Stranger pulls public charge cable out "Teslas Don't need to charge"

[Mod3forMe]

In one of the parking lots I park at they have public chargers. About 5% of the time I am in that lot I plug. Basically only when.

1. I need a charge,
2. a charger is open,
3. I know I am leaving before the charger time limit would be up.
4. I can't say I do it all the time, but I have note I leave saying to text me if you are desperate for a charge. As many of the EV drivers know each other at the location once and while some one does text, but it never been from me to move, but for me to give them a heads up when I am leaving.

Today was one of those days when I plugged in. When I came out to get my care a lady had pulled up an EV and had just unplugged the charging cable from another Tesla.

He child asked her " Why did you just pull that persons plug out?"
Her answer was "Tesla don't need to charge."

I actually knew the driver of the other car and had just saw them at work as I was getting ready to leave. As I know they live in an apartment without home charging I know they rely on charging at work and other places to get by. I actually asked if they wanted my spot and they let me know that they got one.

So I asked the lady "why did you unplug him?"
Her answer "The car was fully charged"
I ask "how can you tell?"
her... shrug
Her: " he reached his time limit"
Me: "He just got here 10 minutes ago."

At this point she realized I maybe knew more than I was letting on.

I was not interested in giving her a hard time, so I let her know what I was parked right there and she should plug in on my spot and I would get the other car plugged back in (and get the charger running again) as he needed to charge.

I am not sure what the point of my post is, but I do find it interesting that other EV drivers at times think Tesla's don't belong at charging stations.

 

[tyanger]

How was she able to pull the charging cable out of the Tesla? Wasn't it locked in place?

 

[brkaus]

I’m guessing because the J1772 adapter locks in the car. Handle doesn’t lock into the adapter.

 

[tyanger]

Duh! Forgot about that. I have only used the adapter once and that was 5 months ago.

 

[ElectricLee]

Sorry about this. I have seen locks that you can buy.

 

[bay74]

Nicely handled (by you I mean), in my view.

 

[Az_Rael]

I am not sure what the point of my post is, but I do find it interesting that other EV drivers at times think Tesla's don't belong at charging stations.

It is even worse if you drive a plug in hybrid. Used to drive me nuts with my Volt. I carry a small lock that can be inserted in the hole by the J1772 latch. I also have one of those 3rd party locking rings. I only use those devices when I need the charge.

 

[scaesare]

Nicely handled (by you I mean), in my view.

Whereas I would have "educated" her... wanted or not.

 

[run-the-joules]

Some people are only alive because it is illegal to kill them. To be fair I'm likely in that category but for entirely different reasons.

 

[lencap]

Actually she luckily avoided a problem disconnecting the Tesla. I have a J1722 Charger at home (left over my Leaf and BMW i3). If you disconnect a J1722 charger from the Tesla you have to disconnect both the Tesla adaptor and the J1722 plug simultaneously. If you don't the Tesla system sends a fault code and the charger port locks and turns red (ask me how I know). The result is that you have to open the trunk and release the adaptor using the emergency disconnect cord attached to the inside of the charging port. If you don't disconnect it with the emergency release it will stay locked and you'll be unable to charge the car. I'm not sure how she disconnected it without causing the problem, but it was likely just the way she did it that didn't trigger the autolock and red light for an electrical fault. I've learned the hard way - if you're using the J1722 adaptor, click the disconnect icon on your phone, or better yet, on the charging screen. Wait for the light to turn white in the charge port, then hold onto the adaptor and remove it still connected to the J1722 plug in one smooth motion. That will prevent any error codes.

 

[Jrzapata]

I wasn’t going to get one of these. But after this post I guess I’m leaning towards just getting it. Ugh

CapturePro Charging Lock for Tesla Model 3

 

[Mod3forMe]

How was she able to pull the charging cable out of the Tesla? Wasn't it locked in place?

The adapter stays locked but you can remove the charge cable.

She did not do any damage, as when I plugged everything back in, the green charging light came back on.

 

[silentsnow31802]

I wasn’t going to get one of these. But after this post I guess I’m leaning towards just getting it. Ugh

CapturePro Charging Lock for Tesla Model 3

Ive thought about getting one of those myself. Ive had someone unplug my car and just hang the cable on the charger. They seemed to do it for no reason.

I cannot justify the price for that small piece of plastic though. Thats just insane.

Im waiting for the day I can 3D print one.

 

[SoCalGuy]

What a poor example she is setting for her kid. First she makes something up to rationalize the action that her kid called her out on, then she lies to you when she is caught. Some people just have no class.

I would have started on my “how would you like it if someone unplugged your car and left you stranded” - remember that “do unto others...” rule?

On a related tangent, I was grabbing some fast food earlier today and this older guy berates the cashier about some “simple math” that she probably got wrong (it happens). He started to rant about “this is the state of education in America... kids don’t know basic, simple math” - had I not been with friends and family, I would have said “and some people just don’t have class or basic, simple manners.” The irony.

 

[TT97]

I wasn’t going to get one of these. But after this post I guess I’m leaning towards just getting it. Ugh

CapturePro Charging Lock for Tesla Model 3

You could buy a $5 padlock and save $55.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Some people are only alive because it is illegal to kill them. To be fair I'm likely in that category but for entirely different reasons.

We are all in that category

 

[fr100]

I've been unplugged several times by Leafs desperate for a charge. Sometimes I get a note. Sometimes I don't.

 

[Oyinko]

People have different point of views regarding charging etiquette.

A friend of mine owns a BOLT and commute 8 miles a day. At his company, they have EV chargers available for free. With the amount of new EV, it’s getting difficult for the owners to be able to plug on a regular basis.

Hence he suggested that plug-in hybrid shouldn’t be allowed to plug because they can rely on the ICE if they don’t have any battery left...

On the other hand, he has a parking at home and could plug into a 110v outlet which would be sufficient to cover his commute....

The issue is the Free electricity. People are too tempêtes by a free top up and will do anything to get it.

If you own a long range EV and can charge at home, you shouldn’t plug into public chargers if you don’t have too. This will free up capacities and make it easier for people that really need a charge to charge... it will also help you the day you are of town and really need a charge.

But of course, it will be impossible if the chargers stay free...

 

[Shock-On-T]

I can sort of understand a low-range, no supercharger-network EV driver being annoyed at seeing a Tesla at one of the few spots they can charge. If you have a 80 mile range car it's a pretty desparate affair to find a charger blocked.

Having said that, there are of course many times a Tesla is just as in need of some juice, and people shouldn't presume.

Probably best for Tesla drivers (myself included) to juice up at home or cough up for a supercharger occasionally, if they can.

 

[cwerdna]

other EV drivers at times think Tesla's don't belong at charging stations.

Years ago, the joke amongst us Leaf drivers and others w/not much range when seeing Teslas use public (L2) charging as "Tesla drivers, always 200 miles away from home."

That said, I do not unplug any charging vehicles on L2 unless I'm absolutely sure they're done (via indicators on the EVSE or car, where applicable) or I've received their permission.

The only exception is to optimize cable usage (i.e. if doing some swapping allows more vehicles to be charged). However, that's risky because some vehicles may have a charging timer on and there may be no external means of overriding the timer (e.g. Leaf has no external means but GM vehicles do). So, I generally refrain from swapping unless it's a GM vehicle, or it's a setting where the drivers are supposed to turn off their timers anyway (e.g. at my work) or I have a decent chance of contacting the driver in case there's a prob (e.g. my work has a registry of EV/PHEV drivers).