Got PHEV'd today :-(

[electruck]

Depends on the PHEV, and it's also the reason I think all PHEVs should have at least 32A 240V charging.

Forget PHEVs, I'm thinking further down the road to when BEVs really start to proliferate. We're not all going to be able to make use of the small handful of L2 chargers installed at hotels and the hotels won't be able to install a charger for every guest. It's a convenient model for as long as EV adoption is low, but we may have already reached the tipping point in terms of being able to count on charging at a hotel while we're sleeping.

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[Dark-Fx]

Forget PHEVs, I'm thinking further down the road to when BEVs really start to proliferate. We're not all going to be able to make use of the small handful of L2 chargers installed at hotels and the hotels won't be able to install a charger for every guest. It's a convenient model for as long as EV adoption is low, but we may have already reached the tipping point in terms of being able to count on charging at a hotel while we're sleeping.

On our trip with the Hummer, we weren't even able to get 40% of a charge for the entire overnight stay. To me that's going to be a problem in the future. L2 charging just won't be fast enough for the larger pack sizes that are inevitable.

 

[guernsej]

Not at all what I said? Every hotel I've been to in the last year had PHEVs left overnight in the free spots, long after they were full. We asked the hotel to speak to them so we could charge our BEV and nothing came of it, resulting in our having to spend an hour+ every day driving to and waiting at the supercharger. If level 2 parking spaces were either priced comparably to gas or charged idle fees, then PHEVS would be less inclined to abuse them.

Hotel free charging is typically provided as a first-come first-serve perk for convenience, not a need-based entitlement. I totally understand being annoyed at the "wasted opportunity" of a PHEV sitting in the spot after it's full, but realistically only one car is getting charged per spot per night anyways because that's how people park at hotels so it makes no difference if it's a BEV or a PHEV.

 

[CharonPDX]

TakeChargeAndGo.net

Hang tags to put on your vehicle to let people know when you *need* the charge versus when they can unplug you at any time (and a place to use a whiteboard marker on the "need" side to write what time it's okay to unplug.)

However, we shouldn't judge PHEV owners for using EV chargers, even (maybe especially) longer-range like the Volt and BMW i3 REx - they're trying to not use gas. (And in my i3, there were some trips where I needed 100% of battery *PLUS* 100% of gas tank to make it across a charge-and-gas-desert zone.)

 

[Dark-Fx]

(And in my i3, there were some trips where I needed 100% of battery *PLUS* 100% of gas tank to make it across a charge-and-gas-desert zone.)

Shoulda bought a real PHEV then

 

[2020]

On our trip with the Hummer, we weren't even able to get 40% of a charge for the entire overnight stay. To me that's going to be a problem in the future. L2 charging just won't be fast enough for the larger pack sizes that are inevitable.

I am used to my Tesla easily charging (L2) overnight. The Rivian barely makes it overnight. I always thought the Hummer guys would be in for rude awakening with that large battery. You just confirmed it- 40% overnight.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I am used to my Tesla easily charging (L2) overnight. The Rivian barely makes it overnight. I always thought the Hummer guys would be in for rude awakening with that large battery. You just confirmed it- 40% overnight.

Yeah, I wish I had kept better track of what our charge levels were for every stop, but it's kinda the last thing on my mind when we arrived somewhere and when leaving in the morning. This was from our first overnight stop, only one that was a networked charger.

 

[CharonPDX]

Shoulda bought a real PHEV then

Nah, The i3 was battery-only for 95% of my driving, and that specific stretch of road had more DC chargers added in 2019, so now it's drivable 100% EV. And mine was the original 22kWh i3, the latest model 40kWh would also have no problem handling it.

Tried to replace our i3 REx with a newer-bigger-battery (used certified preowned) i3 BEV earlier this year, but used car prices were so ridiculous, it was cheaper to buy a brand new Mach-E. The Mach-E isn't quite as fun to drive, and being bigger a bit harder to park in the city, but the longer range on the base model than even the biggest-battery i3 is nice.

 

[timf]

While I appreciate businesses that provide free charging, I agree the only way you are going to keep people from hogging them is to add a fee to their use. This needn't be equal to the cost of gas, but should carry a slight premium to what it costs to charge at home. There also needs to be proper enforcement of cars parking in charging spots while not actively charging. I know I'll often use free chargers simply out of convenience even if I don't need a charge, but if I had to pay for them I would do all my charging at home.

 

[astonius]

Keep the charging free but issue fees for idle time beyond 15-20 minutes.

 

[SASSquatch]

Brother - we all feel your pain. All.The.Damn.Time is right and no other vehicle pisses me off more than the Chevy Volt. I can't tell you how many times I have been c*ck blocked by a Chevy Volt.

My employer has special spaces for alternative/electric vehicles some of which have charging. You'd think hybrids (non PHEV) would have the common sense to not park in a plug-in spot but that doesn't stop them. They are an alternative fuel vehicle so they think they have the right.

EV charging spaces should have an empty space next to them and the charger should have a maximum time limit before it turns off and unlocks from the vehicle. The remaining time should e displayed on the charger. That way you can park next to a charging vehicle and when their time is up, you can just yank that thing out of their car and plug it into yours.

My i3s has a setting where I can tell it to unlock the charger bay when my car is done charging. I have it set to do that so that if someone was desperate, and I was fully charged, they can unplug me and charge their vehicle.

We also need basic charging etiquette posted at charging locations because many people just don't know how to behave...

Edit: Or, as others have said - idling fees. But they have to be punitive. Like, exponential increase. After every 10 minutes the fee doubles to a maximum of 1 million dollars, but only if you drive a Chevy Bolt. Everyone else maxes out at $25....

 

[Dark-Fx]

Brother - we all feel your pain. All.The.Damn.Time is right and no other vehicle pisses me off more than the Chevy Volt. I can't tell you how many times I have been c*ck blocked by a Chevy Volt.

My employer has special spaces for alternative/electric vehicles some of which have charging. You'd think hybrids (non PHEV) would have the common sense to not park in a plug-in spot but that doesn't stop them. They are an alternative fuel vehicle so they think they have the right.

EV charging spaces should have an empty space next to them and the charger should have a maximum time limit before it turns off and unlocks from the vehicle. The remaining time should e displayed on the charger. That way you can park next to a charging vehicle and when their time is up, you can just yank that thing out of their car and plug it into yours.

My i3s has a setting where I can tell it to unlock the charger bay when my car is done charging. I have it set to do that so that if someone was desperate, and I was fully charged, they can unplug me and charge their vehicle.

We also need basic charging etiquette posted at charging locations because many people just don't know how to behave...

Edit: Or, as others have said - idling fees. But they have to be punitive. Like, exponential increase. After every 10 minutes the fee doubles to a maximum of 1 million dollars, but only if you drive a Chevy Bolt. Everyone else maxes out at $25....

Only person I know for sure I pissed off with my Volt was a Prius prime driver that I beat to the spot by about 30 seconds.

 

[Jarico75]

Just a couple of points.

1. Free is fine, but charge a fee when the vehicle trickle charges and make it costly.
2. Place Chargers in the far corner of a parking lot.
3. Number 1 does not prevent unplugging and continued parking.
4. Number 1 does not prevent ICE vehicle blocking, but number 2 will discourage it.

 

[SASSquatch]

Only person I know for sure I pissed off with my Volt was a Prius prime driver that I beat to the spot by about 30 seconds.

Volt owners who plug in are helping the cause - I just seemed to always encounter them at the right place but at the wrong time!

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