Free Public Level 2 Charging Etiquette

[generaltso]

When you use the second charging plug on a charger, not only are you only getting half the power, but so is the person you're parked next to.

While it's possible that the chargers are wired that way, it's not a given. Most L2 ChargePoint commercial stations that I've used provide 6kW on each plug regardless of whether the other plug is being used.

Sponsored

 

[ShaggySS]

While it's possible that the chargers are wired that way, it's not a given. Most L2 ChargePoint commercial stations that I've used provide 6kW on each plug regardless of whether the other plug is being used.

On the chargepoint app they specify if they are or are not. When you click on a station middle of the screen above the "Start Charge" button is will say Shared Power. This works great when there is ample power but the one by me is a 32 amp shared power so two people plugged in you a little at a little better than a standard wall charger. Not worth the effort.

 

[djjerv91]

If everyone thinks it's crazy to be unplugged while at a free level 2 charger, try being unplugged at an EA DC fast charger. Yes, this is true and it happened. The lady tried to say that it said I reached 80% and that I was done. That was true but I needed more for the leg of the trip I was on. This lady also said this was the very first DC fast charger she had been to. Needless to say, I was livid that someone would actually walk over to my screen, pressed finish, and then unplugged the charger from my vehicle. She also didn't close my charge port door as it was snowing pretty hard. To top it all off, there were open chargers. She chose to unplug someone rather than use an open charger. That day, I realized there was a new level of stupidity that I had never thought possible.

 

[Phil-Springs]

If everyone thinks it's crazy to be unplugged while at a free level 2 charger, try being unplugged at an EA DC fast charger. Yes, this is true and it happened. The lady tried to say that it said I reached 80% and that I was done. That was true but I needed more for the leg of the trip I was on. This lady also said this was the very first DC fast charger she had been to. Needless to say, I was livid that someone would actually walk over to my screen, pressed finish, and then unplugged the charger from my vehicle. She also didn't close my charge port door as it was snowing pretty hard. To top it all off, there were open chargers. She chose to unplug someone rather than use an open charger. That day, I realized there was a new level of stupidity that I had never thought possible.

The average human is not smart.

 

[RagingDork]

Every free L2 charger I see now has a Tesla parked in it without being plugged in .

I was having an argument with a friend about these L2 chargers being obsolete anyway. Cars have more than enough range for normal driving. For road trips you would want a L3 near a freeway/Interstate. My friend argues that no one is adopting ev charging because he doesn’t see L2 chargers at shopping centers and malls anymore.

 

[mkhuffman]

Every free L2 charger I see now has a Tesla parked in it without being plugged in .

I was having an argument with a friend about these L2 chargers being obsolete anyway. Cars have more than enough range for normal driving. For road trips you would want a L3 near a freeway/Interstate. My friend argues that no one is adopting ev charging because he doesn’t see L2 chargers at shopping centers and malls anymore.

L2 chargers are very important when they are destination chargers. If you can make it to your destination and you can charge at your destination sufficiently to make it to your next destination, the need for DCFC stations significantly decreases.

Hotels really need to build out their 240V infrastructure. Any place where your car will sit for 6 or more hours is a great place for a L2 charger. Most people don't spend that much time at shopping centers and restaurants.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

Every free L2 charger I see now has a Tesla parked in it without being plugged in .

I was having an argument with a friend about these L2 chargers being obsolete anyway. Cars have more than enough range for normal driving. For road trips you would want a L3 near a freeway/Interstate. My friend argues that no one is adopting ev charging because he doesn’t see L2 chargers at shopping centers and malls anymore.

I just stayed overnight at a free L2 charger on a road trip. They're quite valuable. Free or not.

 

[DJ_indy]

"Free" L2 Public Charging Stations must be eliminated immediately. Technology is available to set two things up: 1) "Meters" (Timed Charging); and 2) Locked Charging Wands. So, the EV driver needs to do a couple of simple calculations given the knowledge of knowing his/her EV's average miles per hour of charge. If you need to go 10 miles to get home to your home charger and in one hour on a L2 charger your EV will get 20 miles than you need to "buy" one hour of charging. The meter on the L2 Public Charger credits you for a one hour charge and begins the count down. Your calculations tell you that you'll actually have an extra 10 miles. During the one hour charge the wand is locked. Should you not return to your EV after the one hour charge is complete, the meter will show the "Charge Complete" and the wand on your EV is unlocked. At this point another EV driver can remove the wand from your EV and proceed with charging theirs. Hopefully, there will be etiquette involved when that EV driver closes your Charging Door. I can think of all kinds of things some EV drivers might do after witnessing the same vehicles at "free" L2 charging stations day-in and day-out. Things like: Busted-off Charging Doors, Shorted Plugs, "Keyed" fenders, Slit tires, etc.

 

[OON7]

Really interesting takes here.

I charge Monday-Friday on a free L2 charger for about 2-4 hours each day.

Before doing this, I contacted the company via email to confirm that the chargers were free, not only for employees, and that they had no issues with daily free charging. Got a confirmation on all questions (they encouraged charging there), printed the email, and stuck it in my car just in case.

Every day when I park my car I use this tag, leave it on the ok to unplug side, and it has my number there if anyone needs to reach me.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/TakeChargeandGo

I totally agree with charging idle fees, all places should do this. I unplug as soon as I hit my desired charge and move my car.

I probably should have mentioned at the top these chargers are in the parking lot of the electric company haha, just happens to be right across the street from where I work. Kind of a unique situation there but they have a ton of L2 chargers available for free there.

 

[Triggerhappy007]

The average human is not smart.

Yeah, half of the population is dumber than the average person.

 

[MachTheKnife]

Most cars (I am not as familiar with Tesla) have a SoC display near the charge port. I would only unplug someone if they were fully charged. I don't think it is appropriate to unplug anyone ever since you don't know there situation.

What does "SoC" stand for? I guess the the "C" is for "charge" but unsure what the full acronym means. Thanks in advance for letting me know!

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

What does "SoC" stand for? I guess the the "C" is for "charge" but unsure what the full acronym means. Thanks in advance for letting me know!

State of Charge, usually expressed as a percent.

 

[mkhuffman]

What does "SoC" stand for? I guess the the "C" is for "charge" but unsure what the full acronym means. Thanks in advance for letting me know!

State of Charge, usually expressed as a percent.

And just to confuse things a little more, there is SoCD which is State of Charge Displayed. SoCD is what the car shows on the display, and is the charge that is available for you to use. SoC referrs to the actual battery charge level since the battery has more capacity than you can actually use.

That means if you have the AWD long range (with the biggest battery) you have a 99 kWh battery but you can only use 91 kWh. So assuming it is warm and you have a new battery, when you charge to 100% SoCD your battery is actually 91/99 = 92% SoC.

My battery has a State of Health (SoH) of 92%, which means my max usable battery capacity is around 84 kWh at 100% SoCD. If the battery is cold, the total available capacity will be even less which could mean a total available capacity of something like 60 kWh if it is really cold. The ideal temperature for the battery to have full capacity is 70-80 degrees F.

Remember when all you needed to know what how many gallons you could fit in your gas tank?

 

[RickMachE]

That day, I realized there was a new level of stupidity that I had never thought possible.

Wow, were you uninformed. That level of stupidity, and worse, has always existed.

 

[byoungblood]

My .02, if you have enough charge to get you through the day, then don't use public charging. Leave it for someone else who really needs it.

My (likely unpopular) opinion is, if you can't charge where you live or work without having to constantly fight for a charger, and rely on accessing those chargers to drive your car daily, then you probably shouldn't be driving an EV.

I roll my eyes when I see someone with a plug in hybrid plugged into a public charger. That's just beyond cheap/lazy/inconsiderate.

Sponsored