Free Charging Sucks! Article: Here's Why Free Electric Car Charging Should be Banned

[4sallypat]

The EA chargers have no way to enforce that rule in their current software. Hell, EA can't even make their chargers work half the time...

No kidding most of the time they are down and can't report to the app. Very frustrating.

Yesterday in my area, I found EA is upgrading their chargers big time.

Here's a post I made on the sister site F150 Lightning - new 350kW HyperFast chargers with dedicated towers:

https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...olt-symbol-for-true-dedicated-charging.14371/

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[Blue highway]

Or just build their own charging network, we need BIG ideas

VW owns Electrify America... I can imagine the conversations within the company around the advantages of offering "forever" free charging to sell VW cars.

 

[Logal727]

VW owns Electrify America... I can imagine the conversations within the company around the advantages of offering "forever" free charging to sell VW cars.

Right, it was a punishment business though and seems to be given the same amount of effort

 

[Blue highway]

Right, it was a punishment business though and seems to be given the same amount of effort

agreed - I wonder when/if VW will turn it into an advantage

 

[Guss-E 2021]

I like the idea of getting a credit towards installing a home EVSE unit (for those that have the option of course). Kind of like getting a service and/or parts credit.

 

[AhardFSU]

Agree with this, but the problem is that on a lot of routes there is a lack of these chargers as they get located at Walmart's which are local to people.

If someone offers you 3 years of free charging and if the choice is camp at charger and take up some time in your day vs overnight at home to save some coin I don't blame them hogging the chargers as in reality it is not really free charging as the cost has be pushed into the MSRP.

I can imagine that those local people that live I’m single family homes and can install a evse but choose to spend their time at a local charging station, also value their time. I value my time and installing an evse at my home was worth the time I save by not going to the local EvGo or EA every week to charge my car.

 

[AhardFSU]

I agree with Tom on this as far as the vehicles that allow 30 min+ of charging free for two years. I don't agree that the way Ford does it is a negative. Having a set allowance isn't going to create significant added pressure at the chargers and even if someone does try to "just get it used", they would burn through it in relatively short order. Myself and I imagine most MME/Lightning owners (and any other manufacturer that gives just a flat kWH allowance) save theirs for when they actually take road trips.

Out of Spec Motoring, Tom, Out of Spec Dave, they all spend a lot of seat time in EVs and time at chargers, and some vehicles have a bad rep for hogging chargers even at high states of charge and they are almost always the vehicles with free charging. The MME, despite being one of the highest selling EVs besides Tesla, is rarely noted as doing the same. Which tells me that Ford's approach isn't an issue so much as the free for two years instances.

Not saying that as an MME fan or anything even though I clearly think it's the better approach. Since in the end this was what Ford picked and MME or Lightning doesn't matter.

It’s the vehicles with the free unlimited charging…….there are only two vehicles that have free unlimited charging and we know who they are. I’ve seen them do it with my own two eye……ID4 and Taycan owners.

 

[AhardFSU]

I think after the speed increase that going to 90% isn't too bad anymore, but 100 is still a slog.

Agreed; I stop at 91% bc that is where it starts to get really bad in the Mach’s charging curve.

 

[Jax_GT]

Yup. It's really just a shitty person problem. Shitty people will always take advantage of things like this and it's really hard to avoid.

This problem exists even more so at places that have free charging for all, whether it be a supermarket or a mall. You have people that drop their car off and leave it there for the entire day/night to charge up.

There is an Amazon fresh I will occasionally charge at because it has a fast charger that is free for 30 minutes. Every single time I go there, the same tesla is parked at one of the charging stations. I looked at plugshare and someone even posted about these people. They drop their tesla off every day at 4:30 and pick it up later at night.

Stuff like this really is just embarrassing for EV drivers and it is going to start discouraging places from putting these stations in.

Sounds like you need to get there at 4:15.

The zoo by us has free charging (slow at 6 kWH, but free) and my mom always says to drop it off and go about the day. It’s never full but that’s not the point of them.

 

[buzznwood]

I can imagine that those local people that live I’m single family homes and can install a evse but choose to spend their time at a local charging station, also value their time. I value my time and installing an evse at my home was worth the time I save by not going to the local EvGo or EA every week to charge my car.

You would think most people will value time, and while I don't need to go to that end of town often so it may jus be coincidence but my local EA station is in a Walmart that anytime I have gone through the car park on the weekend it is full of the usual vehicle suspects camped out all charging with owners still in the car face glued to phone just waiting on the free charge. While others are in the store doing a weekly shop we now have people doing the weekly charge.

That Walmart is just over a mile from a major freeway so good luck road trippers thinking they will just pop in for a quick charge and be back on their way.

 

[Hammered]

It's not free charging that's the problem. It's an education one. Why not have a 'universal' charging etiquette guide put together for education purposes and those who are plagued with the issue can hand them out at chargers. Especially those who just have to take a 350kW unit in a vehicle that can't get but 50kW at best.

 

[azerik]

If I am paying for the charge and I am waiting for 100% (no idle time), then I am entitled to charge to 100% - especially not knowing if my trip will require a detour, wait in traffic, weather, elevation/terrain changes, etc..

I'm right there with you on that. What they should do is have some L2's for to[

VW owns Electrify America... I can imagine the conversations within the company around the advantages of offering "forever" free charging to sell VW cars.

That explains the 3 ID4's trying to charge at the 2 working EA's down the street from me. I managed to but for all of 33kw! 33! but hey, I got almost to 75% while grabbing groceries so that'll work for 24.56 of my free credits..

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I'm not going to bother with the clickbait, stir-up-trouble article. I don't have a problem with people getting free DCFC charging.

My problem is with the pricks who use the charging stalls as their own personal parking space.

 

[Socalsp3]

I figured the free charging was figured in the mrsp. Might as well use it. My ioniq 5 just takes less than 20 mins to charge anyway.

 

[mkhuffman]

Sounds like you need to get there at 4:15.

The zoo by us has free charging (slow at 6 kWH, but free) and my mom always says to drop it off and go about the day. It’s never full but that’s not the point of them.

This is very wrong. The charger is for people who are visiting the zoo and it is not your personal charger. And this is why "free" charging sucks.

Edit: by the way, I consider what you are doing to be theft. The zoo put those chargers in to encourage zoo attendance, and as a service for those visiting the zoo. The electricity is paid for by the zoo visitors, and you are NOT a zoo visitor. So you are stealing their electricity. What you are doing is not just inconsiderate, it ethically and morally wrong.

Edit 2: to be fair to Jax, I made the previous edit before he responded that he only uses the zoo charger when he is a zoo visitor, so he is not doing what it sounded like he was doing. So he is not stealing or hogging the zoo charger. So he is good, but there are people who do steal electricity by using chargers when they are not using the services provided by the organization who installed and is paying for the charger. And it will only get worse as more and more people get BEVs. I might go back to ICE if this keeps up.

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