ChargePoint L2 at Logan

[bshaw]

Does anyone know the situation with the free ChargePoint at Logan airport parking?

I pulled into level 6 central garage today and there were two spaces open with ChargePoints at them. I was at less than 50%, so I tapped with my app and started charging. Says $0 cost, so that’s nice.

The sign says you must be actively charging to occupy a spot. But, I flew to a destination and will be here all weekend. Isn’t that a little contradictory? Like the main point of airport parking is a place for my car while I’m gone.
The other spots were all occupied by Tesla’s and a quick glance showed they were all done charging too.
My car got to 90% before the flight even landed at my destination.
Am I good with leaving the car there until Sun? Assuming yes, but has anyone else done this?

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[WyldStallyn]

You are good. I leave mine there up to two weeks because there are so many spots. I recommend using plugshare and then you can see which corner of central parking has availability. There are at least four charging sections and it's a maze to find them.

 

[RickMachE]

As you can tell from the language on the sign, once you're fully charged, you're no longer in compliance, and the vehicle should be moved. Clearly it's designed for day trippers.

Huge discussion on charging at hotels and such. You'll find a split from people, either you're doing what you should do, or you are the devil incarnate and your car should be blown up.

 

[WyldStallyn]

When it comes to airports, I figure that leaving it for a few days is fine if there are plenty of stations. Logan Airport has about 50 stations. Otherwise I’m in the camp of charge and move.

 

[generaltso]

I've said this in another thread, but I think airports should stop installing a handful of L2 chargers and instead install a large number 120V outlets. That makes much more sense for the long term parking that most people will be using at an airport.

 

[RMoore]

I've said this in another thread, but I think airports should stop installing a handful of L2 chargers and instead install a large number 120V outlets. That makes much more sense for the long term parking that most people will be using at an airport.

That makes a lot of sense but it would necessitate using the charging cord that comes with our MME. Is there a way to lock that up? I would worry about some unsavory characters walking away with it.

 

[generaltso]

That makes a lot of sense but it would necessitate using the charging cord that comes with our MME. Is there a way to lock that up? I would worry about some unsavory characters walking away with it.

There are a lot of ways. The easiest is probably to just park a wheel on it.

 

[RMoore]

There are a lot of ways. The easiest is probably to just park a wheel on it.

What would be other ways? Are these designed to support over a thousand pounds rolled onto them?

 

[generaltso]

What would be other ways? Are these designed to support over a thousand pounds rolled onto them?

I’ve seen people route the cabe through a wheel or around a tire and padlock it to itself. I think it’s pretty common in Europe because a lot of their public L2 chargers are untethered.

 

[RMoore]

I’ve seen people route the cabe through a wheel or around a tire and padlock it to itself. I think it’s pretty common in Europe because a lot of their public L2 chargers are untethered.

Ah yes, clever. Also just read that you can buy something that will protect the cable when you park the wheel on it.

 

[macchiaz-o]

I've said this in another thread, but I think airports should stop installing a handful of L2 chargers and instead install a large number 120V outlets. That makes much more sense for the long term parking that most people will be using at an airport.

Commercial grade, permanently installed EVSEs have a number of advantages for the real estate owner and even for us, the vehicle owners. Here are some I can think of:

• max charge rate can be managed to best utilize green and/or cheaper energy sources
• 4 EVSEs could share a single electrical circuit
• user-billing is possible, and idle fees might even be one of the best incentives to get people to move their vehicles after they're done charging
• avoids issues that may arise from loose receptacles (you know, like the ones we typically find in hotel rooms -- yikes)
• EVSEs aren't laying in standing in water, or tripped over by pedestrians, or driven over, or hanging their heft off of a cheap wall outlet
• less fire risk from cheaply built, non-listed crap from Amazon being plugged in
• minimizes chances of over-current and arc faults
• no risk of equipment theft
• outdoor grade, highly weather resistant equipment

I think @SnBGC pointed out elsewhere that parking lot poles are often using 208V feeds, or other configurations not easily amenable to 120V. This may be another reason why providing a lot of NEMA 5-15 receptacles isn't as practical as we might think.

 

[Tbird]

My general opinion for most charging stations is Charge it then Move it. I think it is inconsiderate to stay parked at a charging station once you have completed charging. You are blocking others from using it. Now since this is an airport and who is going to use a charger but those of us that are on a trip So it appears this is one of those exceptions when it is expected that you would not move once charging is complete.

 

[generaltso]

My general opinion for most charging stations is Charge it then Move it. I think it is inconsiderate to stay parked at a charging station once you have completed charging. You are blocking others from using it. Now since this is an airport and who is going to use a charger but those of us that are on a trip So it appears this is one of those exceptions when it is expected that you would not move once charging is complete.

Right, an airport is a special use case where it's much more difficult to apply the normal rules of etiquette. For this specific use case, it's more about the number of chargers than the speed at which they charge, which is why I think it would be better to have a large quantity of Level 1 chargers instead of a smaller quantity of Level 2.

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