Personal safety while charging

[510Red]

My wife had the same concerns for the few times she’d be Supercharging alone. We ended up buying a cheap ICE for those occasions because there was no way she’d be comfortable otherwise. BTW, she’s never gone long distance in it...just knowing she could made her happy, and you know what they say about happy wives.

For what it’s worth, I’ve gone long distance and never felt unsafe during the day. The night driving has not felt treacherous where I’ve been, but I would opt for a locked hotel room if I needed a charge and the area didn’t feel safe. I encourage her to try some distance if she feels safe during the day. But either way, I live in mountain lion country and I have a big ol’ can of bear spray that is highly effective on large beasts of any kind. I am looking forward to the day when the charging stations are 50% full at all times.

 

[510Red]

Thank you everyone! I appreciate each of your thoughtful replies and you have my gratitude. You’ve given me some great ideas and some things to ponder.

 

[gsteele]

First thing is always to stay calm. If people are thinking about doing you harm, but you’re not acting scared, that will mess with their head. They may then assume you’re well equipped to defend yourself and decide to move on. An icy stare has sent many hoodlums looking for easier targets. Of course having something to defend yourself with will contribute to your ability to stay calm in this sort of situation. I keep a big Mag-Light in the car, and the big torque wrench I have for changing tires would make quite a club. Unfortunately getting it out is harder than reaching the flashlight.

 

[doubleohwhat]

The only ones that have concerned me are Macon and West Palm Beach.

You can add Defuniak Springs to that list. It's mildly okay during the day but not pleasant at night.

 

[BIG ACH]

If only some company made weapons we could carry with us when we charge to make us feel safer

Not A Flamethrower

 

[Wolverinegeoff]

You can add Defuniak Springs to that list. It's mildly okay during the day but not pleasant at night.

Agree with this. Defuniak Springs should be planned around...

 

[510Red]

First thing is always to stay calm. If people are thinking about doing you harm, but you’re not acting scared, that will mess with their head. They may then assume you’re well equipped to defend yourself and decide to move on. An icy stare has sent many hoodlums looking for easier targets. Of course having something to defend yourself with will contribute to your ability to stay calm in this sort of situation. I keep a big Mag-Light in the car, and the big torque wrench I have for changing tires would make quite a club. Unfortunately getting it out is harder than reaching the flashlight.

Yes, a cool head, determined walk, and an icy stare is my well practiced MO and I believe it has served me well. When I was starting out on my own (a very long time ago), my dad equipped my car with a CB radio and my backpack with a Snap-On Tools long screwdriver. I used to keep my baseball bat in the back seat, too. I haven't thought of that in a long time! That center console has plenty of room for my long knife and bear spray, and I will add a bright light...another good idea on this thread. Thank you!

 

[Ketchups]

If only some company made weapons we could carry with us when we charge to make us feel safer

fixed that for you.

 

[bmah]

Moderator note: Moved thirteen messages regarding EMF while Supercharging to the thread linked below:

EMF while Supercharging

Bruce.

 

[Ketchups]

I would love to see Tesla come up with an "Emergency Charger Eject" feature.

Maybe they can add that feature to this:

 

[Super_Popular]

I have charged up and down the west coast alone and at night and they only place that makes me a little nervous is in Woodburn OR. It's pretty creepy around there after 10pm when most of the businesses are closed.

 

[lunitiks]

Solution

 

[Evoyager]

Maybe a system/app similar to GM OnStar might address some concerns: Welcome to OnStar | OnStar

What Are the Available Features?
OnStar requires a subscription in order for it to work, and there are four different plans available.

Some of the features of the Basic plan include:

• Advanced diagnostics
• Smart driver
• Remote Access

For comparison, the Guidance plan, which is the highest plan you can get, includes all of the Basic features plus:

• Automatic crash response
• Emergency services
• Crisis assist
• Roadside assistance
• Location manager
• Stolen vehicle assistance
• Hands-free calling
• Turn-by-Turn navigation
• 4G LTE and Wi-Fi hotspot

 

[MXWing]

Onstar - Crisis assist

It's just one more step to call someone to call 911 for you. It might be useful to record your last moments but its not going to help you meet a threat at the moment of need (right then, right now).

Cameras and bright lights at Superchargers would greatly help but those are deterrents only.

Simple fact of the matter is you are vulnerable when charging. The time it takes me to unplug a supercharger cable and drive off takes me far more time and is far more cumbersome than cover/draw +set/aim.

While you can minimize safety issues by charging with other drivers around, charge in daylight, be really alert about surrounds it boils down to two questions:

1 - Were you going to be a victim/statistic that day?
2 - When circumstances happened, did you have the tools, mental wherewithal, and physical ability to give it your best at confronting the crisis?

 

[Krugerrand]

Just one data point here. I was charging very late at night at the Auburn Mall supercharger off the Mass Pike. This is a pretty desolate area at night after the mall closes. The SC stalls are off the main road, and it's pretty dark. I'm obviously male, and not small in stature either. But this one night, I was the only car charging, and literally no other car or life in sight. Then a small SUV pulls up and parks right in front of my car. Two adults males are inside, just looking at the SC stalls and my car. I felt very unsafe at that moment. Even if I could do an emergency unplug from inside the car, their car was blocking my way (mosty, I could have gotten around them, but that's assuming they didn't move at all). Anyway, they just sat there for what seemed like two minutes (was probably more like one minute plus).. and eventually moved on. Were they just curious local folks, or two locals looking to rob me? Surely they assume I'll have a wallet and cell phone at a minimum. I also had two computers and other luggage in the car. It could have been a pretty good score for them. And with two of them and one of me, my only real option at that point would have been to run if they approached me, but I don't think I would have gotten very far.

If I were a female, alone, in that situation -- needing to charge there to get to my destination -- I would have been extremely scared of being blocked in and not being able to just lock the doors and drive away, even if it meant hitting their car and causing damage to get away.

I think it's a very valid concern for anyone (male or female) charging at a SC location late at night, alone in some of these SC locations that don't have any refuge in case of emergencies.

Pull out your cellphone, take pictures/video of them and make like you’ve dialed 911 and start talking; describing vehicle etc.... Have done so myself with a person in full road rage and that shut them up in a big hurry and put their mind back on business.

The reality is that there will always be a criminal element in life. Being afraid and dramatizing all that could go badly simply paralyzes and negativily affects you, not the bad guys. Women and men should take self defense courses, learn how to ‘carry themselves’, be aware of their surroundings, avoid obvious ‘traps’, know what they’ll do if things get hairy, and listen to their Spidey senses. That is all. Don’t live in fear or let others dictate your life.

And as has been mentioned, contact Tesla about unsafe locations so they have an opportunity to get more lighting installed and such. Contact local authorities to make a report - without people reporting they can’t do anything about trouble areas by patrolling more etc...

 

[SDRick]

Ketchups,

As said up thread, as nice as a automatic eject feature may be, it won't help much if the perpetrator is parked in front of you blocking your exit.

 

[510Red]

And as has been mentioned, contact Tesla about unsafe locations so they have an opportunity to get more lighting installed and such. Contact local authorities to make a report - without people reporting they can’t do anything about trouble areas by patrolling more etc.

I started a new thread called Sketchiest Supercharger Sites. Add the bad locations there. Tesla then has the information to take action, and we can plan our trips around those sites or at least avoid night time charging there.

 

[Unpilot]

Hah. If a car pulls up & that person in that car is overly interested in my vehicle I'm 1) not coming over, 2) would walk further away, and 3) calling 911. I lived for years in Death Valley & the reality is there are a lot of borderline folks out there (a couple former Manson family members lived next door, for instance). Staying aware of personal safety was paramount.

I have a few stories involving things like a security guard putting water in my gas tank so that I was stranded late at night on a desert road (guess who showed up to rescue! - too bad, I'd already gotten far away from my car), but bottom line for me was always removing myself from an unsafe situation - even if it meant sitting 20 yards away in the dark. As my dad used to tell me, "Don't be scared of the dark. Bad people can't see you, either."

Of course we can all come up with outlier situations. But I've been driving electric 7+ years, stopping to charge in the wild more than most & there isn't an epidemic of people hanging out at chargers to rob owners. Could we find a story about it? Probably. And we could find stories about all sorts of other places where someone was attacked or robbed. (I seem to recall a gas station or two being robbed ...) Common sense should prevail about where you stop.

Good post.

What I find interesting about these conversations is this. We live in arguably the safest time in history. Yet we also seem to be living in a climate of universal fear. Common sense should tell us that bad things can happen yet are overwhelmingly not likely to.

I think if one lets themselves they can become completely house bound based on a false narrative of "bad guy's with guns" ect ect ect.

 

[Ketchups]

Ketchups,

As said up thread, as nice as a automatic eject feature may be, it won't help much if the perpetrator is parked in front of you blocking your exit.

864+ lb-ft of torque might help

Just to be clear, I am not for the call for help scenarios. In a life-threatening/great bodily harm situation, I prefer a 1911 as opposed to 911.

 

[MattMatt]

I started a new thread called Sketchiest Supercharger Sites. Add the bad locations there. Tesla then has the information to take action, and we can plan our trips around those sites or at least avoid night time charging there.

Tesla has the information to take action? Take action on what? I find this whole concept absurd. Tesla cannot control the people who are hanging out in nearby parking spots, nor guarantee that you will be 100% safe. That isn't their job. Nor can they control how different individuals "feel" about a particular location.

Additionally studies on street lighting have shown that it doesn't necessarily decrease violent crime (Improved Street Lighting), the only real effect is that it makes people feel more assurance that they are safe (http://www.popcenter.org/library/scp/pdf/07-Atkins_Husain_Storey.pdf) even though there is no true increase in personal safety.

Any Supercharger at any time can have some creepy/dangerous/malicious person there, or not, just like any other place in the world. If someone decides to attack someone, they are going to do it, without regard for what any of us considers a location "sketchy" or not. What you consider sketchy I may laugh at, it is extremely personal and subjective.

But if you are concerned, besides having a phone to call 911, think about having a dashcam like the BlackVue 650/750 which has a blinking LED to draw attention to the fact that it is recording (the flip side of that is that it could draw attention for thief looking to steal your dashcam). As mentioned above by Krugerrand , when someone realizes that you are recording things tend to de-escalate very quickly.

My two cents, Matt