Featured EV Myths - add your own!

Myth #4, All EV or PHEV users who use public charging stations, either Chargepoint or other providers will make sure to move out of the spot after their car has charged in order to help the next person who pulls in and who may DESPERATELY need a charge, or to just plug in and extend their range by a few more miles in order to make home! How about maybe not hogging the spot for all day/nite, or 8 to 10 hours until their work shift is over, or they really don't need to charge! The PHEV have gas in their tanks and they would be just fine, if god forbid, they actually burned some of it to help someone else who might really need a charge...........just sayin!!!!
Sometimes no matter how well the intention might be, a service is only as good as the users make it, and how well the company enforces fair rules for all to follow!

• Fun ChargePoint Fact: our network data shows that EV drivers stay parked for 50% longer than they need to charge, on average.

Yeah because they are too busy being self righteous asses!

 

I truly LONG for the day when ALL chargepoints start ratcheting up the fees upon completion, or after a certain amount of time. We regularly stop by John Wayne airport where fees are set at only 20¢/kWh which is nice & reasonable for our area. BUT ... after 4 hours? They sock it to ya ... $1.20/kWh 'till they get their entitle fanny out of their self proclaimed camping spot. Bring it on!

More importantly - all need to have the capability to be reserved, so you don't end up getting hosed by camping inconsiderates ... ESPECIALLY DC QC. Otherwise they've taken the Q out of QC.
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Do the valet parking companies need a Tesla training session?

Bob Wilson

 

Some people think you have to wait for an EV to be fully charged before you can use it.

 

duno ... but the good folks with high power wall chargers (up to 80amps / 240v but often just 208v) at St Regis - Ritz Carlton - 5 Crowns - et Al - have all been up to speed w/ plugging in new arrivals ... even moving those who've been plugged in for some large time. So just guessing it's likely dependent on the establishment. Many of the hotels / restaurants / golf establishments have 3 or 4 stalls, so it's typically no wait to have to move a car off & switch someone out. for us, using the car's app, the longest it took was ~ 30 minutes. We were at a summer concert & didn't need the power anyway - just took advantage of the good valet peeps. Might as well get something for our $5 valet tip.

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First we need 'the masses.'

Bob Wilson

 

Perhaps etiquette could be built in... Instead of plugging in, then setting a timer in your car to start charging 6 hours from when you plugged in thus tying up a spot for 11 hours, assuming 4 hours for a total charge, let software just turn the charge unit OFF! When the user calls, if he calls, to report the unit not working, inform him of etiquette, noting don't do it again. Second time, Software bills him $20 bucks/hr for 7 of the 11 hours he's plugged in.
Folks that just love to park & shop, fine, $20 bucks/hr, after you have 4 hours of time. Think of the loot you could make.....

There are ways, these are just 2 thoughts, there are more out there.... It shouldn't be dog eat dog for everything in life!

You seem to have absolutely no problem collecting the money, use some of that fervor & zeal in at least trying to get the word out.
It's your system, fix it, run it!

 

Batts don' liak da full up charge.... & they don' liak da full down charge. Fer optimum charge, allowin' da full 6000 cycles, da batt neet ta be charged ta 70% & discharged na less than 20%...... other restrictions apply, too.

 

I agree that this is a problem. There will always be people who are not considerate of others...

But here is a partial solution completely under the control of ChargePoint and their customers (the ones INSTALLING the chargers).
DON'T put a charger in every parking space when there are many chargers. Leave "on-deck" parking spaces next to every spot with a charger. CLEARLY mark them as such. People would learn to fill up the primary spots first...then the next driver can find an on-deck spot and unplug someone who has been charging for 4 hours. Cars should be able to lock the charger for ONLY 4 hours (for example).

If someone arrives in the on-deck spot and taps into the charging station then ChargePoint could send a text message to the person charging to say "someone is waiting for your spot, please consider unplugging soon." Or even do a remote unlock and a text gets sent to the waiting person so they can plug in.

Mike

 

Here's an EV myth/fun fact, all be it sad but true. In CARB states there is a 150000 mile + 10 year warranty on your plug-in hybrid traction system.
YEA - no ... not exactly true. Your traction pack can dump to only 5 miles - & there'll be no guarantee against capacity loss (sigh).
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Can't wait to see the future when the masses are all fighting over charging stations. Look at the Tesla charging centers already. They are always packed with cars, and this is with the current low build rate by Tesla!

 

Chicked & egg - having congestion at urban charging areas is a MUCH BETTER problem than needing to build out the already largest network, bar none - but having no one using it.
The tesla shorters decry tesla "bleeding money" because they have manifested the foresight to build infrastructure like crazy (consider the nearly-100 new stalls soon to open in the grey icons below, about to come on line - all within a mere 75 mile radius)

Compare this crazy build out to April 2011 - we got our 1st plug in. And for almost an entire year, ZERO, zip, None - not a single QC in all of San diego, OC, or LA counties. The manufacturers short-sitedly decided, "not my job".
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Myth: “Used hybrid and EV batteries are filling landfills.”

Where? It is profitable to dig them up as the elements, easily separated, would make me richer than the Congo kids mining cobalt.

Bob Wilson

 

Hummer greener than Prius

Prius Versus HUMMER: Exploding the Myth - The Car Connection

How Does The Toyota Prius Compare To The American General Hummer

The American General Hummer offers a considerable savings of $1.95 per mile to put on the road. One of the biggest factors is the expected lifespan of each vehicle. The expected lifetime is 100,000 miles for the Prius - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid whereas the Hummer has an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. This means that the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use less combined energy doing it and a lower cost means lower environmental impact resulting in less damage to the environment.

 

From an EU auto supplier.

Source: Not So Fast With EVs, Autonomous Vehicles, Industry Exec Says | WardsAuto

1. Potential obstacles to EV growth include battery recycling
2. and generating sufficient electricity to sustain charging infrastructure on a global scale, he says, adding EVs’ benefits can be offset by other factors:
3. “For example, in China, which is the country where the electric vehicle fleet grows fastest, electricity is obtained mainly by burning coal and, consequently, emitting large amounts of (carbon dioxide) in the process.”

#1 - The elements in a battery do not go away. The only reason recycling is so small is the dang batteries are not wearing out fast enough to provide a supply to recyclers. FYI, Toyota has been sending failed Prius batteries to recyclers.

#2 - Many power plants stay on at night and weekends when demand is low. They all but give away the electricity for city lighting. EVs turn that otherwise lost electricity into utility revenue.

#3 - Those Chinese coal plants are more efficient at moving a car down the road than burning gas or diesel in the same car. Best of all, charging at night means getting some use for what otherwise is wasted energy keeping the plant on.

Bob Wilson

 

Oh! My all time FAVORITE myth - actually, not just a myth ... but more of a deliberate lie promulgated in this Toyota / Lexus ad. Their advertising campaign just a few years ago was an attempt to squash the ever-growing number of electric cars. Geee - makes one wonder - if EV's are so not ready .... why do they feel they have to advertise it?

The couched message in the ad below screams, "Don't buy electric cars! - Buy our hybrids instead - Please! - that way you won't have range anxiety." ... their false advertising states that it takes 4hrs to charge.

Apparently folks didn't buy into their 'myth' - because worldwide, Tesla is approaching ½million ev's sold worldwide, even as VW, BMW, GM, Nissan Et Al, crank up production. As for charging speed , the Model 3, can refuel 200+ miles in under 30 minutes - presuming you're on that extra long drive.
4 hours ... LOL !!
The other myth - about overcrowded charging locations? The majority of drive trips are commuter miles - averaging between 25 to 45 miles, so that's just FUD - spread by FUD mongers. Most who buy ev's do so because they can charge at home. That way - they don't have to get stuck in a mess like THIS;

Oh! .... did i just spread a FUD myth?

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When do we draw the line and start calling the spread of outdated information FUD ?

Your grudge against Lexus is nearing that point. Remember how anti-EV the sentiment was from GM just a few years ago?

A lot has changed since then. Don't become one of those sharing content out-of-context.