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Supercharging Etiquette (or a complete lack thereof)
- Thread starter rpo
- Start date
CuriousG
Active Member
The next time something like this happens, call Tesla. They may be willing to call the owner as was the case when an owner left his keyfob at a SuperCharger.
Supercharger - Eureka (Went LIVE 08-16-2016)
Supercharger - Eureka (Went LIVE 08-16-2016)
HankLloydRight
No Roads
Maybe the cops to issue a ticket, but a cop really isn't going to know if a car is actively charging or not (is it actually violating the law?), and I doubt they'd take someone standing there trying to educate them on how the charging cabinets work, or just take their word on it.
And towing isn't an option since you'll never get the charging cable out without real damage to the car, the cable, or both.
I have parked at SC overnight twice at Santee, SC and stayed at the HI overnight across the street. There are six stalls there, and in both cases, they were empty when I arrived and left. I could also see the SC from my hotel window. And I leave my cell phone number clearly in the windshield -- I took the "Zero Emissions" license plate I got with the car and added "CONTACT INFO: ###-###-####" in a large font to it. I keep it in my glovebox and throw that on the dash whenever I'm charging and have to leave the car for an appreciable distance or time. No, I don't care that I'm broadcasting my cell phone number to the world.
I don't think the window QR code/notification mobile apps will ever really take off because you'd need everyone to be on them to be effective, and that's never going to happen.. unless Tesla integrates it into their app and/or the API so alerts can be sent to owners' phones.
Or even just an automatically generated notice: "you are currently occupying a SC stall at a location that is now full, please consider moving your car to allow others to charge". Repeat every 10 minutes until they move the car or the congestion clears. Very simple for them to do.
SDRick
Active Member
Does Tesla have the capability of checking how long the car has been in the stall after it is finished charging? If so, owners could call the number, report the infraction and Tesla could unlock the port, wait for an owner to remove the cable, and then summon the car out of the way?
For an ice car, a quick tow truck would be best, followed by either a police ticket or perhaps air removed from four tires. I do not think this offense warrants 4 slashed tires or being keyed unless it is a repeat offender.
For an ice car, a quick tow truck would be best, followed by either a police ticket or perhaps air removed from four tires. I do not think this offense warrants 4 slashed tires or being keyed unless it is a repeat offender.
FYI - I just tried dialing ###-###-#### on my phone and it doesn't work. You might need to call your provider.
aesculus
Still Trying to Figure This All Out
Don't show this to my wife otherwise I will have to make a trip to WI just to charge my car. She probably wishes that all SCs had this feature.
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
Now I appreciate the value of the head-in spaces, as they are more difficult to ICE.
So there's ICEing by ICEs (ticket and tow them just as would be done for parking in a blue or red zone).
And there's ICEing by our own. As it stands today, a nag is pushed 5 minutes after the charge is complete. But more can be done, certainly. Since a small % of SCs account for a large % of ICEing by our own, geofencing for extra messaging comes to mind.
For those high-density SCs, a simple reminder as part of the charge screen and/or a pop-up that must be acknowledged (You are using an SC prone to high utilisation, or utilization if in the States - please return to your car a few minutes prior to charge complete and vacate the stall immediately when done) would be good.
This is one of those continuous education things - good for training new owners, and good to occasionally remind experienced owners. People traveling won't necessarily know that an SC can go from empty to full to empty in an hour, and locals (both flavors - the garaged and the non-garaged) won't mind the opportunity to be better citizens, given the alternatives.
So there's ICEing by ICEs (ticket and tow them just as would be done for parking in a blue or red zone).
And there's ICEing by our own. As it stands today, a nag is pushed 5 minutes after the charge is complete. But more can be done, certainly. Since a small % of SCs account for a large % of ICEing by our own, geofencing for extra messaging comes to mind.
For those high-density SCs, a simple reminder as part of the charge screen and/or a pop-up that must be acknowledged (You are using an SC prone to high utilisation, or utilization if in the States - please return to your car a few minutes prior to charge complete and vacate the stall immediately when done) would be good.
This is one of those continuous education things - good for training new owners, and good to occasionally remind experienced owners. People traveling won't necessarily know that an SC can go from empty to full to empty in an hour, and locals (both flavors - the garaged and the non-garaged) won't mind the opportunity to be better citizens, given the alternatives.
youlikeadajuice
P 9130
I guess I just don't understand leaving your car at the supercharger overnight for any reason...even if you leave your phone number (which of course is better than not, but still). If you're "keeping an eye on it" from your hotel room, just go move it! Even if it's not a popular spot and there are open spaces when you arrive and when you leave, someone is bound to observe your car sitting all night in a charging space and take note of it and think that's how it's done. If you're worried about the car losing a few miles overnight or the battery getting cold, then just touch it up in the morning. As TaoJones mentioned above, this is continuous education and new/potential owners are watching. This practice might be OK in some places right now with no problems, but as per the OP, it is obviously an issue that is already starting to happen and will get worse when more Teslas get on the road, so why not just get out of the habit now and set a proper example? People need to get out of the mindset that other people "won't need the charger", because they will.
HankLloydRight
No Roads
Simple... if I'm staying overnight and I need a full range charge the next day, it's very bad for the longevity of the battery to do that the night before and leave it fully charged overnight. It can also take 30 to 60 minutes for a 100% range charge to actually complete. So when I pull in, I'll set the car to charge to 80% or 90%, and then when I wake up, immediately set it to charge to 100%.. so by the time I get out there an hour later, the car is 100% charged, the battery pack warmed up and the cabin pre-conditioned. Of course, if there's a problem and someone needs to call me, I'd move it right away. But both times I pulled into Santee, SC after midnight and left before 9am, I really didn't think there was going to be an onslaught of six other cars pulling in to charge at the exact same time. And even if there was, I was easily reachable.
It wasn't to keep an eye on the car, it was to monitor if there was any congestion or problem at the SC and act appropriately.
If they do, I'm easily reachable and close by.
Mike_Schlechter
Model S - P457
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
Ok, I'll play.
Comes down to, in part:
Best practice versus good enough.
And
Recognition of problem areas (3% of SCs).
Or, in the spirit of the season:
Regulations for all versus individual responsibility.
Practically speaking, Hank's solution will continue to work just fine at the majority of SCs continent-wide. There will be no onslaught of Model 3s. Half will go overseas, and most of the remaining half won't leave a 100-mile radius of home *or* won't be SC-enabled to begin with, or both.
That said, If I'm on the road at 3am and need a charge, there's generally a good reason for it and I don't have time to waste. So why should I have to d*ck around with having to call someone's sorry *ss and waiting 12 minutes for them to move their chariot, and that's *if* they hear the phone?
I could sugarcoat that.
And the answer is because, in part, their approach saves *them* time.
The counterpoint is that it shouldn't come at the expense of costing *someone else* time.
In the end, the app will send Hank a nag 5 minutes after his initial charge is complete, advising him to move his car.
Note that's an assumption as that nag *may* be geofence-triggered (in areas of high use). And if so, then all is (more) well. Get the nag? Move the car. After all, some areas of high use aren't obvious.
Except that then we come back to best practice versus practical practice.
It's worth noting that leaving contact info is considered correct/appropriate behavior at *any* hotel DC, given the scarcity of the resource.
I have No Icehole cards printed with, in part, the tagline "Be aware. Be considerate. Be nice."
And so it goes.
Comes down to, in part:
Best practice versus good enough.
And
Recognition of problem areas (3% of SCs).
Or, in the spirit of the season:
Regulations for all versus individual responsibility.
Practically speaking, Hank's solution will continue to work just fine at the majority of SCs continent-wide. There will be no onslaught of Model 3s. Half will go overseas, and most of the remaining half won't leave a 100-mile radius of home *or* won't be SC-enabled to begin with, or both.
That said, If I'm on the road at 3am and need a charge, there's generally a good reason for it and I don't have time to waste. So why should I have to d*ck around with having to call someone's sorry *ss and waiting 12 minutes for them to move their chariot, and that's *if* they hear the phone?
I could sugarcoat that
.And the answer is because, in part, their approach saves *them* time.
The counterpoint is that it shouldn't come at the expense of costing *someone else* time.
In the end, the app will send Hank a nag 5 minutes after his initial charge is complete, advising him to move his car.
Note that's an assumption as that nag *may* be geofence-triggered (in areas of high use). And if so, then all is (more) well. Get the nag? Move the car. After all, some areas of high use aren't obvious.
Except that then we come back to best practice versus practical practice.
It's worth noting that leaving contact info is considered correct/appropriate behavior at *any* hotel DC, given the scarcity of the resource.
I have No Icehole cards printed with, in part, the tagline "Be aware. Be considerate. Be nice."
And so it goes.
HankLloydRight
No Roads
That said, If I'm on the road at 3am and need a charge, there's generally a good reason for it and I don't have time to waste. So why should I have to d*ck around with having to call someone's sorry *ss and waiting 12 minutes for them to move their chariot, and that's *if* they hear the phone?
I could sugarcoat that
And the answer is because, in part, their approach saves *them* time.
Because it's about probabilities. If there's a 2% chance that someone will need my occupied stall at 3am, why should I be inconvenienced 100% of the time to accommodate that?
Or if you have to wait 12 minutes (poor thing!) for someone to come move their car at 3am, everyone is slightly (equally) inconvenienced only 2%of the time.
So you're saying everyone else should be inconvenienced 100% of the time, just in case you pull up at 3am, so you are never inconvenienced?
Right.
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Garlan Garner
Banned
There is no effective punishments for unethical people. The lack of ethics is not illegal. This holds true for more important issues than Super Charging.
Camera-Cruiser
Fully Charged
Guys, it's simple. A SC is an electron pump, not a parking space. You get your free electrons and leave. That's it.
If we can't self police, then Tesla will.
Hell, I wish they would send bills to locals who abuse them, as well as people who park at them. It's not about probability, its about common courtesy.
If we can't self police, then Tesla will.
Hell, I wish they would send bills to locals who abuse them, as well as people who park at them. It's not about probability, its about common courtesy.
TaoJones
Beyond Driven
Well, if you want to be argumentative about it...
You've just demonstrated that your approach risks inconveniencing people.
I've noted that Tesla now nags people, via the app, to move their chariots 5 minutes after the charge is complete. Further, in defense of your position, I noted that the nag may in fact leverage geofencing or some other filtering mechanism to focus upon the more busy SCs. Maybe not.
When you get that nag, will you disregard it? Sounds like it. Does that make you a bad human? Not necessarily. But it does potentially make you an inconsiderate Tesla owner, as others have noted above.
Doesn't matter whose 12 minutes you waste. It's selfish and unnecessary. You can try to justify it any way you want. Doesn't change the fact that you've introduced risk unnecessarily, as it's a *choice* to use a charging space as a parking space.
Just don't try that in the State of Washington, wherein not charging in a charging space is punishable by a $125 fine. Imagine that.
Now, I've gone out of my way to see both sides of the situation. I suggest you try again likewise.
If it's my time you have no problem wasting, then fine. But you've agreed to have your time wasted. I didn't.
So here's what I'll do. Maybe I'll call and maybe I won't. Maybe you don't hear the phone and maybe I just cut out the middleman and call the towing company or cops directly. Maybe they don't see your note either and just tow you and/or write the ticket. Maybe the noise or flashing lights will wake you up.
It would be so much easier if you just did the right thing instead of trying to defend an untenable position
.Reasonableness - it's what's for breakfast anymore.
I charge the car to 90% and move it to a parking space. When I wake up the next morning I move it to a supercharger stall and set it at 100% before going to breakfast if I need the last 10%. By the time I have breakfast and am packed and ready to go, the car is at 100% or close enough.
HankLloydRight
No Roads
You impress me to "see the other side", but you're clearly not seeing mine. By making this request, you're being more inconsiderate of my time as I am being of yours.
Except that in your case, it's 100% of my time, and in my case it's just 2% of yours, if that. It's easy for you to take the high road when you're demanding everyone else act differently to meet your needs, but not the other way around.
I'm not saying I do this every time, nor that I plan to do it every time in the future. I said I've done it exactly twice for the logical reasons stated above, and for the future, I'd take all factors into consideration and act accordingly.
HankLloydRight
No Roads
Being "reasonable" would be making a simple phone call, and not threatening me with calling the cops and/or having my car towed.
Just so we're clear here -- you'd rather "skip the middleman" and not call me directly and wait a few minutes for me to move my car so you can charge... but instead, call the cops which could take anywhere from say 15 minutes to an hour to show up; assess the situation, write me a ticket, call the towing company or police tow truck, which could take what, another hour to show up at 3am? Find some way to disconnect the car from the charging cable, which can't happen without some level of property damage to the car or Tesla's property (or both).. and even more time (I'm sure the towing company isn't going to take a hacksaw to the 400v charging cable), so let's just say they spend 30 minutes hacking the charge port to free it. Now the car isn't in "tow mode" so they have to attach dollies to each wheel to even move the car. And once they get the car moving, then they can tow it out of the charging stall. I'd guess at an absolute best-case scenario, this takes two hours minimum BEFORE you get to start charging your car. I That's your time you're using at YOUR choice. But no, making a simple phone call and waiting a few minutes for me to move my car isn't the "reasonable" solution. Got it.
Maybe listen to your own advice.
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