I hate people that park in EV spaces!!!

[markwj]

Hello Mark, thanks for your insight on FRT. Both from FB and this forum, I realized that the two major challenges facing us as EV users are 1) the insufficient provision of charging slots because not every EV user is luckily enough to install his own dedicated wall charger; 2) frequent occupation of ICE cars on the charging slots. The later is some how affecting the former. I am a new comer to this forum. Are there any recommended procedures / actions that we should take when we come across an ICE car parked on charging slots? Perhaps, we should follow that recommended procedures to act as a group force.

This really is a tricky issue. On the one hand we want to keep the spaces free and available for charging use (their stated purpose), and on the other hand this is private property (not ours) and really up to carpark management to enforce the rules. We really don't want people to think badly of EV drivers, but it seems that some ICE owners are just idiots out to make a point. Personally addressing these idiots, one-on-one, is pointless IMHO.

The core issue is that some car park management really couldn't care. It seems like they have been _forced_ to put in EV charges, but have no desire to keep those chargers available for use by EV drivers. They are just paying lip service to the movement. For opportunistic charging that is fine, but for someone low-on-charge who went to that car park specifically to charge, it is completely unacceptable.

I, for one, am getting fed up with it.

I can suggest a few options:

1] We put notes on the offending cars. What is the legal status of this? Is it littering? I know putting advertising leaflets under car wiper blades is illegal, but what about a communications note?

2] We identify the offending car parks, with detailed examples, write to them to clarify their policy, and if the policy is to not enforce an EV priority for the charging stations then blacklist the car park, and recommend our drivers boycott them.

3] If the car park enforces EV priority, then we ask for appropriate signage and cones. Moving cones is inconvenient for us, but that really seem effective.

I haven't suggested any of the more drastic options, as they are all clearly illegal. This is not our property (neither the offending car nor the car park space) and it is not our job to enforce the parking regulations. I don't want to see anyone in our community conducting illegal acts.

I really think that the key to solving this is the car park management. Once cars start to get clamped and fined, then the situation will change. For car parks that are just doing this to 'look good', with no enforcement, perhaps the best approach is to make them look bad?

 

[DITB]

Hello Mark, thanks for your insight on FRT. Both from FB and this forum, I realized that the two major challenges facing us as EV users are 1) the insufficient provision of charging slots because not every EV user is luckily enough to install his own dedicated wall charger; 2) frequent occupation of ICE cars on the charging slots. The later is some how affecting the former. I am a new comer to this forum. Are there any recommended procedures / actions that we should take when we come across an ICE car parked on charging slots? Perhaps, we should follow that recommended procedures to act as a group force.

This is something we are working on.

Generally - if there are no complaints, nothing is done.

This is my own personal "policy":

- I go to the parking lots with chargers, when possible/convenient (and I have a choice)
- I connect and charge the car, even when I don't need it
- If I cannot see any charging spot in a parking lot, I ask for one
- If there is one, and it is either blocked, in use, or otherwise unavailable, I ask
- I have a sign, actually two, that say 1) "I expect to be back at ..." and 2) "You may disconnect my cable after ..."
- I am contactable via the QRcode from Charged Hong Kong | Hong Kong Electric Vehicle Association
- I move my car to a non-charging spot when I am done charging
- I consider to park next to the charging spot, and run my extension cable, so that other EVs (without extension cable) can park in the actual charging spot.

Whether or not management listens to their staff, is not my concern. But I must do what I can so that if they do, their staff will say "more and more people ask for chargers", "the charging station is often full, people waiting or asking for more spots" and so on.

Early movers and EV enthusiasts will go quite a distance to charge, while the average car owner can't be bothered. Hence we need to make it attractive to have an EV. Easy to find a charging spot. Making sure they can be found, are working and not blocked by ICE cars.

I recommend any responsible owner to also update Open Charge Map - The global public registry of electric vehicle charging locations

But most important is to report, complain, make any kind of noise when charging spots are blocked.

And an EV not charging is just as bad (or even worse) than an ICE blocking an EV charging spot (EV owners should know better)

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...

I haven't suggested any of the more drastic options, as they are all clearly illegal. This is not our property (neither the offending car nor the car park space) and it is not our job to enforce the parking regulations. I don't want to see anyone in our community conducting illegal acts.

I really think that the key to solving this is the car park management. Once cars start to get clamped and fined, then the situation will change. For car parks that are just doing this to 'look good', with no enforcement, perhaps the best approach is to make them look bad?

Middle men are governed by managers, and the usual motivation seem to be the less I do, the less mistakes I can make. We should go for the head, to have policy dictated from above. Cones really work, and I support signs warning of clamping and/or fines as well. What WE could do, is to help car parks to have the tools and guidelines for this. Maybe a "package" we could have made and offer to them for a low cost. Signs they can put up, with a pre-loaded "policy" they can just copy.

We could also have spray paint templates we can offer, saying "EV Parking only" and similar, in Chinese and English. Offer to paint the spots for free (won't cost us much).

If we could make the government make guidelines or even legislation on this, it would be the best. Even in private car parks, there must be some options if it comes from government level.

 

[jsiu]

Thanks both DITB and Mark. I now have a better idea. Perhaps, should we have some sort of sample note or sample letters to the car park manager? Yes, I can write my own note and letters but could it be better if we are seen as a group. Just my two cents.

I would try to follow the suggested practice mentioned above.

 

[markwj]

I can suggest something that will help:

1] Complain to the car park management. They might do something about it. They might not, but then again they must have metric on how many complaints they get.

2] Document the incidents (here is fine). Let's see which car parks and which cars are causing the problem.

 

[DITB]

Thanks both DITB and Mark. I now have a better idea. Perhaps, should we have some sort of sample note or sample letters to the car park manager? Yes, I can write my own note and letters but could it be better if we are seen as a group. Just my two cents.

I would try to follow the suggested practice mentioned above.

We have discussed making a leaflet with different notes on it, ready to be ticked. Each note would be in English and Chinese, so both receiver and the sender knows what it is!

Legal issues will have to be dealt with first, as it is important to establish whether or not this is classified as advertisement (which is illegal), or a notification.

We would also like to make flyers for Charged.hk - again, the problem is we don't want to offend anyone, or break any laws.

 

[Jason90]

One ICE blocking not one, but two, EV spots in the old Star Ferry Car Park. I complained to management and they made phone calls - not because of blocking the EV spot, but taking two parking spots. Thanks YONNICE!...

 

[lx3h]

One ICE blocking not one, but two, EV spots in the old Star Ferry Car Park. I complained to management and they made phone calls - not because of blocking the EV spot, but taking two parking spots. Thanks YONNICE!...



Post this on PK Parking (Facebook page)

 

[Lerxt]

I think the most effective solution is to shame people. The best way to do this is to put a printed note under the windscreen wiper informing them of their transgression. The wording of this should be simple and direct and mention talking to car park management.

 

[pinguhk]

agree and post it on all websight.
208

 

[gccng0]

I pictured one Tesla and one ICE holding the EV spot in Tung Chung Fu Tung Estate Car Part this morning. The Tesla is not charging but just park on the EV spot.

 

[en-ev]

I pictured one Tesla and one ICE holding the EV spot in Tung Chung Fu Tung Estate Car Part this morning. The Tesla is not charging but just park on the EV spot.

Seems the parking spot on the right is a regular parking space? Hope those CLP's 15A charging stations will be upgraded to 32A soon.

 

[gccng0]

Oh yes, I was wrong, the parking spot on the right is just a regular parking space.

 

[lx3h]

Sign for ICE/EV-but-not charging owners (Printable A4 size) (ICE Sign v.2.0.zip)

I'm making this because there has been a lot more ICE or EV not charging cases these days. Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below, so that I can perfect this. Thanks!

Download it here: (ICE Sign v2.0.zip)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9emHQBd5COmb2NUY0pjUnRKd0k/view?usp=sharing

 

[jsiu]

Shall we also have a Chinese version?

 

[lx3h]

Shall we also have a Chinese version?

Will need someone to help with translation.

By the way, v2.0 is up!

 

[capt666]

Will need someone to help with translation.

By the way, v2.0 is up!

Nice one,
i thought u can speak Chinese ...

 

[Kason]

Hi guys,I try to translate it to Chinese and that's my first attempt.
If you guys have any suggestions please leave your comments to make it better.
thanks!

 

[Linus Van Pelt]

Thanks, lx3h and Kason.

Here is my try. A soft version. Take it if it's of use.

 

[jsiu]

well done.

 

[lx3h]

Thanks, lx3h and Kason.

Here is my try. A soft version. Take it if it's of use.

View attachment 84970

Lovely!!!!! Get your printer ready guys!