New California Law on use of EV charging stations

I think this is a good start for public charge stations. But I have often thought that the EV space may also be taken advantage of by EV or PHEV drivers who just want to park there for the day "because they can", limiting other EV's from using the space. Assuming that the charging station also shows if a charge is actually being delivered to the vehicle - charge light on or time left on meter, etc - then no charging or no time left on meter should also be cause for a tow.

 

Interesting. The obvious answer is more EV parking places with charging stations.

Given the amount of anti-green vehicle sentiment that often manifests itself in malicious mischief or worse, I'm surprised there isn't some sort of locking device which prevents unauthorized unplugging. A locking door over the receptacle on the car seems pretty easy to accomplish.

I also wonder if the PiP or Volt should even have access to the spots.

A PiP doesn't really need to be charged; it'd be nice but it's not a necessity. Nor does a Volt. If I drove a Leaf and there was a PiP or Volt taking up the spot all day, potentially leaving me unable to get home, I'd be pretty upset about it.

 

I think that it is discriminatory to say that one must have a full / pure EV car (a Leaf) to charge in these locations. A PiP has just as much of a right to charge as a Leaf. I would look at it from the standpoint that the Leaf owner should have not purchased a Leaf if they required a charge in order to get home.

[Certainly the PiP owner should be mindful of their charging cycle and move when their charge is complete. The hassle of this alone might make PiP owners less interested in using the charge locations in the first place, but I think it would be only fair to other charge vehicles to do so.]

 

I think this is exactly backwards. If people don't need a charge to get home, why have PUBLIC charging stations at all. The only public good we are achieving with this stations is an increase in EV cars. Otherwise, it is just giving free energy to some people at others expense.

 

Pinto Girl, I think you are right on. Why can't people just try to get along? It appears that a struggle for "rights" is prevailing over reason.

I will charge my PiP at home.

There is a "sweet spot" where there are just enough charging stations available for the people who need them. How remote is the chance of hitting that "sweet spot" in the real world? It seems more likely that there will be too few charging stations, and frustrated EV owners or too few EV owners tying to use charging stations because of frustration and the related inconvenience. Neither of the more likely outcomes looks good for EVs.

There must be a better way. There NEEDS to be a better way.

Gasoline filling stations work because there are enough of them AND most have attendants at least to take your money (and they are supposedly watching). Is that the solution?

 

I think burning less gas IS very much in the 'public good'. If a PiP owner finds an open charging spot', why shouldn't they use it?

Note, too, that I was assuming the charging stations are not free. I don't want to take anyone's electricity, I want to avoid burning gas even if it would be cheaper to use the Prius in HV mode than paying a charging fee.

 

Any plug in will reduce gasoline consumption, if that is your public good. If you exclude phevs, then there will be fewer charging stations. It doesn't really make sense. Some of these are free so charge, but reducing imported oil is a public good.

Most BEV and PHEV users will charge at home and/or work. Opportunistic charging of a phev, is not a bad thing, unless you are preventing a BEV from charging that would be stranded. If that BEV user is stranded by a prius phv, they bought the wrong car. I would hope though that phev drivers would be kind to the BEV driver, since we are all on the same side of using less gas.

There are already more charging stations than E85 filling stations. Only some regional areas will have high densities. I live in one of those areas, and there are public and private companies trying to encourage plug in use.

I've been at many unattended stations. The credit card fill allows owners to provide service when no one is there. For plug-ins I can see cameras being added, to catch those tampering. These systems have gotten quite inexpensive. I can see the station texting owners when the car is charged, or the car texting if its been unplugged. For those waiting in an emergency perhaps we can have the please I'm stranded text come into the car owner plugged in.

I really do hate the towing idea in California. It may cause bad tows, which will just discourage use and anger drivers against the charging station owner.

 

It about time to pass this law. I have seen ICE only car parking in a charging spot all day in a shopping mall and no body can do anything about it. The spirit of the law is to keep cars that are not actively using the charging station from occupying the space and has nothing to do with discrimination.

 

That seems like a valid perspective however it does not deal with what needs to be done to make the charging network function smoothly. The stranded BEV and the "bad tow" referred to by austingreen still need to be addressed.

And hopefully, the system will be made to work but it will not come easily nor quickly.

 

I was arguing against the idea that Leafs shouldn't be using the charging stations.

That said, reducing gasoline consumption by replacing it with electricity is either an improvement, or not mostly depending on the makeup of the electricity. More EVs is the real benefit. Reducing all energy usage is the goal.

 

hopefully this law won't backfire. i've seen gasoline cars parked in the charging station spaces in walnut creek, ca. and to boot it was an infiniti owned by a nissan dealership. that hurts.

ingineer has come up with a little locking bracket for the charge door on the leaf, which effectively traps the charger handle in the car. so for leafs anyway, if you make one of these brackets, no one should be able to unplug your car without doing serious violence to the car. of course now i can't find a link to it, but he had one at the BayLEAFs meeting in december to show around.

 

I don't have a dog in this fight because I don't expect to ever drive my EV farther than its range, and because the only "public" charging in Spokane are a few 120 volt 15 amp outdoor outlets. However...

It only makes sense that charging spots should be available only to cars actually charging.

Much downtown street parking has parking meters. If you exceed your time you get a ticket. Charging stations could have something similar: When you plug in the charger gives an estimate of charging time, and a reasonable leeway, after which you are considered to be parking illegally. That should be fairly simple.

And since nobody is going to unplug their own car before it's fully charged, a plug-in car that's unplugged with time remaining on the charger was obviously unplugged by a vandal.

Towing of a plug-in might be extreme, since the car presumably had a legitimate reason for parking there. Non-plug cars should definitely be towed.

Finally, while a limited number of charging spots for disabled drivers might be provided in desirable locations, the bulk of charging stations should be away from the desirable parking spots, to reduce conflict with other drivers, who might get angry that owning an EV or PHEV gives you preferential parking.

I always park farther out, on principle, because I'm capable of walking, so I leave the most desirable slots for others, some of whom might need those spots more than I do. As EV and PHEV drivers demand public charging, they should be careful not to arouse hostility by also demanding parking privileges which are not necessary for the fulfillment of their legitimate need to charge their cars.

 

Perhaps SOME folks are really really really missing the point -
Back in the day, EV'rs made up cards that they left on their dash. For Example:

I'm done charging at 1pm (6 hours) - ok to unplug afterwards​

But of course, now that GM is owned by the government ... well, you KNOW we can't be trusted to work things out ... we can't have in informal process that involves courtesy ... no ... we need intervention, because WE can't handle things w/out the government telling us how things have to be. What a sad comment on society ... the government has to blow our nose for us ... and if we try on our own ... we'll get a ticket. (sigh)

That said, maybe another point is being seriously over looked. A PiP at an airport charger may sit there for 2 weeks - 3 weeks. The charger might as well be ICE'd. EV's might as well stay away from the airport because a PHEV needs (no - WANTS) a few kWh's that make them feel good about their 'green'-ness. Screw the EV ... they'll just have to rent a gas burner to get back & forth to the airport. I love it.

.

 

Who's the first to come out with the fake EV plug and appropriate badge kit? "Wow, I didn't know Corvettes came in a hybrid?"

 

Perhaps it is just me, but if you are parked in a charging spot shouldn't you be charging and not just taking up space? I would imagine that there would be a way to ensure that a car was not unplugged. If not why would GM push this as a way to prevent unplugging a Volt?

 

I can't tell if you are trying to be funny or if you are serious. Either way, this is a classic case of where a little cooperation goes a long way on one hand or a few bad apples spoil the whole barrel on the other.

The problem with the "gumment" is that it is US and not some strange "them" over there. It is US who demand our "rights". It is US who think it is fine to get away with tricking others or spoiling their day if we can get away with it. If we accept that it is normal for everyone to look out for themselves at the expense of others, then there will be enforcers and rules whether we like it or not.

Wouldn't it be good if we could show the world that the EV community can make this thing work? Wouldn't it be too bad if we couldn't do that?

 

This really isn't a new law but amends an older, outdated one where only vehicles with a sticker could legally use a charging point and only BEV's qualified for that sticker. GM is taking the publicity bullet on this but the Volt, PIP and future PHEV's are now protected.

Overall, both are silly laws and only as effective as those who abide and enforce it. The latter, I predict, will be minimal.

My solution? Move the charging parking slots to the least desirable part of the lot (furthest away/next to the stinky dumpster/etc) so only "the hardcore" will want to park there!

 

Well, first of all, get a life. Yes "I'm" kidding but the person that comes up with it probably won't be.

Depending on how the juice is produced that your charging your car with, the electric car isn't even proven to be the end all to zero emissions. Those of you that your state is producing electricity with coal can stop patting yourselves on the back for driving an EV. The main reason manufacturers are producing them in the first place is to raise their corporate fuel mpg average not to be green despite what they may spew in their ads.

 

Of course, any plug in plugged into a charger for more than a day isn't continuously charging. At best, after charging for a day, the vehicle can use the grid to precondition just before leaving. I see value in either a bunch of 15A 120V circuits at the airport (free/low cost/included in parking charge) or a premium on the 240v higher amperage charging spot. Pay to have the luxury of preconditioning. Have lots of 120V spots. That way the BEV drivers don't get stranded and the PHEVs get a "sip" too.

Really, it's all about having the right mix of charging - many many 120V at the airport (plus, some DC quick charge for BEV?) and 240v at other places.