LAX Parking NOT free

There's two issues being discussed here: free parking, and access to charging.

Regarding free parking for partial or full plug-in vehicles: I don't get it. Saying a certain "class" of car is entitled to special favours really irks. Just my 2 cents.

Regarding charging access: I'd say (grudgingly) the only vehicles with a valid need to charge at the airport are full electric vehicles, ie: vehicles that would otherwise be dead-in-the-water. For the rest, see my previous paragraph.

Then again, I don't understand why anyone should have to pay for parking at public destinations such as airports, or hospitals, to name two.

 

Here's the link to an extensive Wall St. Journal article on the recent decision by LAX to rescind free EV parking:
It's Less Easy Being 'Green' as Los Angeles Yanks Plug on Free Parking for Electric Cars - WSJ.com

 

I just thought I'd throw this out there since I too have been on the receiving end of the free LAX parking and will take as much advantage of it until March 1 as possible. Why does LAWA have to take it away altogether? Why can't they just reduce it from 30 days to maybe 7 or something? Or 5? Or 3? It's like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

 

I suggest that you contact the Mayors office and register your ideas

 

(caveat; approaching rant) personally I wouldn't ... we plugin drivers have already started to become notorious for crying too much. You know what I mean? Waaah - I have to pay $2/hr for L2 charging ... waaah I have pay to park .... waaah my HOV stickers are expired ... I'm sorry but we're all starting to sound like life-time welfare recipients.

I do it too ... I'd bitch because plugin's think nothing of ICE'ing an airport EVSE for 5 - 10 days or more ... just so they can get a couple hours of juice for "freeeee!!! " never thinking, "man - if I take this plug for a week - the poor slob EV driver is hosed". The reality for the EV driver is ... plugin hybrid drivers don't care anymore than the ice driver. So the EV driver who's 50 miles away from the airport has to take the gas burner. EV'rs would be idiots to think there's a 100 % chance of airport EVSE availability. I heard one volt driver say, "serves you right, for not buying a plugin". To me that's like a fat person eating the last drumstick, while standing next to a hungry/thin person ... then telling them, "serves you right for doing all that exercise".
See? We're all a bunch of crybabies - Waaaahh!!!
deal with it - This includes me. NOW, can we please stop crying about no more free parking?
.

 

I think the bummer is that the city/airport was supporting new/green technology and that was a GOOD thing. It's a NICE thing to do for people who are paying more for being early adopters of a technology that is the future. Although I have taken as much advantage of the free LAX parking as I can, I have NEVER actually plugged my car in there or parked at a charging station. So I never looked at it that way. It was just free parking at the airport and the full EVs can have all the charge they want. I had a 2006 Prius and loved the yellow HOV stickers. It was an added incentive to buy the car. That's what all of these things are. If it weren't for the added incentives, I'm not sure if the cars would be so attractive to us!

 

I would suggest leaving a comment on the LA Airports website:


LAX Parking Comment Card



and contact the city (major, and your council member):

http://www.lacity.org/residents/index.htm\

I submitted the following:
The city's recent decision to rescind free parking to plug in electric vehicles is unfair. In addition the rationale for loss of revenue is unjustified since parking in both EV lots at LAX never reaches capacity (this is most likely attributed to the outrageous rate ($30) compared to the alternatives (private covered parking lots ($11-13), taxi/shuttle)).

If the loss is being attributed to electricity cost might we suggest adding additional pay chargers?

Some have commented that they specifically purchased a plug-in (more expensive car!) because of this incentive. When we start to rescind incentives it then brings in to question what other incentives the city is going to revoke. One suggestion would be to post an end date to the public parking incentive at LAX (like we do with the HOV lane stickers).