Add your EV etiquette tips for the newbs

ChargePoint

100 mW
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What should drivers (especially new EV drivers) know when it comes to EV etiquette at charging stations, and what can we all do to coexist with ICE drivers (and each other) in this evolving space? Here are our tips.



1. Move along (and don't squat)
When you’re done charging, try to move your car as soon as you’re able, so others can fill up their EVs. Taking up a spot for hours is inconsiderate to other EV drivers because it prevents them from getting a charge. And don't be the EV driver who treats charging spots as a personal all-day parking spot—EV charging spots are for charging, not parking.

If the charging station offers notifications, reminders, a waitlist, or other features to help you get in & get out - use them. Some station owners can set a fee for parking or charging after a few hours, to encourage drivers to move along after getting some juice.


2. Don’t unplug others
It’s really not polite to unplug other EV drivers from charging stations. Try to avoid it unless you’re sure someone is charged and you’re absolutely desperate to fill up, or if someone left a note saying it’s fine to unplug them. Sometimes, people think it's okay to unplug plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivers, since they have a backup gas engine. It's often debated within the EV community, but these folks have a right to charge, too.


3. Don’t always aim for 100%
This might be helpful for new EV drivers. Topping off around town is a convenient way to keep your battery full or nearly so. But if you have 80 or 90 percent battery and start a charge, someone might pull up soon who’s at 10 percent and desperately in need. So if your battery is pretty full (or if you drive a PHEV and can count on your gas engine in a pinch), consider just getting a charge later or at home, unless you really need the extra miles to get where you're going.

This rule also comes into play for DC fast charging, which slows down as your battery gets more full— we usually suggest aiming for 80 percent when fast charging.

4. Be nice when ICEd
Drivers of ICE vehicles sometimes park in spots designated for clean air vehicles or EV charging. Leave a friendly note educating ICE drivers and encouraging them not to take an EV spot again.


What other EV etiquette tips would you add to the list?
 
ChargePoint said:
4. Be nice when ICEd
Drivers of ICE vehicles sometimes park in spots designated for clean air vehicles or EV charging. Leave a friendly note educating ICE drivers and encouraging them not to take an EV spot again.

Are you from the actual company ChargePoint?

I find ICE drivers are particularly likely to park in ChargePoint sites, because only the charger says "EV Charging only". The ground is usually not specially marked or painted green like some of the other charging brands here.

If you are from the company, maybe you could offer a business card sized graphics for users to print themselves, or offer customers with a paid account a small stack of preprinted ones. (To be totally honest, despite being a "paid" customer I put $10 on my account when I opened it, and it still has like $7 on it, because 99% of the ChargePoint chargers I use are free).
 
ChargePoint said:
1. Move along (and don't squat)
When you’re done charging, try to move your car as soon as you’re able, so others can fill up their EVs. Taking up a spot for hours is inconsiderate to other EV drivers because it prevents them from getting a charge. And don't be the EV driver who treats charging spots as a personal all-day parking spot—EV charging spots are for charging, not parking.

If the charging station offers notifications, reminders, a waitlist, or other features to help you get in & get out - use them. Some station owners can set a fee for parking or charging after a few hours, to encourage drivers to move along after getting some juice.

From one of your other posts.

MYTH 3: It takes too long to charge
Reality: Charging an EV takes only a few seconds: the time it takes to plug the car in before you go do something else. :) Just like a cell phone, an EV charges while you’re busy doing other stuff. Cars spend over 90% of the time parked, so we have more than enough time to charge.
Fun ChargePoint Fact: our network data shows that EV drivers stay parked for 50% longer than they need to charge, on average.
There seems to be a bit of a conflict here. On the one hand, "Hey, you can get all charged up while you shop. In fact, half the time you are plugged in, you aren't even charging - that's how fast it is and so convenient. You just shop and come out to a fully charged car." Then on the other hand, "Hey, don't stay plugged in too long. Others may be waiting. It isn't a parking spot after all. In fact, you may want to interrupt your shopping (or whatever you are doing) and come out and move your car."
 
Sunder said:
ChargePoint said:
4. Be nice when ICEd
Drivers of ICE vehicles sometimes park in spots designated for clean air vehicles or EV charging. Leave a friendly note educating ICE drivers and encouraging them not to take an EV spot again.

Are you from the actual company ChargePoint?

I find ICE drivers are particularly likely to park in ChargePoint sites, because only the charger says "EV Charging only". The ground is usually not specially marked or painted green like some of the other charging brands here.

If you are from the company, maybe you could offer a business card sized graphics for users to print themselves, or offer customers with a paid account a small stack of preprinted ones. (To be totally honest, despite being a "paid" customer I put $10 on my account when I opened it, and it still has like $7 on it, because 99% of the ChargePoint chargers I use are free).

Yes, I am! I'm Rochelle, nice to meet you :)

That's actually a great point. We do suggest to station owners (because they're independently owned and operated) that they update their signage to clearly state "EV Charging Only," stenciling it on the spot, and painting the bordering lines green. Doing all three helps give a clear immediate visual clue that this space is special. We've provided charging/done charging cards for drivers before, but the note is a great suggestion that I'll share with the team!
 
wturber said:
ChargePoint said:
1. Move along (and don't squat)
When you’re done charging, try to move your car as soon as you’re able, so others can fill up their EVs. Taking up a spot for hours is inconsiderate to other EV drivers because it prevents them from getting a charge. And don't be the EV driver who treats charging spots as a personal all-day parking spot—EV charging spots are for charging, not parking.

If the charging station offers notifications, reminders, a waitlist, or other features to help you get in & get out - use them. Some station owners can set a fee for parking or charging after a few hours, to encourage drivers to move along after getting some juice.

From one of your other posts.

MYTH 3: It takes too long to charge
Reality: Charging an EV takes only a few seconds: the time it takes to plug the car in before you go do something else. :) Just like a cell phone, an EV charges while you’re busy doing other stuff. Cars spend over 90% of the time parked, so we have more than enough time to charge.
Fun ChargePoint Fact: our network data shows that EV drivers stay parked for 50% longer than they need to charge, on average.
There seems to be a bit of a conflict here. On the one hand, "Hey, you can get all charged up while you shop. In fact, half the time you are plugged in, you aren't even charging - that's how fast it is and so convenient. You just shop and come out to a fully charged car." Then on the other hand, "Hey, don't stay plugged in too long. Others may be waiting. It isn't a parking spot after all. In fact, you may want to interrupt your shopping (or whatever you are doing) and come out and move your car."

I can see your point. The reality is that I can't speak for all networks, however, we do provide notifications and features to help drivers from staying in the charging spot longer than they need to for charging. So while the fact may be that they stay longer, it's not exactly polite to do so if others are waiting. We offer notifications with the ChargePoint app to help alert drivers, and they can always check the status of their charging session. :)
 
ChargePoint said:
Yes, I am! I'm Rochelle, nice to meet you :)

That's actually a great point. We do suggest to station owners (because they're independently owned and operated) that they update their signage to clearly state "EV Charging Only," stenciling it on the spot, and painting the bordering lines green. Doing all three helps give a clear immediate visual clue that this space is special. We've provided charging/done charging cards for drivers before, but the note is a great suggestion that I'll share with the team!

Great to meet you! Good to see EV infrastructure companies getting involved with enthusiasts :)
 
Sunder said:
Great to meet you! Good to see EV infrastructure companies getting involved with enthusiasts :)

Thank you! We're happy to be here. :)
 
So if a car is fully charged and sitting in a parking spot your saying don't unplug, I have a sign on my car stating to go ahead if I'm charged, but my car also tells me when its fully charged so i simply move my car. Tesla have started implementing charges at their Superchargers if you are not moving on when you have fully charged. leaving a car plugged in, in a charging spot is in itself bad etiquette, as bad as being ICED. The problem I think is using the vocabulary 'Parking spots' when they are clearly 'Charging Spots'.
 
x.l.r.8 said:
So if a car is fully charged and sitting in a parking spot your saying don't unplug, I have a sign on my car stating to go ahead if I'm charged, but my car also tells me when its fully charged so i simply move my car. Tesla have started implementing charges at their Superchargers if you are not moving on when you have fully charged. leaving a car plugged in, in a charging spot is in itself bad etiquette, as bad as being ICED. The problem I think is using the vocabulary 'Parking spots' when they are clearly 'Charging Spots'.

Completely agree that it's bad form to hog the charging space when you don't need it.
When discussing general Etiquette, unplugging someone else is definitely not the polite thing to do if you can't be sure they don't need the charge. We're big fans of those signs you can place on your vehicle that indicate whether it's a-ok to unplug your car, or not.

The Supercharger feature is great! Our networks also include the feature (that station owners can control) that charges a fee if someone stays plugged in after they're full. PRO moving along when you're all done! :pancake:
 
I really LOVE that ChargePoint is here asking us for feedback. That alone is enough for me to be a ChargePoint customer when I eventually get an electric car.

I am fortunate enough to work at a company that has several EV owners (more bikers and a few ebikers) and in an environment that has a limited number of EV charge stations (I don't now who operates them, but I know they have a cost). The three biggest complaints I hear from my coworkers are that an ICE car has parked in the spot (#1), or that a car was fully charged and they couldn't park close enough to take the plug (#2), or that all the chargers were legitimately in use and they had to check every few hours to see if a spot opened up (#3).

Where I work has a few charging stations (I think they're level 2, not fast chargers) but its barely enough (or not enough) for the demand. They are well marked, yet some ICEholes still park in these spaces if the other spaces are full. This has been slowly going down as the property security has begun ticketing these ICE cars for parking in a charging spot (but only when reported).

So to answer CharePoint's questions I would say:
  1. Report ICE cars in charging spots just as you would a non-handicapped tagged car in a handicapped spot. If that means leaving a note, do so. If it means reporting the car to parking patrol, do that. If it means calling the cops or a towing company, decide if its worth the effort.
  2. If you're charging, watch your car's app so that if it's full before you're ready to leave, you can move the car. If you're in a movie or something where you can't leave, put a note on your car saying it's ok to unplug if its full, and sorry for not moving right away.
  3. If you're ChargePoint, investigate the feasibility of doing a push notification to members in the vicinity that a charger has opened up.

Other than that, I think ChargePoint's etiquette tips are spot-on.
 
Hi Rochelle... Unfortunately, my batteries have been "small", and recharge from any 120V AC electrical outlet. Local restaurants - that I've used and know "what's up", know that the energy I extract is quite a bit less than the tips I leave. Even clients know, when I plug in in their offices that the charge I take is "nickels and dimes" verses their overheads/other expenses they incur eg for lighting... The REAL growth in EVs has been in electric bikes, and not in (large, heavy, expensive, etc) EVs... that are hard to pedal. ;)
 
zro-1 said:
I really LOVE that ChargePoint is here asking us for feedback. That alone is enough for me to be a ChargePoint customer when I eventually get an electric car.

I am fortunate enough to work at a company that has several EV owners (more bikers and a few ebikers) and in an environment that has a limited number of EV charge stations (I don't now who operates them, but I know they have a cost). The three biggest complaints I hear from my coworkers are that an ICE car has parked in the spot (#1), or that a car was fully charged and they couldn't park close enough to take the plug (#2), or that all the chargers were legitimately in use and they had to check every few hours to see if a spot opened up (#3).

Where I work has a few charging stations (I think they're level 2, not fast chargers) but its barely enough (or not enough) for the demand. They are well marked, yet some ICEholes still park in these spaces if the other spaces are full. This has been slowly going down as the property security has begun ticketing these ICE cars for parking in a charging spot (but only when reported).

So to answer CharePoint's questions I would say:
  1. Report ICE cars in charging spots just as you would a non-handicapped tagged car in a handicapped spot. If that means leaving a note, do so. If it means reporting the car to parking patrol, do that. If it means calling the cops or a towing company, decide if its worth the effort.
  2. If you're charging, watch your car's app so that if it's full before you're ready to leave, you can move the car. If you're in a movie or something where you can't leave, put a note on your car saying it's ok to unplug if its full, and sorry for not moving right away.
  3. If you're ChargePoint, investigate the feasibility of doing a push notification to members in the vicinity that a charger has opened up.

Other than that, I think ChargePoint's etiquette tips are spot-on.

We need a LOVE button! Thank you for sharing these tips and the feedback on what you've observed in your own office lot!
On your 3rd item, we currently offer a Waitlist feature (and other helpful notifications) with the ChargePoint app. Basically, drivers can place themselves in line so they don't need to keep checking to see if a spot is free - we'll simply notify them when it's their turn.
 
wturber said:
There seems to be a bit of a conflict here. On the one hand, "Hey, you can get all charged up while you shop. In fact, half the time you are plugged in, you aren't even charging - that's how fast it is and so convenient. You just shop and come out to a fully charged car." Then on the other hand, "Hey, don't stay plugged in too long. Others may be waiting. It isn't a parking spot after all. In fact, you may want to interrupt your shopping (or whatever you are doing) and come out and move your car."

We had a similar problem here at work. We have a few hundred EV drivers here and a limited number (18 or so) EV chargers. So we started a whole procedure - sign in boards at some locations, "no charging for more than 3 hours" at others, email notifications at others. But it didn't work that well, because not everyone understood the rules, and people would get greedy, and people started to get very provincial about who should be using the spaces. "Well, PHEV's shouldn't use them, because they can always get home" etc. In addition, the requirement to move your car up to twice a day meant employees had less time to work.

So we installed about 150 outlets (standard 5-15 120V outlets.) On those you can just park all day without having to move your car. They are much cheaper than EVSE's, and will give you about 40 miles of range a day, which is enough for almost anyone.

I am hoping I start seeing systems like that in malls, parking lots, airports etc because they are _much_ cheaper to install - and because even for 2 hours or so you can get a reasonable amount of power. For the people who need to charge in 20 minutes to get home, there are always the EVSE chargers.
 
Hi Rochelle,

I do not drive a EV Car, However I would like to take my electric bicycle places. but do not do so because there is lack of charging, sure I could try to find a unused plug somewhere, but that is scarce in the S.F. Bay area since business get rid of or lock them up .
One place that I plugged into once , I went back another day to find it shut off.

For us Bicycles there is really no or not much money to be made, because we often charge at 1 kw or less , most often half of that.
As a good gesture, good will , towards those of us on E-Bikes that leave a car behind and use the E-Bike ,
Please have Charge Point put up some 2 or 3 prong 120 ac plugs and signage for charging e-bikes.
For some of us , an even better option would be a Power Supply AC to DC 12-24 volt output, built into a low tower , that we can plug our DC chargers into, it works like this. the output would be from 12-24 volts DC at 25-35 amps.
Using XT 90 plugs . ( Using XT 90 and / or mid size Anderson Connectors would keep away anyone who would hog the plug for charging their laptop or cell phone )

For more info on how the DC chargers work and how I can help to design such a charging space, please contact me and set up a mid afternoon time I can come and talk to your company.

Gary


ChargePoint said:

Are you from the actual company ChargePoint?


If you are from the company, maybe you could offer a business card sized graphics for users to print themselves, or offer customers with a paid account a small stack of preprinted ones.

Yes, I am! I'm Rochelle, nice to meet you :)

[/quote]
 
ScooterMan101 said:
For us Bicycles there is really no or not much money to be made, because we often charge at 1 kw or less , most often half of that.
As a good gesture, good will , towards those of us on E-Bikes that leave a car behind and use the E-Bike ,
Please have Charge Point put up some 2 or 3 prong 120 ac plugs and signage for charging e-bikes.

As an e-biker, I'd gladly pay a premium/convenience fee for a 120v outlet that would work out to possibly even up to five times the going rate of electricity per kw/h. In other words, I'd be happy to pay twenty five to fifty cents to charge my 1kw/h capacity batteries.

If charging ebikes at specified stations became more the norm, I'd expect the price to drop to something closer to the regular rate (maybe twice the typical rate). But in the meantime, the premium would be fine with me. It would be worthwhile in helping establish reliable and predictable charging locations for the long haul.
 
Hehe... M. It may occur to you/ChargePoint that many millions of folks world-wide already DO use "electric vehicles", but not as any "large", "heavy" "vehicle" but as the two-wheeled ("bi" "cycle") bike. At slow(er) distances and at slow(er) speeds in a 21st-century "urban" world...

Watt the world thirsts for ain't AMPS but instead just 120VAC/alternating current electricity to plug into. :wink:
 
ScooterMan101 said:
Hi Rochelle,

I do not drive a EV Car, However I would like to take my electric bicycle places. but do not do so because there is lack of charging, sure I could try to find a unused plug somewhere, but that is scarce in the S.F. Bay area since business get rid of or lock them up .
One place that I plugged into once , I went back another day to find it shut off.

For us Bicycles there is really no or not much money to be made, because we often charge at 1 kw or less , most often half of that.
As a good gesture, good will , towards those of us on E-Bikes that leave a car behind and use the E-Bike ,
Please have Charge Point put up some 2 or 3 prong 120 ac plugs and signage for charging e-bikes.
For some of us , an even better option would be a Power Supply AC to DC 12-24 volt output, built into a low tower , that we can plug our DC chargers into, it works like this. the output would be from 12-24 volts DC at 25-35 amps.
Using XT 90 plugs . ( Using XT 90 and / or mid size Anderson Connectors would keep away anyone who would hog the plug for charging their laptop or cell phone )

For more info on how the DC chargers work and how I can help to design such a charging space, please contact me and set up a mid afternoon time I can come and talk to your company.

Gary

Hi Gary!
I already love your enthusiasm towards making change! One important thing to note is that ChargePoint stations are independently owned and operated. When you see a ChargePoint station out in the world or at your favorite destination, that's because the owner of the property (or local city officials) has arranged for that installation. Any installation of outlets at those locations would be at the discretion of that property owner. Our models don't include outlets, but we have received this feedback and request before (though for other use cases) and I'd be happy to share your suggestions with the team!
 
LockH said:
Hehe... M. It may occur to you/ChargePoint that many millions of folks world-wide already DO use "electric vehicles", but not as any "large", "heavy" "vehicle" but as the two-wheeled ("bi" "cycle") bike. At slow(er) distances and at slow(er) speeds in a 21st-century "urban" world...

Watt the world thirsts for ain't AMPS but instead just 120VAC/alternating current electricity to plug into. :wink:

Hi! I hope you don't feel that we were trying to exclude other types of electric vehicles in this post about EV etiquette! Please share your etiquette tips for bikes too, if you've got them!
 
Hehe... Rochelle... Like most in this world, quite blind to reality. :cry:
 
ScooterMan101 said:
Hi Rochelle,

I do not drive a EV Car, However I would like to take my electric bicycle places. but do not do so because there is lack of charging, sure I could try to find a unused plug somewhere, but that is scarce in the S.F. Bay area since business get rid of or lock them up .
One place that I plugged into once , I went back another day to find it shut off.

For us Bicycles there is really no or not much money to be made, because we often charge at 1 kw or less , most often half of that.
As a good gesture, good will , towards those of us on E-Bikes that leave a car behind and use the E-Bike ,
Please have Charge Point put up some 2 or 3 prong 120 ac plugs and signage for charging e-bikes.
For some of us , an even better option would be a Power Supply AC to DC 12-24 volt output, built into a low tower , that we can plug our DC chargers into, it works like this. the output would be from 12-24 volts DC at 25-35 amps.
Using XT 90 plugs . ( Using XT 90 and / or mid size Anderson Connectors would keep away anyone who would hog the plug for charging their laptop or cell phone )

For more info on how the DC chargers work and how I can help to design such a charging space, please contact me and set up a mid afternoon time I can come and talk to your company.

Gary

Hi Gary!
I already love your enthusiasm towards making change! One important thing to note is that ChargePoint stations are independently owned and operated. When you see a ChargePoint station out in the world or at your favorite destination, that's because the owner of the property (or local city officials) has arranged for that installation. Any installation of outlets at those locations would be at the discretion of that property owner. Our models don't include outlets, but we have received this feedback and request before (though for other use cases) and I'd be happy to share your suggestions with the team!
 
Hehe... " quite blind to reality."
 
ChargePoint said:
4. Be nice when ICEd
Drivers of ICE vehicles sometimes park in spots designated for clean air vehicles or EV charging. Leave a friendly note educating ICE drivers and encouraging them not to take an EV spot again.


What other EV etiquette tips would you add to the list?

Be nice to i.c.e. motorzied bicycles, though its rare I ever see them around. They maybe more prevalent in the poorer neighborhoods.
Give them 'the nod' as you quietly zip on by them.

What about EV etiquette tips in the time of the Chinese Virus era?
 
markz said:
Be nice to i.c.e. motorzied bicycles, though its rare I ever see them around. They maybe more prevalent in the poorer neighborhoods.
Give them 'the nod' as you quietly zip on by them.

Especially because they're either drunk or hung over, and demonstrated to have poor judgment.
 
Why ? Just get a trailer big enough for your charging needs full of high-quality solar panels and forget about these charging stations. They cost too much. How is making all the money ?
 
EV etiquette tip# 1 for all charging stations. Include normal household type outlets for those with ebikes to charge their batteries. A simple coin operated timer and switch would work well once you see enough usage to justify the cost.
 
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