Public Charging Etiquette

[Scarpia]

Leaving your charge door open is a signal, but obviously one that is not universally understood. Leaving a note is the best way to state your intentions, and to know what other's intentions are. I have even seen small cards printed up that say "please plug me in", "OK to unplug if needed", etc. :
https://www.etsy.com/listing/240583087/ev-etiquette-survival-pack-hang-tags

There is a lot of information out there about EV etiquette:
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/10/19/electric-vehicle-charging-etiquette-manners-please/
https://semaconnect.com/blog/ev-etiquette-minding-your-electric-car-charging-manners/
https://clippercreek.com/ev-etiquette/

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[ChasingCoral]

Question for EV owners:

Being new-ish to the EV ownership world, I need to know what you think about the proper etiquette when using Level 2 public chargers. The scenario is as follows: you arrive at a public charger and plug in for an hour or two while eating lunch. Upon returning to your car, there is another EV parked next to you, unplugged (they needed a charge, but your car was using the last available charger). Their charge port is close enough for the Level 2 plug to reach.

Question 1: would it be ok to plug them in, or should you leave their car alone? I'm leaning towards plug them in, as that was likely their intent...

Question 2: is there a way to signal that you'd like to be plugged in? for instance, leave your charge port door open and hope the departing EV owners sees it and plugs you in when they vacate the space?

If their car has a non-locking charging port, I'd plug them in and see if it starts charging. There's usually some sort of glowing/flashing light to tell you.

 

[kmurraydesigns]

Leaving your charge door open is a signal, but obviously one that is not universally understood. Leaving a note is the best way to state your intentions, and to know what other's intentions are. I have even seen small cards printed up that say "please plug me in", "OK to unplug if needed", etc. :
https://www.etsy.com/listing/240583087/ev-etiquette-survival-pack-hang-tags

I was just going to suggest these, is it common for people to unplug others in the middle of a charge?

 

[BadgerGreg]

Leaving your charge door open is a signal, but obviously one that is not universally understood. Leaving a note is the best way to state your intentions, and to know what other's intentions are. I have even seen small cards printed up that say "please plug me in", "OK to unplug if needed", etc. :
https://www.etsy.com/listing/240583087/ev-etiquette-survival-pack-hang-tags

There is a lot of information out there about EV etiquette:
https://cleantechnica.com/2019/10/19/electric-vehicle-charging-etiquette-manners-please/
https://semaconnect.com/blog/ev-etiquette-minding-your-electric-car-charging-manners/
https://clippercreek.com/ev-etiquette/

Excellent - thanks! That’s what I was looking for. I totally respect the rule to NOT do anything with other peoples’ cars, but I also realize the rules may be a bit different with EVs and public charging. I like the idea of a written note; that’s probably the best way to communicate. However, the next time I see an open charge port door, I’m going to attempt to plug them in when I’m done.

 

[Orangefirefish]

I was just going to suggest these, is it common for people to unplug others in the middle of a charge?

No, and very bad form.

 

[Omar]

Also keep in mind that the vehicle is a Tesla you can’t plug them in unless they attach their adapter. Another big one don’t park in an ev space if you not need to charge. I seen so many time vehicle arrive and park in the ev space and walk away without charging.

 

[fmtexmme]

I was just going to suggest these, is it common for people to unplug others in the middle of a charge?

I don't know if it's common, but it does happen and is a source of debate, especially if a PHEV is involved. I owned a Volt before the Mach E and read more than a few stories from Volt owners who were unplugged by BEV owners. My view is, unless you truly need the charge (and by truly need I mean you're 20 miles from home and only have 10 miles of range left and there are no other charging stations in range) then you shouldn't be unplugging someone else's car, BEV or PHEV.

 

[BadgerGreg]

The only time it’s ok to unplug someone is if you can verify they’re fully-charged.
I like the idea of the hangers with instructions, including the ‘opportunity’ vs ‘necessity’ charging. That’s a great way to set it up for people who need it most.

 

[kmurraydesigns]

I don't know if it's common, but it does happen and is a source of debate, especially if a PHEV is involved. I owned a Volt before the Mach E and read more than a few stories from Volt owners who were unplugged by BEV owners. My view is, unless you truly need the charge (and by truly need I mean you're 20 miles from home and only have 10 miles of range left and there are no other charging stations in range) then you shouldn't be unplugging someone else's car, BEV or PHEV.

Thanks! saw someone on a tesla video talking about how tesla chargers "lock" into their charging ports and how to get a similar result with a J1772 public charger so i wasn't sure if this was something that was happening all the time or people just being overly cautious!!

The only time it’s ok to unplug someone is if you can verify they’re fully-charged.
I like the idea of the hangers with instructions, including the ‘opportunity’ vs ‘necessity’ charging. That’s a great way to set it up for people who need it most.

I really like the idea of the little signs and am thinking about coming up with unique ones for the mach-e... ?

 

[4 To The S]

Question for EV owners:

Being new-ish to the EV ownership world, I need to know what you think about the proper etiquette when using Level 2 public chargers. The scenario is as follows: you arrive at a public charger and plug in for an hour or two while eating lunch. Upon returning to your car, there is another EV parked next to you, unplugged (they needed a charge, but your car was using the last available charger). Their charge port is close enough for the Level 2 plug to reach.

Question 1: would it be ok to plug them in, or should you leave their car alone? I'm leaning towards plug them in, as that was likely their intent...

Question 2: is there a way to signal that you'd like to be plugged in? for instance, leave your charge port door open and hope the departing EV owners sees it and plugs you in when they vacate the space?

Pers

Question for EV owners:

Being new-ish to the EV ownership world, I need to know what you think about the proper etiquette when using Level 2 public chargers. The scenario is as follows: you arrive at a public charger and plug in for an hour or two while eating lunch. Upon returning to your car, there is another EV parked next to you, unplugged (they needed a charge, but your car was using the last available charger). Their charge port is close enough for the Level 2 plug to reach.

Question 1: would it be ok to plug them in, or should you leave their car alone? I'm leaning towards plug them in, as that was likely their intent...

Question 2: is there a way to signal that you'd like to be plugged in? for instance, leave your charge port door open and hope the departing EV owners sees it and plugs you in when they vacate the space?

 

[4 To The S]

Question for EV owners:

Being new-ish to the EV ownership world, I need to know what you think about the proper etiquette when using Level 2 public chargers. The scenario is as follows: you arrive at a public charger and plug in for an hour or two while eating lunch. Upon returning to your car, there is another EV parked next to you, unplugged (they needed a charge, but your car was using the last available charger). Their charge port is close enough for the Level 2 plug to reach.

Question 1: would it be ok to plug them in, or should you leave their car alone? I'm leaning towards plug them in, as that was likely their intent...

Question 2: is there a way to signal that you'd like to be plugged in? for instance, leave your charge port door open and hope the departing EV owners sees it and plugs you in when they vacate the space?

Personally I would say dont touch their car at all. I understand someone wanting to be nice and it's appreciated, but i wouldnt want anyone touching my car for any reason, without my permission. Anything could happen and your act of kindness could turn into an issue.

 

[SnBGC]

A couple years ago one of the local utility companies held an EV event. They invited manufacturers and owners to bring cars out for test drives and had booths with vendors to answer questions etc.

One of the booths had pamphlets discussing this very topic and handed out cards that said things like "Okay to unplug when I am finished charging" or "please charge when plug is available" etc. The cards were laminated and resembled those hotel signs for the doorknob saying Do Not Disturb or Service Room Please.

Seemed like decent idea. Sat in my glove box and forgotten about until I sold the car last week and ran across it.

 

[guyofthesky]

Question for EV owners:

Being new-ish to the EV ownership world, I need to know what you think about the proper etiquette when using Level 2 public chargers. The scenario is as follows: you arrive at a public charger and plug in for an hour or two while eating lunch. Upon returning to your car, there is another EV parked next to you, unplugged (they needed a charge, but your car was using the last available charger). Their charge port is close enough for the Level 2 plug to reach.

Question 1: would it be ok to plug them in, or should you leave their car alone? I'm leaning towards plug them in, as that was likely their intent...

Question 2: is there a way to signal that you'd like to be plugged in? for instance, leave your charge port door open and hope the departing EV owners sees it and plugs you in when they vacate the space?

I carry post-it notes in the car. I can say, "OK to unplug after 7 pm", or "Please plug me in when you are done..." fwiw

 

[ChasingCoral]

I was just going to suggest these, is it common for people to unplug others in the middle of a charge?

No, that is extremely rude. It is the reason some cars have the option of locking the charger cord in place when charging.

 

[gom-mme]

I think the clearest indication of asking to be charged is to actually ask. A few years ago, I was charging at free L2 charger. When I came out there was a Leaf parked next to me and the owner left a note asking that I plug him when done. Which is what I did.

I agree with you here. Unless directly requested, I would not be plugging up anyone's vehicle.

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