proposition will win.

I join with you in your call to end all subsidies to the oil industry.

 

[evphile]

I join with you in your call to end all subsidies to the oil industry.

Fair point, but until recently, subsidies for the oil industry benefitted everyone, and I would argue that such subsidies still do benefit everyone—even EV owners, because nearly ZERO electricity produced by utilities is “clean energy”. My whole point is that only one group of people should not be the beneficiaries of government subsidies—if we’re going to have subsidies at all.

 

[CyberGus]

Fair point, but until recently, subsidies for the oil industry benefitted everyone, and I would argue that such subsidies still do benefit everyone—even EV owners, because nearly ZERO electricity produced by utilities is “clean energy”. My whole point is that only one group of people should not be the beneficiaries of government subsidies—if we’re going to have subsidies at all.

Almost 40% of the US grid is produced by zero-carbon sources (20% renewables, 20% nuclear). eia.gov

So if by "ZERO" you mean "almost half", then yeah, sure, it's zero.

 

[sleepydoc]

We should also note that EVs are also getting subsidies, as is the solar industry. The politics and philosophy of subsidies is an abyss far bigger than this forum, so I'm not going to go further.

one big advantage of EVs is that as the power grid becomes greener, EV emissions automatically drop as well. The emission of ICE cars are fixed at the time of manufacturing and actually get a bit worse since they tend to become slightly less efficient over time.

 

[TodayAce]

So far moving back to Tesla from VW ID.4. This is my point of view from the other side. There are far more Tesla blocking the Electrify America CCS chargers.

 

[SteelClouds]

Blocking or using?

 

[sleepydoc]

Blocking or using?

Exactly. The super charger network is one of the advantages of buying a Tesla. EA and other public chargers are just that - public chargers for every EV to use.

It’s not unlike someone complaining about a car with handicapped plates parking in a regular parking spot.

 

[TodayAce]

Blocking or using?

Blocking. I haven't seen one normal car blocking Tesla Supercharger but sadly too many Tesla blocking CCS chargers.

 

[SteelClouds]

Normal cars no. But I have seen the stereotype asshat jacked truck blocking superchargers. And I have seen asshat tesla owners who think ev charging slot is their personal parking spot. Asshats everywhere

 

[vikingrob]

A few days ago, I saw where there were a couple EV's parked in EV charging stalls at the Mall of America, and not plugged in. Normally, that would not sit well with me, but the chargers were down, so nobody was being denied an opportunity to charge.

A local casino has four charging stalls in the parking lot. I have called out non-EV's parked in those spaces, bringing them to the attention of security.

 

[sleepydoc]

Blocking. I haven't seen one normal car blocking Tesla Supercharger but sadly too many Tesla blocking CCS chargers.

Sounds like they need a sticker

 

[electric-donut]

So when the coal roller blocks the supercharger, put this on the note on the windshield:

This is funny to you? What is funny to me is putting 32oz of unleaded fuel in your diesel tank. Ponder that for a minute...

And you think replacing a battery pack is expensive.

 

[vikingrob]

There was a YouTube channel from Russia from a few year ago which featured instances where drivers who drove on sidewalks to bypass traffic congestion were punished with gigantic stickers on their windshields.....

 

[bmah]

Moderator note: The messages for a side discussion about the EV version of a gas tax has been moved to this thread:

Gas tax alternative(s) for EVs (US)

With the US government pushing drivers to EVs, will there be a time when tax per mile will come into play since the federal highway fund is funded by fuel taxes? There has been some state’s proposal to implement a tax per mile. What are everyone’s opinions on tax per mile? I believe tax per mile...

teslamotorsclub.com

Bruce.