A lot of food for thought here. I don't think the subject of the OP was a "d-bag" for doing what they did, likely just blissfully ignorant. I personally think it's rude to park and NOT charge. I think it gets a little muddier once your charge is done... Many have posted that as soon as the car is done charging, their opinion is that the owner should immediately report to their vehicle and move it. Tesla, however, puts the SC hardware near places of business and restaurants. If you need 30 minutes of charge, your meal is going to take 45 minutes, and the car is out of sight at a remote area of the parking lot, are you going to run all the way out there or finish the meal? Is it rude to finish up what you're doing and then head out? I'm not sure. I would think if you are going to be hanging around for more than a token amount of time after charging completion, you should move - but there has to be a little grace period. I believe Tesla wants the whole Supercharger experience to be one of convenience, and I think until recently (and only in the busiest areas), most people could head to a SC, charge and park for as long as they wanted without anyone caring. I drive by the Phoenix area chargers often enough and I rarely see a car charging let alone many for example.
Many EV-conscious early adopters have come up with "protocols" for these issues, and should be commended for it. But what happens once there are many more Model S cars on the road, then Model X, and later Model 3? We are already seeing non-EV people buying EVs (and isn't that what we want?), and the problem will compound itself. Many more inconsiderate and EV-issue ignorant people will be buying Teslas! Might there need to be non-charging Tesla parking around the SCs? Looking at Bethesda, at a busy mall where without a Tesla you'd have to circle for half an hour to find a spot on a busy day... If you park at the SC, are you going to move your car after charging with nowhere else to park, or take a half-hour break in your shopping trip which might have already been done by the time you finish relocating your Tesla? Many here would, for the sake of "the cause", but the general public? It will vary.
As more cars come online, there will need to be rules for SC use handed down by Tesla and the property owners. My suggestions:
- Maximum parking time at a SC limited to the amount of time to range-charge an 85 battery with a little buffer (maybe 60 mins?)
- Additional signage indicating parking is only valid WHILE charging, and that you need to move if others are waiting.
- Try to standardize SC parking rules and get rid of the spots that ICE cars are allowed to use.
- Increase use of secure codes (rather than phone numbers) to contact owners who need to move cars - I for one wouldn't want my wife traveling alone and putting her cell number on the dash so anyone can contact her. People do creepy things.
I liken this to the signs at the gym. If there is no wait at your cardio machine, take a little longer if you want. If people are waiting, limit your session to 30 minutes!
This is going to be very hard to enforce though. Property owners, cities, and Tesla already seem to do little for the ICEing problem. Do you think it will be very popular if TESLAS get towed from TESLA chargers?