People evading idle fee & taking up supercharger spot

[akb70]

Any tips on handling cars unplugging at superchargers (evading idle fee) & leaving them in the supercharger spot so others can’t use it?

 

[RayK]

I suppose it depends if the offending car is preventing somebody (alright; me) from charging at the moment (i.e., all of the other stands are in use). If that's the case, and depending upon my mood at the time, I'll try to see if there's any signage posted that indicates violators can be towed, knowing full well that it probably won't actually happen if I report them. At the very least, I'll leave one of my cards, maybe with a written note to explain why they earned it.

As our President just recently said, "Everybody's entitled to be an idiot.". I do not recommend any physical retaliation against the offender. Karma will eventually bite him/her in the ass.

But running into an idle car has not happened to me yet. The only times that I can remember waiting for a Supercharger is when I rented a Model 3 in Jan. 2018 and had to recharge before returning the car (Mountain View, CA) and when I was up in Tahoe skiing and hit the closest one on my way home in Truckee. Although both times I did not attempt to see if there was an idle car in the lot. I just waited 10-15 minutes until somebody left. I think of it as an extended delay like when I used to encounter someone gassing up their car and then leaving it at the pump (I'm clearly waiting behind them), while they go inside the mini-mart and buy food or lottery tickets.

I understand that dealing with a driver who does this can either be a minor inconvenience or a major disaster. A little research found this page on the internet. It's from 2014 but still has some good info.

The 6 Steps of What To Do if Your Charging Spot is ICEd | Take Charge and Go

Note that I categorize EV drivers who block access to chargers the same as if it were ICE'd.

 

[ElectricIAC]

Any tips on handling cars unplugging at superchargers (evading idle fee) & leaving them in the supercharger spot so others can’t use it?

Name and shame.

Take picture of car, tag and if possible VIN and post it here.

 

[RayK]

I actually tried to find a website where you can do that. Wasn't sure if it was allowed by the forum rules here...

 

[RTPEV]

There's a Facebook group dedicated to that (ICEHoles - Internal Combustion Vehicle Discussion | Facebook). I lost interest in it after only a few days because the people that shame there are (or at least were) a bit extreme in their opinions on the matter. Not that I'm in any way defending the practice--it annoys me as much as anyone--but sometimes the temperature needs to be kept at a simmer so as not to boil over.

I have post-it stickers that I can use in such instances. Two sets actually. One for "ICE" and one for "ZAP" (Zero Amp Parking) that I use for EV violators.

At a Supercharger, though, I would try to be helpful and plug in the vehicle that apparently forgot to plug in. You wouldn't want them to get back to their car expecting a full charge, only to realize they forgot to actually plug in their car, now would you?

 

[stok1232]

That reminds me I need to buy a pocket knife.

 

[parrainx]

Plugging the car in is probably your best option. It will alert the offender and also start the idle fees?

 

[ucmndd]

Plugging the car in is probably your best option. It will alert the offender and also start the idle fees?

I would assume said individual simply forgot to plug in. The helpful thing to do is definitely to plug them in.

 

[RayK]

In that case, and assuming that the car is locked / sleeping, would waking it up by attempting to open the rear door (halfway press on the handle) allow the button on the Supercharger connector to open the charge port? Or is that even necessary (futzing with the door)?

I've never tried it. It would be helpful if the owner really did forget to plug in. And it would be helpful in the other case where the spot is being ZAPed, the car is fully charged and plugging in would result in possible idle fees .

 

[ucmndd]

In that case, and assuming that the car is locked / sleeping, would waking it up by attempting to open the rear door (halfway press on the handle) allow the button on the Supercharger connector to open the charge port? Or is that even necessary (futzing with the door)?

I've never tried it. It would be helpful if the owner really did forget to plug in. And it would be helpful in the other case where the spot is being ZAPed, the car is fully charged and plugging in would result in possible idle fees .

I think there’s a difference between models. My older Model S will respond to the handle button at any time, locked/sleeping or not, and open the charge port. I’ve heard that’s not the case for 3/Y. Not sure about the refreshed S/X.

 

[avs007]

I think there’s a difference between models. My older Model S will respond to the handle button at any time, locked/sleeping or not, and open the charge port. I’ve heard that’s not the case for 3/Y. Not sure about the refreshed S/X.

The button on my charger will not open the charge port door on my Y unless my car is unlocked, or my phone is in my pocket... There were several occasions, where I had to yell for the wife to unlock the car so I could open the charge port, becuase I forgot my phone and/or the wife locked the car from inside.

 

[MP3Mike]

I think there’s a difference between models. My older Model S will respond to the handle button at any time, locked/sleeping or not, and open the charge port. I’ve heard that’s not the case for 3/Y. Not sure about the refreshed S/X.

My Model Y responds to the button on my mobile connector even when locked, without having done anything else. I wonder if it will only do that at home, or if it will respond anywhere. (But I know there were firmware versions in the past that required the vehicle to be unlocked on the S&X.)

 

[Silicon Desert]

I think there’s a difference between models. My older Model S will respond to the handle button at any time, locked/sleeping or not, and open the charge port. I’ve heard that’s not the case for 3/Y. Not sure about the refreshed S/X.

good point. On my legacy X, the charger can't be plugged in unless the FOB is close to it.