Intelligence test should be required IMO

[Grabs10]

I think there should be a special license/test of common sense before you are allowed to purchase an EV. I see this way too often…. I see it more than I see ICE’d charging spots. It’s just as bad if not worse when charging spots get EV’d.

Not that it applies to anybody here but FYI your EV/PHEV can’t charge at Tesla Level 2 chargers unless you, with your own money, buy an appropriate adapter to charge and when you discover you don’t have the correct charge port on your EV to use these chargers or don’t have an adapter don’t park there just cause. You are screwing others over if you do.

I will definitely carry a Tesla adapter in my Rivian

Rant over and had to get this off my chest but the level of ignorance of some EV owners is just amazing.

Today….

Yesterday

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[Dark-Fx]

Some of the Tesla chargers are configured to not work with other brand vehicles. Other ones might be on 277V commercial power, which works for Tesla but is out of spec for J1772. It's not always ignorance. (But they still probably should have moved)

 

[SoCal Rob]

I think there should be a special license/test of common sense before you are allowed to purchase an EV. I see this way too often…. I see it more than I see ICE’d charging spots. It’s just as bad if not worse when charging spots get EV’d.

Not that it applies to anybody here but FYI your EV/PHEV can’t charge at Tesla Level 2 chargers unless you, with your own money, buy an appropriate adapter to charge and when you discover you don’t have the correct charge port on your EV to use these chargers or don’t have an adapter don’t park there just cause. You are screwing others over if you do.

I will definitely carry a Tesla adapter in my Rivian

Rant over and had to get this off my chest but the level of ignorance of some EV owners is just amazing.

Today….

Yesterday

I think some people (incorrectly) see the EV spaces as being reserved parking for any EV. I think these spaces are usually marked in California as reserved for EVs which are charging. Of course, even with that signage I’ve seen people doing the same thing.

 

[Marchin_MTB]

Yes. I think the signs should say “for charging only” to be very clear.

 

[Grabs10]

Some of the Tesla chargers are configured to not work with other brand vehicles. Other ones might be on 277V commercial power, which works for Tesla but is out of spec for J1772. It's not always ignorance. (But they still probably should have moved)

To me an EV parked in an EV charging spot and not plugged in as worse then a deleted diesel pickup parked in a charging spot and idling. I have higher expectations for EV drivers. In a year an a half of having an EV and 42,000 miles later I have seen 1 ice’s charging spot but it is a weekly occurrence for me to see EV’d spots.

 

[DevSecOps]

Agree... The EV entitled class is far worse than ICE offenders 100x.

Our local Kaiser hospital has an entire row of L2 units that are always full of non charging Tesla's. I would seriously pay for them to be towed personally if I could. One of my biggest pet peeves.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Agree... The EV entitled class is far worse than ICE offenders 100x.

Our local Kaiser hospital has an entire row of L2 units that are always full of non charging Tesla's. I would seriously pay for them to be towed personally if I could. One of my biggest pet peeves.

Are the chargers in a prime parking location? Placing the chargers in a more desirable location seems to make this behavior more likely, from what I’ve seen.

 

[DevSecOps]

Are the chargers in a prime parking location? Placing the chargers in a more desirable location seems to make this behavior more likely, from what I’ve seen.

Second floor of a parking garage. Not prime at all. I agree with you that all EV parking spots should be as far away as possible from a front door to an establishment otherwise they become another "handicap" abused spot, but that's not the case in many instances. Hotels are another great example of entitled EV owners thinking they can either park and charge for 18 hours or just use them without charging.

I'm also in support of very high idle fees, getting rid of free charging and posting numbers to call for tow requests.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Second floor of a parking garage. Not prime at all. I agree with you that all EV parking spots should be as far away as possible from a front door to an establishment otherwise they become another "handicap" abused spot, but that's not the case in many instances. Hotels are another great example of entitled EV owners thinking they can either park and charge for 18 hours or just use them without charging.

I'm also in support of very high idle fees, getting rid of free charging and posting numbers to call for tow requests.

Maybe public chargers need to have a way of detecting if a vehicle is in the space and, if there is but it’s not plugged in to charge, there is a flashing red indicator and a message: Move vehicle or initiate charging. Vehicle subject to being towed.

I’m not saying it would 100% solve the problem, but it could eliminate the excuse of, “I had no idea I wasn’t supposed to park there since I’m in an EV.”

 

[cowsr4eating]

I 100% agree with the intelligence test, and to move EV charges furthest from building. I'd propose blocking an EV charger by an EV or ICE should be a towable offence with appropriate signage warning people of the consequences. If people pulled up to a gas pump and parked for hours, do you think the station would not tow them?

I think some of it is not unintelligence, but entitlement. Either way, there is EV charger etiquette that will hopefully get established soon, and IMHO required for EVs to fully go mainstream.

 

[md2023]

As noted Tesla destination chargers come in different forms. BUT, yes, please move your vehicle when not charging.
Related, now that chargers have been in parking garages and are increasing in numbers, it is common place for non EVs to simply park in them, either in defiance or for lack of parking spots. This is becoming common in parking garages in Boston, for instance.

 

[Riv_Ian]

Read the topic title and thought …. To stand for election. Agree with the etiquette point. Another personal bug bear is people using the speaker phone functionality in public spaces like restaurants. Simple consideration of others should be sufficient without needing etiquette rules, but evidently isn’t.

 

[connoisseurr]

I made stickers with a strong adhesive, that states: "If you're not charging, don't park here". I keep them in both of our EVs. If I see a violator, I slap it on their driver door window.

I've only had to use 3 so far... hopefully the offenders learned from their mistakes.

 

[Zoidz]

I 100% agree with the intelligence test, and to move EV charges furthest from building. I'd propose blocking an EV charger by an EV or ICE should be a towable offence with appropriate signage warning people of the consequences. If people pulled up to a gas pump and parked for hours, do you think the station would not tow them?

I think some of it is not unintelligence, but entitlement. Either way, there is EV charger etiquette that will hopefully get established soon, and IMHO required for EVs to fully go mainstream.

I'm surprised by how often they install EV chargers in prime spots. It encourages "bad behavior" by everyone -both EV owners and ICEers. If you need to charge, the location of the charger in the lot does not make a difference - you will use it whereever it is.

 

[Grabs10]

Prime spots are typically the closest and cheapest to install infrastructure for Level 2 chargers at business and hotels. Sometimes far away spots would just cost the business too much to install level 2. I think they need/should allow boots to be placed on offenders of ignorance and entitlement. $100-$500 for a boot to get removed. Proceeds could be put towards more chargers. I’m talking about mainly those that use charging spots as just parking spots without plugging in….

There are times where I see it as first come, first serve on charging…. Like airport parking and hotels and such were unplugging and moving just isn’t feasible to some extent…. Nobody needs to wake up at a hotel in the middle of the night to unplug and move IMO. My main blood boiling thing is not plugging in but taking the spot.

The Kia in my original post occupied that spot for 3 days without charging. Car had moved during that time so it wasn’t like the person wasn’t there.

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