Free EV charging station at Work!

[Quercus]

http://www.bgreenbridgeport.org/news/2013/4/23/electric-vehicle-charging-station.html

There is a free 220v charging station at city hall in Bridgeport, Conn., where I teach High School. This is 0.8 miles from my school building, so I can zoom out to work on the highway (19 miles), plug in, and roll leisurely home on the 16 mile local road route home. Then, without needing to charge on my own dime, I can do it again!

One city agency has a plug in prius that I've seen there, but otherwise, it's all mine for now!!! :lol: :ugeek: :lol:

 

[JoeS]

Quercus, you're reaping the fruits of being an early adopter.

I hope that you are putting a sign in the window allowing a 'needy' EV to pull out the connector and plug themselves in. In any case, I hope you move your car after it's charged. Pity you can't find any old 120v outlet at school, as that would certainly serve you better.

Around here, public EVSE's are being misused by locals and (especially) by plug-in-hybrids, depriving out-of-town EVs of often much-needed juice. This is becoming a significant bone of contention as demand for this often-scarce resource increases.

I have a sign which I put up on the windshield every time I plug in at a public EVSE, identifying the time by which it is ok to unplug my iMiEV (I do try to move it out if possible) as well as listing my cellphone number.

 

[Quercus]

I walked back from work on my lunch hour to pick it up and found that it had not charged!

I must have made the connection poorly... though I saw the "charging" light lit.

So I plugged it back in and came back two and a half hours later to find all my bars happily ready for me!

The only other user is apparently this hybrid, which does not "need" it so much. I will definitely add a sign, though the station is set up so that access to another car if not parked in the space will be tough. I have to pull the iMiev WAY in to get it close enough.

 

[Don]

The only other user is apparently this hybrid, which does not "need" it so much. I will definitely add a sign, though the station is set up so that access to another car if not parked in the space will be tough. I have to pull the iMiev WAY in to get it close enough.

He/she 'needs' it to keep from burning gasoline, while you admit that you can easily make it back home without charging at all

The point that Joe is trying to make is that's it's really bad etiquette not to move your car out of the charging space as soon as you can - If you need three bars and that takes 90 minutes, you should plan to move the car after 90 minutes. You'll find it *extremely* frustrating waiting and waiting to be able to get a charge that you must have but can't get because someone else is hogging the space long after their car is already full - We want to set the good example . . . . not become part of the problem

Don

 

[fjpod]

...which is why I think public charging, free or paid, is not really going to work. Maybe quick charging at a "gas" station,... But I am a believer of charging at home for now.

 

[Quercus]

The only other user is apparently this hybrid, which does not "need" it so much. I will definitely add a sign, though the station is set up so that access to another car if not parked in the space will be tough. I have to pull the iMiev WAY in to get it close enough.

He/she 'needs' it to keep from burning gasoline, while you admit that you can easily make it back home without charging at all

The point that Joe is trying to make is that's it's really bad etiquette not to move your car out of the charging space as soon as you can - If you need three bars and that takes 90 minutes, you should plan to move the car after 90 minutes. You'll find it *extremely* frustrating waiting and waiting to be able to get a charge that you must have but can't get because someone else is hogging the space long after their car is already full - We want to set the good example . . . . not become part of the problem

Don

I'm not the people hogging your charging spaces... I'm not on trial, and haven't "admitted" to anything. Good grief.

You know, in two days I walked eightl 20 minute jaunts through the dangerous neighborhood known as "The Hollow" in Bridgeport in order to ensure that I was not using the charging station more than necessary. The whole city is considered dangerous around here, but I still cycle and walk through it regularly.

Here are some photos:

It takes some dedication to do walking and cycling transit in a town like this.

When I first got to it, I found it used by a plug in hybrid - by a guy whose office was in the neighboring building - already finished charging - and had to walk back. I was not "extremely frustrated." That's life. I got over it.

I've also spoken personally to the only other regular user of the space, and he says that he has never once seen it used. Ever. He also encouraged me to use it whenever and as much as I want.

The Green City plan pdf that I read today indicates that one of the main reasons that they installed the station was to encourage better commuting choices in the city work force.

Not sure where you are from, but there are practically no EV's around here. Especially not in post industrial blighted towns like Bridgeport.

And I do need the charging station since I cannot recharge enough at home at 110v to drive daily if need be, especially once it gets cold.

Only negative thing that's happened to me with my EV so far has been this lecture. All of a sudden I'm personally responsible for the demise of public charging stations! Jeez, thanks fjpod and Don!

 

[Don]

I'm not the people hogging your charging spaces... I'm not on trial, and haven't "admitted" to anything. Good grief.

My apologies. I guess I completely missed the point of your original posting

Then, without needing to charge on my own dime, I can do it again!

The Green City plan pdf that I read today indicates that one of the main reasons that they installed the station was to encourage better commuting choices in the city work force.

I guess I just don't understand how that's supposed to work if one car sits in the only space there is all day and never moves?

Not sure where you are from, but there are practically no EV's around here. Especially not in post industrial blighted towns like Bridgeport.

In our city of 60,000 I know of one other EV - Another iMiEV. I've never seen any other here, not even a Leaf

And I do need the charging station since I cannot recharge enough at home at 110v to drive daily if need be, especially once it gets cold.

When it became obvious that 120 volts at 8 amps might not meet our needs, we upgraded to 12 amps in our garage. For those times when that might not suffice, we installed a 240 outlet. In 13 months and more than 10,000 miles, we've never recharged anywhere but at home . . . . there's not even a rumor of a public charging station about to be built anywhere here, but should we ever get one, I won't be parking in it all day

Only negative thing that's happened to me with my EV so far has been this lecture. All of a sudden I'm personally responsible for the demise of public charging stations! Jeez, thanks fjpod and Don!

Sorry you felt like it was a 'lecture' - It just sounded like you have found your own private, publicly paid for charging station and you didn't seem too worried that leaving your car parked there meant that no one else was going to get to use it . . . . besides, no one else 'needs it' as badly as you do

I wasn't trying to be judgemental - Just pointing out the proper etiquette of sharing the few public resources we have with as many others as possible. When you've read the discussions concerning public recharging stations here on the forum, you'll see that the number one complaint is people who don't move their cars when their charging session is finished and that's probably why your original post got you three immediate reminders that you should do so. Not moving cars means that many users who MUST have a partial charge to even make it back home frequently find themselves waiting for hours for cars which were fully charged long ago to finally move so they can get just enough juice to make it home. If these suggestions offended you, I'm truly sorry. How you deal with your personal, private, public charging is none of my business and I won't bring it up again

Don

 

[danpatgal]

I think this discussion does highlight some frustrations we will increasingly encounter at public charging stations as more plug-ins are sold while public charging probably won't keep up. Even if it does, there will be popular places that sometimes have more demand than supply. A pure EV can be stuck, a hybrid not. There was this kind of exchange on the Plugshare comments for the King of Prussia Mall EVSE near Philadelphia recently: 'A Volt is hogging the charger - I need to charge my Leaf to get home! You don't need it.' with a reply like: 'It's not my fault you bought a Leaf, you wouldn't be stranded if you had purchased a Volt - the chargers are free for any plug-in to use!'

I personally don't see how public charging can work without a huge surplus of plugs over cars needing them or some detailed scheduling and reservation system to ensure an BEV can get the charge without waiting an unreasonable amount of time or being stranded. I've taken a couple long trips in my EV where I needed to charge en route - the stress of finding and using charging really made the travel a bit unpleasant. If other plug-ins had been using the EVSE when I needed it, I'd have wasted the trip or had to find some other random level 1 that would have taken 3 times as long to charge.

I think workplaces need to have incentives to add plugs (level 1 is enough for most people) AND I think they should plan to charge a small fee for it too. I actually hate it when people tell me I'm "gassing up for free" at work (to which I always tell them, "you can get an EV too." So far only one person did that.) We don't need more resentment from others that plug-ins are somehow getting a free ride or gaming the system from so many gas car drivers who don't see the advantages or have the means to drive electric yet.

Quercus ... (like the name, by the way) I am glad you're able to charge and make it work for you and for now you'll probably have little competition. Being an EV driver, especially more so on the East coast where it's less prevalent than on the West, is still a bit of an experiment and sacrifice. I'm glad you're on board and expect others will see what you're doing and think, "I could do that too".

 

[MLucas]

Quercus - I read your initial post and I kind of knew this was going to be the reaction you were going to get. I know you are new here and haven't learned the crew; most are good people with good intentions although some can be a bit green-righteous in their comments. I feel the responses could have been a bit friendlier without the 'lecture'. The assumption should be that we are all adults and know how to play nice with others. I'm more than sure you did your research before buying the i-MiEV and know what it means to own an EV. Because, it seems like only those that have done their research find the i-MiEV (through the lack of promotion by MMC) and prefer it over the Leaf or Volt. I've enjoyed your postings and pictures so far, don't let this deter you from posting again. You are a welcome part of this forum and your input greatly adds to the body of knowledge we are sharing. Everyone of us is relatively new to the world of EV driving (except for a few) and we are all on this path of education.

In addition, I understand what you are saying about Bridgeport. I work in Buffalo, New York which has had a negative population growth for the past few decades. We have one place where we can charge downtown and its a mile from my office. I applaud your effort to dash off from your work to go check on your car. I walked that mile last summer to see how long it would take me and it was about twenty minutes. I then borrowed a folding bike and it took me eight minutes. But, neither solution was plausible - the walk was too much time and the bike was too cumbersome. I eventually found the parking garage has 110 volt outlets. I asked several times if I could use them and basically got no response at all from the parking management, even when I told them I would pay them for it. I decided to just go ahead and use them and see what happens. Where I park, there is a camera and the parking garage management goes around once a month to check on permits. I know they have seen me do it and have said nothing to me, I did it all winter to just give me a bit of a boost. Although, I could have made it without a recharge but with 1 or 2 bars remaining. I don't charge during the warmer months unless I need to go farther after work.

The West Coasters don't know how rough we have it with public charging in the Mid-West and East Coast. We don't have the plethora of charging stations that are so common there. Look at any of the charging sites and you'll see the we have very few places we can publicly charge. They can charge at Walgreens and McDonalds, none of the Walgreens or McDonalds has charging stations in my area. How nice that would be, even if it was taken - it would still be nice to know it was there.

 

[Quercus]

Thanks, Don. I enjoy debate on the internet, and am always to post a thorough defense! For me, the word "admit" set the tone for how I read your post. Thought we were in Perry Mason mode!

I did flag the other driver down and had a pleasant conversation with him. We've personally worked things out. Unfortunately, I'm charging 10 bars worth today but won't make it out to move the car until 2:30-- probably using up the space for a good three hours that it doesn't need to be there, but the other option is heading home with six bars.

My family cannot afford a $1k+ install on a 240V charger or even a 12A upgrade to our 110V unit at this point, probably until our '10 Prius is paid off (cash for clunkers, baby! we're working the system!!) and we can make other purchases.

danpatgal--

I do hope a friendly etiquette develops between the plug-in hybrid and 100% EV users.

Time for me to put the word processor on and make a nice sign to put in the car with contact information.

MLucas--


Ha, guess I got the traditional newbie-dressing-down. I have been on a lot of forums, and am used to seeing it! Perfectly OK for me to have the initiation.

 

[fjpod]

Sorry you took it that way...but my feelings have nothing to do with your personal use of public charging stations.

I don't like to leave things to chance. I can go buy gasoline and there is virtually no chance that I won't be able to get it (barring Hurricaines and other natural disasters). But public EV charging is so limited, especially in my area, that is every chance that if I came across one, I would not be able to use it.

So, while it is nice to hear that free or easily accessible charging pops up here and there, its not ready for prime time yet, whether it is being used or not.

 

[aarond12]

I wanted to use the Blink Network charger across the street from my work -- not because I needed it, but because I had not previously used a public charger -- but because the only functioning charger was already connected to a Volt, I took a pass. I really don't want the drama of unplugging someone's car and having them "blow a gasket". From this thread, I see that some of my fears could've been realized by unplugging the Volt.

Fortunately, most of my destinations are within single-charge range for me. Those that aren't (e.g., the airport 58 miles away round trip on the freeway -- cutting it a little close for my tastes), I don't even attempt, even though I know there are some chargers along the way. Having to drive that far, just to find some fat, nasty SUV ICE-ing the only functioning EV charging point. I don't want that kind of drama. I'll drive my wife's ICE vehicle to the airport, thank you.

 

[Don]

We're like you - If we can't get there and back home on a single charge, we take another car, period. Depending on public recharging (absolutely having to get juice to make it back home) could make for 'road rage' moments, I fear

It's a shame really. The usefulness of the car for many people depends on being able to recharge it away from home and as we all know, that remains a really 'iffey' proposition at best and I don't really see it getting any better . . . . ever - If they installed 10X as many charge points as there are out there now, there would shortly be 20X as many cars needing to use them

When you refuel your gas powered car, the operator is right there doing it, so no problem getting them to move the car when they're finished - Oh, we've all had to wait an extra ten minutes in a really busy gas station while the driver of the car in front of us does his business in the restroom, or stands in line to buy dinner at the Wendys inside the station. There are those of us who refuel and immediately move the car to another spot before conducting business inside the station, but there will always be those who choose not to do so and the same is true with EV drivers - Some only need a few bars to make it where they need to go, so they only stay in the spot for an hour or two, but others are not so considerate, especially if the goal is to drive for free on someone else's dime

While it's great to get something for free, until public charging costs 3X or even 5X as much as home charging does, this is only going to exacerbate an already bad situation - If it was much more expensive to charge away from home, people would only get what they truly NEED from public stations and that will open them up for lots more people to use. Having to pay for the session also makes it easy to keep track of the offenders and deny them future use

I fear there will always be those owners who are half a mile away at work or shopping (or even at home!) while their cars were finished charging hours ago . . . . and someone who really needs just a couple of bars is waiting, and waiting and waiting for him/her to return

Unless and until it's required that the car owner stay with the car while it charges, I just don't see this situation getting much better and THAT more than any other single thing is going to dampen the practicality of owning an EV for many, if not most, of the current ICE drivers - If you can't get a charge when and where you need it, the car is useless in their eyes. Most of us know better, but they are used to fuelling wherever and whenever the need arises, with little or no planning beforehand

Maybe one day, public chargers will have a timer with an alarm which goes off after a specified amount of time, like parking meters today have. You'll know when you plug in that you have only 2 hours and that way the next person who needs the charge point can see exactly how much longer they'll have to wait for their turn. If someone arrives and the time on the car in the spot is expired, they can text the offenders license number to the phone number on the charge box and the offending driver can then be issued a TICKET . . . . and after 2 or 3 of those, they won't be allowed to use any public charging stations in the future?

For now, it would be easy enough to add a big red light to the charger which comes on when the charging stops and a number you could send a text. The offenders are stealing from the public in a way when they don't move their cars, just like with parking meters. There should be some way to report them

Don

 

[Quercus]

I use the station exactly as intended -- as a pilot program to encourage early adopters, especially city employees, to commute electrically. I move the car as soon as I can.

It's a chance one takes. If I found I couldn't charge and were stuck, I'd be on the train and the bus and then back later to charge it up when the station was free. That's life. Sometimes someone is in a parking space that you would like to use.

That time I met the other driver, he was just moving his car three hours after I had seen it already parked there when I checked it at lunch time. He said himself that it only takes 1.5 hours to charge.

Do I feel any anger? Even though it required an extra two sweaty miles of hot humid broken-sidewalk-and-boarded-up-buildings walking?

Nope. I just happily charged my car later, walked across downtown for a beer served by a lovely bartender, took another stroll, and toodled home.

I'm for taking any inconveniences in stride and for taking advantage of any benefits with a likewise positive attitude.

 

[RobbW]

I fear there will always be those owners who are half a mile away at work or shopping (or even at home!) while their cars were finished charging hours ago . . . . and someone who really needs just a couple of bars is waiting, and waiting and waiting for him/her to return

Unfortunately, my family and I experienced this situation just yesterday. Being brand new i owners (just got ours last Thursday night), we are not yet fully aware of the exact mileage we can get on any particular level of charge down to the 1/10th of a mile. This is still all new to us. This past Saturday, my wife, our two daughters, and I decided to take a trip to Naperville, which is an awesome Chicago suburb with lots of dining and shopping choices. I checked online first to see where any public EV charging stations were located. Lucky us, there was an L2 station at a public surface parking lot right in the heart of the main dining/shopping district where we planned to visit. We headed out. When we arrived and found the station, I plugged in. There is a sign stating there is a three-hour limit for the charging station. We didn't intend to be there that long. However, to be safe, I put a business card with my cell number in the window nearest the charge port with a note saying to give me a call if anyone else needed to charge. We headed out and had a great dinner, dessert and a beautiful walk on the city's Riverwalk. We got back to our car after about two hours with the RR showing 53 miles. That was plenty to get us home with a little to spare in case of traffic. (The one-way trip from our home was about 30 miles and 45 minutes.) In all, it was a very positive experience for our first use of a public charging station. The whole time we were there, we never saw another EV looking to use the charging station, nor another EV anywhere as we wandered around.

Our first public charging experience was so positive that we decided to head back to Naperville on Sunday. They have a big beautiful public pool/beach called Centennial Beach. Our oldest daughter REALLY wanted to go swimming. So, after running a few errands earlier in the day, we decided to head out in the early afternoon. The RR showed I had plenty range to get to Naperville, and then some. I knew I would need to top off once there in order to make it home without any major anxiety or drama. But from our experience the previous day, I didn't think we'd have any problems since the charging station didn't appear to get that much use.

The charging station was just over a half mile from the beach/pool. My plan was to drop off my wife and kids at the pool, go park the car at the charging station, and then walk back. My wife insisted that we drive by the charging station first to make sure it was available. We get there and, of course, this time it is in use by a Chevy Volt. My anxiety level started to creep up a bit, but I figured in a worst-case scenario they would have to unplug and leave within a max of three hours. I got out and walked around the Volt to see if the owner had left a contact card or any other info, but didn't see any. The charging station was blinking showing it was still charging. At least that meant they haven't been here all day taking up the EV spot with a fully-charged Volt.

We decided to go drop my wife and kids off at the pool, and I would come back to see if it was available yet. We got to the pool and drove around a bit to find a spot to park temporarily so we could unload everything for the afternoon. By the time we got unloaded, my wife and kids got through admissions, and I returned to the EV charging station, it had been close to 30 minutes. The Volt was still there. I decided to park along the wall near the plugged-in Volt and wait to see if the owner returned. This also gave me time to pull up PlugShare on my iPod Touch to see where other EV charging stations, if any, were near by. Unfortunately, I could not pick up a signal on my wi-fi hotspot. Our service provider is Clear, and they don't have the most extensive coverage, even in a heavy metropolitan area such as Chicagoland. So, without internet to find other stations, I decided to just sit and wait. Another 30 minutes passes and the Volt is still there. By this time, I'm sure my wife is wondering where I am. Plus, I'm missing all the fun of a day at the beach with my kids. I decided to drive back over to the pool and park. Yesterday was a beautiful day and the pool and surrounding Riverwalk park area was packed! It took me a while to find an available parking space. Before jumping out of my car, I took a brief look at the RR gauge; 33 miles. Yikes, at this point, if I didn't get a charge, I'd really be cutting it close getting back home on "fumes".

I put all that out of my mind and went and had fun at the pool. When we were done and ready to leave, everyone was starving. We headed back over to the EV station to get a MUCH needed top-off while we go get some dinner. Driving over to the parking lot, I kept my fingers crossed but my expectations low. Fortunately, when we arrived, the EV space was available! We plugged in and headed to a delicious BBQ spot nearby. Afterwards, we walked around a bit and got some gelato for dessert. By the time we got back to our car, we had plenty of miles to get home without any worries. Crisis averted, thankfully!

Through this high anxiety experience, I learned two important lessons: 1). ALWAYS find and map out multiple EVSE options prior to heading to a particular destination. Don't just rely on a known charging station being available. 2). I will always strive to be a good steward for responsible public EV charging. I will "fill up" the same way that I would hope others would do so.

Speaking of which, are there any written, unwritten, or just plain good-sense rules of etiquette for EV owners? How do other EV owners learn responsible public charging other than through dramatic experiences where they are the victims of range anxiety and charge desperation? I've decided that from now on, I will always leave a calling card tucked into the rubber trim of the window nearest my charging port. I will provide my first name, cell number, and the time at which I plugged in. And, if I know ahead of time, I will indicate how long I intend to be at the charging station. What does everyone else do when they use public charging stations?

 

[WyVern]

Wow. This is a factor of ev ownership I hadn't even considered. The only charge points here in south east Queensland are either at Nissan dealerships or the single council one in Brisbane. The council one is centralised between 4 bays and is a 32A charger, taking 4 hrs to fill an empty iMiev. It is free for use but you have to pay to park (at a 50% rate compared to ICEs).
The only other car I have seen use it is a Volt but that is not too surprising given minimal ev sales here. The charger is operated by the parking attendant but with 4 spaces available it will be a while before anyone hits the issue discussed here. Like many ev owners, I planned meticulously before my purchase and ensured a suitable level of self sufficiency before buying but I agree that in the long run a better way will need to be found.

Right now I'd settle for a supercharge point every 40 miles on the highway to allow EVs to extend the range from home.

 

[JoeS]

RobbW, I'm sorry you had a charging station conflict experience so soon after getting your new car. Getting VOLTed or PIPed is now a regular occurrence around here, whereas the frequency of getting ICEd has gone way down. Taking longer trips and relying on public charging stations has become very iffy (a year ago, no problem). Don't get me started... :twisted:

I have gobs of signs I've made up - for your situation, I have one that asks the plugged-in owner to post their cellphone number so that a BEV which NEEDS a charge can call, as well as point out that it's common courtesy to move their car when it's full. For myself, I always post the time by which my iMiEV can be disconnected and my cell number - although I usually pull the plug and move the car when I have enough charge to get home.

 

[Vike]

I'm with Don on this one. I only charge at home, and always take our hybrid for round trips that would even come close to challenging the i's range. Full disclosure - I don't have much of an adventurous streak, and only bought the i-MiEV because my city's small footprint and mild winters were perfectly suited to the i-MiEV's operating parameters.

The preponderance of stories seem to indicate that free public charging is just not a workable idea - it's a "tragedy of the commons" problem, and there are too many PHEV owners who feel entitled to mooch (I particularly love the "It's not MY fault you bought a LEAF" argument - that just says it all, doesn't it?). Chargers need to be paid for if they're to be shared effectively. Frankly, if you're not going to pay for it, you really can't count on it.

 

[RobbW]

Chargers need to be paid for if they're to be shared effectively. Frankly, if you're not going to pay for it, you really can't count on it.

Most of the public charging stations I have seen don't charge yet. In fact, I have not yet seen a pay station. Of course, I was never really paying attention or looking for stations until five days ago.

I would gladly pay for public charging given two conditions:

1). More (or any) Quick Charge stations were installed. Also, many more L2 stations. I would drive all over the place in my iMiEV if I knew there would always be a QC station nearby when I needed it.

2). Owner/operators of charging stations don't get greedy and try to charge prices equivalent to gasoline. Just because the ICE public has gotten used to ridiculously high gas prices does not mean EV owners will accept high charging prices. This is actually one of the things I'm most concerned about with owning an EV. I'm afraid public charging stations will try to make HUGE prices by chaining their rates to the average gasoline prices, thereby negating any cost savings of owning an EV. Of course, that only applies if you charge away from home.

 

[JoeS]

When charging stations in our local town were still on the drawing board, I had suggested that right off the bat they charge a nominal $1/hour - which they did. After all, the charging stations in any locality are NOT for the locals to use, but for visitors. I don't know how many times I've pointed out that it's sufficient for companies to simply have 120v outlets available for their EV-commuting workers.