Tensions concerning charging stations.

Technically there was a start up cost for the card.
However, I don't know of anyone that didn't get a card for free.
They seem to offer that quite often.

 

great! thanks for explaining that to me.

 

That's right - I forgot that there was a charge, when I signed up, for a second vehicle card. How do they know the difference, anyway...?

 

good read on this subject:

Eight Rules of Electric Vehicle Charging Etiquette
Eight Rules of Electric Vehicle Charging Etiquette | PluginCars.com

Public EV Charging: Think Before You Plug In
Public EV Charging: Think Before You Plug In | PluginCars.com

 

one of the ways dealing with this issue is to have separate charging spaces for plug in hybrids and pure electric vehicles and increased number of stations and spaces. in either case, electric only vehicles should have priority over plug in hybrids if we are to move in right direction -- away from burning oil. it is not fair to the electric vehicle owner who is running low on energy and cannot get home to have to fight for a charge plug with someone who has ICE and who can drive home without any problems.

personally, I have both an EV (not, not a Nissan Leaf) and regular prius and i am just looking from a realistic perspective. If I had plug in prius I would charge it at home overnight, like I do with my EV and would not even bother with public charging stations that cost so much more than my rate of 0.16 per KW.hr.

I do not want to get in pissing contest with a PIH owner over charging station access if I ever run into trouble and just need a boost to get home where I can do a full charge. I definitely would not plug my EV into charging station unless I absolutely have to. My midnight to 5AM electrical rate is way cheaper than paid charging station rates are, so financially it would be ridiculous to use those public stations unless there is a real need for me to do so.

Who would have thought that there would be feud between the owners of plug in hybrids and EV owners?!

 

The "feud" really isn't happening in most places.
I don't like the EV/PHEV separate spots idea.
It really isn't much of an issue where chargers cost money.
Where they are both free and there are not enough of them, it causes an issue.

So the solution is to have enough to support the number of plugins and get rid of the free ones in busy areas.

 

It's not a charge per vehicle, it is a charge per card.

 

Ok, makes sense. They must have been running a special, because I got two cards for free.

 

Tensions will continue to rise, if/when free/cheep spots remain vailable. The Calif Disney employee parking structure just got 10 L2 units installed. When there were L1 spots (FREE) only, you could never find a place to park. Every dead wood cheep skate would hog 'em ... just because they could. Now that we have to pay? HA! I've YET to ever see all spaces occupied. Similar, Ted Turner's CNN network headquarters got a bunch of L2's. Park there for more than 4hr's & it's $20/hr charged to your network card. Suddenly, folks show curtesy.
.

 

You work for Disney?

 

30yrs & counting ... happiest place on earth (at quitting time )
EDIT;
I almost forgot ... shortly after the OP posted this thread, our local newspaper started telling the public how inconsiderate our fellow plug in drivers can be;
Plug-In Road Rage: It begins | PriusChat
I suppose it's to be expected ... way too many people feel entitled
.

 

I try not to worry about what the Yahoos are thinking about my lifestyle.

 

I saw the ones at Disneyland a few days after they installed them. I get they need to have a fee to prevent squatters, but at the same time after paying $15 to park I don't want to pay more to charge. Also it would have benefited them to put more L1 chargers instead, even if for free, since people are most likely to park their cars there for hours and not come back anytime soon as it's not that close to the park.

 

The EV community may be at least partly at fault, here, with their constant dismissal of the value of L-1 charging under any circumstances...

​

 

I just fear leaving my $1200 OEM EVSE in a public location, along with the hassle of making sure it's tied down strong enough to prevent theft.

 

Most of us use a short extension cord to plug into the wall then run it into the cabin of the car where the EVSE is located. Run the charger handle back through the window to the port. Hassle yes but if you want to charge safely then you'll do it.

Personally I didn't really care so much in the PIP as the extra 11 or so miles of range didn't have a huge impact on my overall fuel economy if I missed a charge or two. In the Volt it became more of a priority because the fuel economy is lower. It's just a numbers game anyway. Once you get over 1,000 miles on a tank you look for charging at every opportunity just so you can try to push it to 2,000 miles. LOL

 

I hadn't thought about doing that. Is it safe to leave the EVSE in the cabin? I guess it would be, but I would fear for the tiny chance that something would malfunction and spark causing my cabin to catch on fire. I guess there's no reason for that to happen, but still a slight concern.

 

The fault protection should reduce any risk. You can place the EVSE in a milk crate or something with a bit of "fireproofing" if you are concerned. The EVSE that comes with the PIP is an excellent unit. It's not like the early Volt units before they switched manufacturers.

 

Hey, F8L's back! Wish you would stop back and see us more often my friend!

 

(along with many others) I've witnessed a Volt owner "charging-at-every-opportunity" at the Cypress Mitsubishi Headquarters. She'd regularly drive there - bicycle in back, hog a spot all afternoon - then pedal back for her car, prior to dawn. If parking spots weren't available - she'd even block their Chademo. Once, I asked her "why?"
Her response, in short, was because she can ... meaning no signage saying that she couldn't otherwise. Yes - they now have enforcement/signage. Opportunity charging in some instances without considering if it means some EV gets hosed/stranded, is part of our plugin ugly way of life. Who's surprised if/when things boil over.
PS - it's not the car - could have been a Ford, a Honda, or any other hybrid brand. It's the people who wreck it for the rest
.