Back-In Parking

[Don]

Well, if you're able to park, it's faster.

My next door neighbor's husband demands his wife back the car into the carport, just as he does. Watching her try to get it centered in the space every day is quite entertaining. Forward and back, usually 3 or 4 times and eventually she gets it *close* to the way he likes it. I'm left wondering how much all that forward and reverse shifting is shortening the life of the car. On the other hand, if they parked the regular way (front end in first) they have a HUGE area to back up into so as to turn around and leave the drive front end first

Backing into a confined space so you don't have to back out into an unconfined space will never make a lick of sense to me

Don

 

[JoeS]

My next door neighbor's husband demands his wife back the car into the carport, just as he does. Watching her try to get it centered in the space every day is quite entertaining. Forward and back, usually 3 or 4 times and eventually she gets it *close* to the way he likes it.

I'm always dumbfounded that, when people need to do something, they don't practice until they get it 'right'. When we first got our cruising catamaran, both my wife and I spent a few days practicing docking until we both could do it with aplomb. The level of driving skill by the average driver in this country is abysmal and, add to that texting or jabbering on the phone (irrespective of whether it's handsfree or not), makes backing up into that environment downright dangerous (staying on-topic ). Can't wait for self-driving cars.

... Backing into a confined space so you don't have to back out into an unconfined space will never make a lick of sense to me

Replace the word "unconfined" with "uncontrolled" perhaps is a better focus. For me, when I visit suburbia, it's kids playing in driveways that causes me worry. Don, one of the few things we continue to agree to disagree on. :roll:

 

[wmcbrine]

Every Leaf owner I know has to drag at least a portion of their cable on the ground in order to plug in their car, and they also have a trip hazard as they need to get by the front of their car and step over the cord after they've closed the garage door.

Well, that just seems like bad planning. If they're installing the EVSE themselves, they ought to be able to find a logical place for it, and I assume they already knew where the car's charge port is.

Now, in my case, I actually have my new EVSE towards the front of the garage, on the wrong side of the i-MiEV. In that position, it would work a lot better for a Leaf, or if I backed in (which I've done a few times, but it's a pain). But I was taking advantage of some existing wiring, and rather than redo that, I just got a longer cable for the J1772.

 

[Don]

In our case, we back out of the garage about 50 feet where we can turn around and leave the driveway front first. If we were to back in, we'd have to make the turn around the same 50 feet from the garage door and back up the 50 feet into the garage bay. With an 8 foot wide door, there's about 6 inches or so of clearance on the mirrors on either side. I've been driving for more than 50 years and consider myself a pretty accomplished driver, but backing the 50 feet twice a day for 3 years, I'm 90% sure I'd be needing a new mirror by now - For the wife . . . . we'd have needed a new mirror the first month :lol:

Pulling in nose first, the car is already aligned very straight in the garage stall and backing out is a simple matter - You just don't turn the steering wheel at all . . . . it went in straight and it comes back out straight. You could back it out at 25 miles an hour and never clip a mirror. Once you clear the door, the driveway is 20 feet wide. Backing onto a 20 foot wide paved surface is much, much easier than backing a 7 foot wide car into an 8 foot wide door

As I said previously, "Backing into a confined space so you don't have to back out into an unconfined space will never make a lick of sense to me" - It's cheaper too . . . . no need to buy the occasional mirror :lol:

The other really good feature about backing out vs backing in - You can walk around the back of the car before you get in to leave the space to assure there's nothing behind you before you begin the backing operation.

When I was in the USAF, we always had to use a 'backing spotter' (the front seat passenger who would get out and stand behind where the driver could see them in the mirror.) No passengers? We had to use a back-up cone. Stop the truck, place the cone where you wanted the drivers side rear bumper to be and then get back in and back up to the cone. Something like 75% of all our accidents happened while backing. It got so bad that ANY backing accident of any kind was an automatic Article 15 or worse - Not good if you were a career military person hoping to retire after 20 years. Back-in parking was a definite no-no

Don

 

[JoeS]

Couldn't resist posting this here. See why the i-MiEV is a superior urban vehicle:

http://www.teslarati.com/valet-attempts-to-park-tesla-model-s-caught-on-dash-cam/

I don't think that any of us would have had a problem backing our i-MiEV into that parking place in one shot.

Back on-topic, it looks as though valet parking culture is to back into parking spots.

 

[jsantala]

Model S is friggin' huge car at least by European standards - 5m long, 2m wide. Euro i-MiEV is 3,4m by 1,5m. You could almost fit two i-MiEVs into the same square meters as a Model S.

 

[Don]

Back on-topic, it looks as though valet parking culture is to back into parking spots.

. . . . and evidently, they're no better at it than most of us, back-camera and all :lol:

I wouldn't let any valet touch my car if I was driving a 15 year old Toyota Corolla, much less a new Tesla!

 

[PV1]

I'll park my own car, thank you. Got to be easy on the throttle. Probably did $1,000 in damage easy. I was waiting to watch the mirror snap off.

Just for comparison:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/novfen22slbqw19/20130604_201829.jpg?dl=0

 

[JoeS]

Greetings from New Caledonia! Even in the South Pacific, people know how to park properly. Unfortunately, have not seen a single EV

 

[JoeS]

Continuing to add fuel to the fire, here's another photo of back-in parking in New Caledonia, with the beautiful South Pacific (Coral Sea) water in the background:

Here's a current photo from Cleveland QLD which is where I was first exposed to back-in parking over 10 years ago - note that in Australia they drive on the left side of the road.

Raised the topic with a old sailing/engineer Aussie friend who now lives in that community and it was incredible how vehement a proponent he is of this technique. We both bemoaned the incompetence of drivers who are incapable of properly performing this simple maneuver.

 

[Don]

We both bemoaned the incompetence of drivers who are incapable of properly performing this simple maneuver.

If you look at the cars in those pictures which are either parked *on* the white lines or very close to them, there's no need to bemoan anyone else's incompetence - They have plenty enough to go around right there!

Again, it's just much, much harder to get centered in a small space backing in than it is if you pull in forward and as the pictures clearly show, it's the same all around the world - It's no easier for them to do it there (where evidently they *attempt* it every day) than it is for us here

Don

 

[JoeS]

We both bemoaned the incompetence of drivers who are incapable of properly performing this simple maneuver.

If you look at the cars in those pictures which are either parked *on* the white lines or very close to them, there' no need to bemoan anyone else's lack of ability - They have plenty enough to go around right there!

Aw, Don, you know I wasn't going to let that one go - here are some examples of front-in parking California drivers' expertise. :shock:

Not to worry, within a few short years autonomous vehicles will compensate for incompetence. :lol: There are now lots of the new little Google autonomous cars in the neighborhood and my wife thought they'd be a great mini-me complement to the i-MiEV - we'll try to get a photo of their bubble car next to our i-MiEV.

 

[JoeS]

From New Owner = Ben thread:

…I don't think backing up for charging is really needed except for QC, since the J1772 charging cable is long enough to reach even if you don't. In a garage you can always put the EVSE where you want it to be.
Also, you're less likely to hit pedestrians and cyclists, perhaps other motorists as well, if you don't have to back out of a parking spot. When you arrive at the spot you'll have more time and visibility to check the surroundings before you back in. Somehow it still does seem bothersome to do it.

I back in for both DCQC and J1772. Once you make it a habit of backing into every parking spot, it becomes second-nature (I admit, have yet to convince wife of that). Avoiding the uncertainty when pulling out is priceless, IMO. I must say that, after a year with the second i-MiEV's backup camera, it's downright decadent, although I still primarily use the side mirrors.

 

[tigger19687]

I have a confession ............... I don't back in at work

It isn't because I don't want to, I do. But My assigned spot is a HARD right turn after the gate. SO even just backing in blocks the gate and then triggers it to open it again.... which results in it getting stuck open and we can't have riff raff parking in the "special" parking area

If I do back in, then backing out makes me have to do a 3 point turn due to a wall and post .

Yes, pulling in puts my port in front of the plug and backing in makes me go all the way around.

I just feel bad sometimes as I want to back in

 

[databeestje]

We have a fish bone parking lot at work, and the evse is thus always at the front, it's also one direction, so backing up into that spot to get easier access would mean going against the direction of traffic. Since it's a company parking lot there isn't much harm, but it makes it that much more difficult.

It's a good thing that I have a 5 meter Type 2 to type 1 cord, so I can easily get from the front EVSE, along the side, around the back and into the charge port.

 

[JoeS]

...It's a good thing that I have a 5 meter Type 2 to type 1 cord, so I can easily get from the front EVSE, along the side, around the back and into the charge port.

Yuk, dragging that long cord over the ground and getting one's hands dirty coiling it back up... presumably you have a nice box to store it in and not get the car's carpeting dirty. :roll:

 

[databeestje]

...It's a good thing that I have a 5 meter Type 2 to type 1 cord, so I can easily get from the front EVSE, along the side, around the back and into the charge port.

Yuk, dragging that long cord over the ground and getting one's hands dirty coiling it back up... presumably you have a nice box to store it in and not get the car's carpeting dirty. :roll:

The ground isn't too dirty at work, but in this winter weather it's a bit wet every now and again.

You're right though, I have a foldable plastic shopping crate in the back where I keep it, along with a first aid kit and a small toolbox, also a foam knee pad which comes in handy on occasion.

 

[offgridQLD]

I live in Australia and a small country town (That's street is always full as its a popular getaway town) They have the back in parallel parking rule in the main street and I hate it with a passion.

Yes I can back my Imiev and my 4wd utility into any spot it will physically fit without issue. It has nothing to do with driver skill. So that's not my worry?

Tell me this where are kids, pedestrians, dogs and personal Items more likely to be at any one time.

A) out on the street with the cars?

B) Along side the parked cars in the space (empty car park along side there car) as they exit there parked car?


If your having trouble It's (B)

Then you have the issue of cars on the stree wanting to park. Indicating, stopping all within the space of 2 seconds. The cars behind them have allready driven close to the car that wants to park and ten cars behind them have done the same. How the hell is that going to work . Are they all expected to back up 10 feet for the guy at the front.

I have seen so many things (shopping, prams, animals) driven over. Kids getting out of parked cars and playing on the edge of the space next to them. Prams parked there as moms get a 2nd child out of the car. All while a car is trying to back in (pressured by the line of car that have to hang about for them. Remember you cant see the back of your car down low, center without a camera the mirrors only show so much.

I would much prefer to pull in facing the foot path. As I drive in I have a 100% clear view of the open car park and can see everything. When I reverse (angle parked) my tail lights are facing the (slow) oncoming cars so they can see my reversing lights and intention. I can see the oncoming cars in my mirrors as I reverse out to pick my timing.

Every one is safe and happy. I could strangle the knuckle head who enforced that silly back in rule in our town. I refuse to park in the main street. They can all run over each others gear, kids, dogs and the like and sit in the street for hrs in a line with one cars not knowing whats going on with a guy at the front wanting them all to reverse back so he can park. In the mean time I have parked out the back (forward facing) and already got my shopping and driven off.

I Also don't reverse into my garage at home as I have a child that likes to suddenly pop up in unexpected places. Often doing something silly like crawling on the ground down low there I might not see her. (only has to happen once)

Kurt

 

[JoeS]

I'm in love - videos showing Tesla (v7.1 software update) autonomously backing into perpendicular parking spots:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ic8T-kUbaRM
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xBWLzE_NvVg

 

[Phximiev]

So's my wife, she's ready to trade in the iMiev for a Tesla!