PlugShare Forum

I don't think plugshare makes a lot of sense for a PHEV prius. The whole idea was for people like me who have a Leaf or some other pure BEV. We may be in some area and be very low on charge and not have any public stations around. So we can look on plug-share and find somebody in the area who might let us charge at their home.

But why would you want to do that with a Prius? You could just drive on gasoline.

 

Are you thinking folks list THEIR plug - but for no reason?

 

If the FAQ doesn't answer your questions, maybe try the Contact link on their website. I would think they'd be able to answer your questions better than a bunch of people who don't even have a plugin yet!

I signed up for an account just to see if there were any charging locations near me (in the middle of Amish country in PA), and aside from the local Nissan dealerships I'm so far out of luck. But, I don't really intend to charge anywhere other than my house. I did read today that the PA Turnpike plans to install charging stations at rest areas in the next couple of years, which is pretty cool.

 

I agree.

With a very short EV range they'd be stopping all the time to charge. If really maximizing EV range is that important, they should be looking at a car with a bigger battery pack. I see the PiP as aimed at someone who does not mind burning gasoline most of the time, but would like to avoid starting the ICE for those short trips where the Prius is significantly less efficient than it is on longer trips.

 

Plugshare is a good idea and its very design is for using it in case of emergency. I would not consider asking someone to come to their home unless i felt i had no other choice.

it is simply another option to keep one from being stranded while enhancing or promoting EV use. Currently there are 400+ Nissan Leafs registered to non commercial private parties in WA State. that still leaves a pretty scattered bunch of people. Social Networking is used to share experiences, data and solutions discovered in a way only an owner can (iow, dont rely on corporate support for this kind of stuff!!)

i have Plugshare on my phone so i can access it if i need to. have never used it but rarely have the need to use a public charging station. (i only do it now to promote the technology and most of these plugs are within 20 miles of my home anyway so its not like i need it)

but its like wearing seat belts while you drive. most people simply feel safer while doing so but its not like you put them on in anticipation of a wreck, right?

 

Yes, what he said

Like I've said, I have been listed since March of 2011, no one has ever emailed or called to use the plugs (which needs to be done so I can tell them the 4 digit combo to unlock the box), it's exists to help out a nearly stranded fellow EV enthusiast... It's not for "everyday use"

 

If you mean that having Plugshare on your phone is like wearing seat belts (you have it in case of the emergency you hope will never happen) then I agree with you.

If you mean that plugging in when you don't need to is promoting EVs, I wonder: How many people will see your car plugged in and think "Wow, EVs exist and are cool!" and how many people will see the car plugged in and think "I'm sure glad I use gasoline and don't have to stop to plug in for several hours two or three times a day!"?

With 40 miles range to empty, I only drove the Xebra if my plan was less than 30 miles. More than that and I'd take the Prius. Even if there'd been charging spots, even if there'd been fast charging, I'd have taken the Prius rather than have to stop and plug in, especially not knowing if the anticipated charge spot would be available.

Likewise with the Tesla, some folks have reported extended road trips with multiple charging stops, but I have no plans to do that. Any trip over about 80% of my range and the Roadster stays at home. I figure I get about 30 miles range for an hour's charging. At 70 mph my range is about 175 miles. 80% of that is 140 miles, and at 70 mph that's two hours of driving. So every two hours I'd have to stop for four and a half hours! Even with Tesla's wall-mounted HPC it would take two hours. If there was a 440 volt high-amperage charger it would take an hour. So best case scenario (using chargers that don't yet exist anywhere I'm likely to go) I'd have to stop for an hour of charging every two hours of driving.

Sorry. Public charging does not work for me. And by public, I include private people willing to let strangers plug in.

The only way it would work for me is if I could reach my destination in one charge and I was planning to remain overnight. Or if the time I was planning on spending there was enough to get sufficient charge to get back home.

I'm all for public charging facilities, and I think that an extensive network of fast charging is essential for EVs to surpass gas. But I'm not sure that seeing cars plugged in will make the public think positively about EVs.

 

I'm buying the PiP because while most of my daily use involves local trips totaling less than 15 miles, I probably make longer trips on average of 5-6 times each month. I would love to have something like the Leaf, but some of those longer roundtrips are in the 150 to 200 mile range. I typically am parking my car at the homes of my clients, and while they might go along with my plugging in at first, once the novelty wore off it might not go over so well. OTOH, I support the idea of charging capability at shopping and business centers, etc, but would not have much use for them myself.

 

Keep in mind that I was speaking of my own personal situation: I have an ideal electric range of 245 miles, or 140 miles if I use the Standard charging (for longer battery life) AND run the heater full blast AND drive the car hard (full pedal acceleration).

For me, there are not any convenient places to charge. And unless there was a charge spot with a cable to match my car, I'd have to bring my own $1,500 mobile charge thingy, and either sit there with the car for the 4 or 5 hours a full charge would take, or risk loss by theft or vandalism. I can plug into a standard RV-style outlet, but I think the Tesla Roadster uses a proprietary connector, so only a Tesla charge spot, or my own mobile connector, would work.

OTOH plugging in while at home is no "bother" at all. It takes a moment to do. Maybe all of 15 seconds to plug in, and the same to unplug.

If we assume $4 gas and 30 seconds of work to fill a PiP's battery, and 45 mpg, 1/3 gallon of "gas equivalent" for 30 seconds work is about $3 per minute for your labor, or $180 per hour for the time it takes to plug and unplug the car. I would not want to make special stops and wait around doing nothing every 15 miles. But at home, it's a no-brainer.

If I didn't already have a proper EV, I'd probably be signing up to get the PiP.

 

When I leased a GM EV-1, which had a decent range, I kept a list of public charging stations in the car. There was actually one that I used quite frequently. It was at the Athens Mall (Athens, GA). Back then several malls in the Atlanta area had the charging stations. It was pretty neat. I did once encounter an issue where there was supposed to be a charging station at a Cosco and it wasn't there. I wound up using the 110 v charger to get enough charge to get to another charging station. I found the 110 outlet where the Coke machine plugged. Got to love outdoor vending locations.

With the EV-1 all public charging stations were free.

When I get my PiP, I will list my charging station and allow charging by others but honestly, I live outside of Atlanta. About an hour outside of Atlanta. I don't expect a rush of people wanting to use the outlet.

 

In an emergency, you got to do what you got to do...