Is anyone getting a bit upset with Tesla owners?

[rkarl89203]

First encounter: 2 level 2 chargers at Nicholas Conservatory here in Rockford. One is broke.
Guess who is using the one that's working, even with a free Supercharger nearby?

Second encounter: CVS drugstore near our house, we are parked in the HC spot closest to the door as my wife is disabled. Guess who decided who would block the door, not even parked in a parking spot. When my wife had to walk all the way around the Model S blocking the doorway, we felt we should point out that the person driving wasn't even parked legally.
She laughed as my wife hobbled around her dream car to get to ours.

These folks get 4-5 times the range we do yet they block doorways just because they can?
I find it annoying to see them whine on plugshare when the L1 or L2 charger 'isn't fast enough'
When there's a supercharger nearby that We can't use.
Sheesh , it is annoying.
I wonder what the guy in the wheelchair trying to get around the lady's Tesla today thinks about Electric Car folks now.

Just a vent about people who feel entitled.
Don't get me wrong, I Like Teslas, I just think that we who have unique cars should realize that we are representatives all of a newer cutting edge technology, not just a bunch of snobs.

 

[PV1]

Sorry you had these experiences. I know a number of Tesla drivers, all of which are decent people as best I can tell. My friend had an issue with a freeloading Volt driver, but that's about it.

The jerks have usually been dealers.

 

[rkarl89203]

I agree.
I just think ALL of us need to set an example of how our new technology hopefully is a positive change.
Perhaps the Tesla owners I've met have been the exceptions.
I hope so.

 

[siai47]

There are jerks everywhere. If my wife was disabled and had to walk around any illegally parked car to get where she was going while the occupant of that car laughed, there would be a trip to the body shop for that car. It doesn't make any difference if they are driving an aging Ford or a Rolls-Royce, some people shouldn't be allowed out of their cage. As to charging, any EV can use a public EVSE on a first come first served basis. At least the Tesla was charging--maybe it needed it, maybe not. Would you have felt differently if it was another I-MiEV charging in that spot or it was ICE'd by SUV? Were you at all upset that the other EVSE at your location would have worked for you if someone had cared about maintaining it in working order? And as to the fact that the nearby supercharger is "free", it isn't quite free. When you buy a Tesla and want supercharging enabled in the car it is a $2000 upcharge in the base models and is built into the price of the car in the larger pack vehicles. This money is used to build the network. The network is available to any manufacturer of EV's if they want to include the hardware to connect to a supercharger and add the $2000 fee to the price of the vehicle. To date there are no takers but some interest from other manufacturers. If your I-MiEV was able to use the nearby supercharger would you have gone there instead of using the EVSE located at your destination? Not being critical, just a thought.

Full disclosure--I own a Tesla Model S. I also owned a lot of EV's before it including two I-MiEV's (that's why I follow this forum). Public EVSE's are a crap shoot. Some work, some don't. Some are ICE'd, have a plug in Hybrid charging or a fully charged EV sitting there. I have learned never to count on one if you are driving out of the range of your vehicle unless you have a backup plan. I know you needed to vent but please don't put all Tesla owners (or for that matter, LEAF owners, BMW owners, Volt owners, etc.) into one basket.

 

[PV1]

One only has to look at Plugshare vs. a google maps search for 'gas station' to see why public EV charging is becoming problematic.

Looking at the gas stations in my area (and laughing as I drive by ), they are always full, and there are anywhere from 1-4 gas stations in the 10 mile trip to work, depending on which route I take. Yet there are only two places in the whole town to charge in public (Nissan dealer and upscale shopping center). The main drag through town has 4 gas stations in a two mile stretch, and those are different gas stations than the ones I pass going to work. The smallest station has 4 hoses, while others have more than 16 hoses. The Nissan dealer has 2 J1772 plugs and a QC, and the shopping center has 4 J1772 plugs.

While it would make sense for the Tesla to use the supercharger, how often do one of us use a level 2 instead of a quick charger? If I'm going to be somewhere for a while, I try to pick the appropriate charging speed to match my needs and time at that location. Maybe that Tesla didn't have the Supercharging option enabled, or they plan to be at the conservatory for a while. At my friend's business during an event, if I need to charge, I'll use the 120 volt plug on the side of the station to keep the level 2 open for other drivers. At the Convention Center, I always leave contact info in my window as well as a check-in to PlugShare when I use the stations. Only once have I been unable to get a charge due to both stations being occupied by a Volt and a demo BMW i3, and both were fully charged. I can't unplug either one, because one locks the cord to the car and the other will set off the alarm. No fault of the drivers, but a possible design problem of the cars themselves. But, I had options closer to home.

Yes, more stations will help, bigger batteries will help, but even with that, we'll still run into these issues. Maybe tacking a small mandatory donation on each station will reduce unnecessary public charging (kind of like who goes to the gas station when they don't need to?). If it helps ensure that someone isn't camping on the charger, then by all means.

The same happens at gas stations. The only difference is people are usually at gas stations for 5-15 minutes.

As for the woman blocking the door. She was simply being a jerk who happened to drive a Tesla. I see a lot of people hop out and run into a convenience store and leave their vehicle idling in the spot which they couldn't even park correctly. I've been tempted to move their car across the street and park it just to screw with them :lol: (kidding, but seriously).

 

[rkarl89203]

I have met NICE Tesla owners, I admit. Just not recently.
Guess I am just mostly expecting most EV owners to be somewhat considerate.

 

[Lithim]

This is more of a charging courtesy observation.
I was at a local grocery store with underground parking and four level 2 charging stations. During a recent visit there was a BMW i3 parked and plugged in and a Tesla parked but not plugged in. Plenty of parking spaces available in the lot near the charging station. In my opinion, if you're not charging don't take up space in the charging bays. This shows laziness on the part of the non-charging car. I was tempted to leave a note on the car.
Stay charged my friends.

 

[rkarl89203]

By the way it was with great joy that I easily beat a Tesla yesterday at a light here in Rockford.
He must be 1) naive about his cars capabilities, or 2) testing out his 'dealer' plates.
Nonetheless it felt pretty damn good.

 

[jray3]

I'll daresay that there are two broad classes of Tesla owner.

First there were the EV faithful and the green technorati, especially those who spent 10x more on their Tesla than any previous vehicle. :ugeek:

Then came Biff and Buffy, who "only buy the best". :roll:

Thank goodness we're not plagued by posers on the i-MiEV forum!

 

[rkarl89203]

Wait...I know Biff and Buffy....just kidding.

I think Teslas are marvelous cars, I just don't like the way some owners think they are 'entitled.'

I would buy one in a second, but right now I don't have an extra $65,000+ to spend on a car.

They are the fastest, most plush electric car sold to the public, though for the most part.

 

[PV1]

Actually, now, a little bit. Those drivers online taking videos themselves of Autopilot. If you are going to record the car in Autopilot mode, have a passenger do it. And please, use Autopilot responsibly. It's not meant to autonomously navigate windy back roads.

 

[rkarl89203]

TWO Tesla Ss at our dual best Chargepoint.
Sheesh

 

[JoeS]

TWO Tesla Ss at our dual best Chargepoint. Sheesh

Without knowing the exact circumstances, it's hard to generalize.

Last week up in Campbell River on Vancouver Island we pulled into a shopping center in our Tesla for a bite to eat and there was a Tesla from Washington also charging at the dual ChargePoint L2. Ref: https://api.plugshare.com/view/location/14489
In that part of the world, one opportunity-charges wherever possible as there are no Tesla SuperChargers and you never want to rely solely on the availability of a Tesla HPWC "destination charger" at a hotel. For example, the storm last night knocked out power at the hotel we were staying at in Washington. As an aside, looking at the Tesla owners' website, it looks like power outages from Hurricane Matthew affected long-distance Tesla travelers on the East Coast.

I agree, local Teslas (or, for that matter, any local BEVs or PHEVs) should not be charging at local L2 EVSEs if they don't NEED to charge; however, what if the Tesla owner is an apartment-dweller and the closest Tesla charger is 50 miles away? One of my friends with a Leaf has a condo in Bellevue WA and the cost to install an EVSE in his parking space is prohibitive, so he uses a public charging station down the street.

Solution is to charge for charging, as that stops the freeloaders, and, if possible, locate EVSEs away from building entrances. I habitually leave my reminder note under the windshield wiper of any miscreants I come across. Red note.

BTW, rkarl89203, you might consider adding your location to your profile.
http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3196

 

[mdbuilder]

Personally, I would not generalize at all.

Any car whether BEV or PHEV with a J1772 socket has just as much right to use the public charging infrastructure as any other. Just come back to move it when you have what you need and don't use it as a parking spot if you are not going to charge.

 

[siai47]

It's all in perception. I posted earlier on this thread but no longer own a Tesla and in fact no longer own a BEV. However, I now own a Volt which is a PHEV. Therefore, I have no need to ever have to use public charging anywhere. With current gasoline prices vs. public charging prices it is certain (in the near term) I wouldn't be using public charging for saving money. I can plan almost all of the trips I usually drive to be within the range of the Volt on EV power anyway. I only used the "free" Tesla Supercharging when I was in an area where it was convenient. J1772 Charging was way too slow for the Tesla and with the Volt and its small 3.6 KW internal charger it seems wrong to "Hog" a spot to pick up a couple of miles of unnecessary range in a PHEV and possibly ruin somebody's plans who is relying on that charging site to make it to his destination in his BEV. Believe me, I happened to me once in my I-MiEV a few years ago by someone in a Volt that had long completed its charge. I don't want to be that guy---ever. I will own a BEV again some day. I have a Model 3 on order or I may buy a Bolt if it looks good--don't know. In the mean time, I am going to stay away from public charging with the PHEV and leave to those who have a real need for it. That is my choice, I am not condemning those who might want to do otherwise, just what I think is right. Still miss the quirky I-MiEV!

 

[kiev]

i, and likely everyone on this forum, appreciate all your trail-blazing discoveries about the quirky MiEV. Did you consider a BMW PHEV when you were shopping for the Volt--would be interested to hear your opinion.

 

[siai47]

Not really. The Volt fit my driving profile for what I wanted it to do a little better than the BMW (specifically the I-3). The Volt was the ultimate replacement for the I-MiEV. Similar EV range of the I-MiEV, but provided a serious long range ability (double the I-3 on a tank of gas) if desired and a lot better adaption of the "range extender" concept IMO. Also a nice highway car, so been there, done that, bye, bye, Model S. More conservative styling, standard hatchback, lots of driving aids at a price point quite a bit less than the BMW. It is a compromise however. Not as nice as an urban car as the I-MiEV (You'll never get a washing machine in the back and close the hatch) and even though it can get your license suspended, it isn't fast enough (like the Tesla) to send you straight to jail.

So for now, I have settled on the Volt for my car of choice in Florida where the weather is warmer year 'round and the Volt should work out well for the I-MiEV/Tesla replacement. The Volt will most likely be traded for a future Model 3 or Bolt, as I mentioned before, if I like them when I actually see and drive one---something more Volt sized with my old S85's range. In Michigan, where I live in the summer, my twice weekly travels extend beyond the range of even the 100D Tesla without a Supercharger stop. I am currently driving a 2015 CNG powered Chevrolet Impala which fits well into the long freeway drives and I have my own compressor stations on both ends of the trip. I might drive that until the wheels fall off or a 400 mile range EV comes out. At my age, what will finally limit my driving choices will be my ability to keep fooling the drivers license examiner into renewing my license :lol: !

 

[rkarl89203]

As I have said in the past, I really really LIKE Teslas. Just don't have an extra $65k + dollars right now to buy one. Chevy Bolt will probably be my next EV anyways. Just very frustrating finding them using available J1772
Plugs when I can't tap into their almost always empty 5 superchargers near here in Rockford. Just annoying is all.
Sorry to offend, just need better charging infrastructure in general to alleviate this problem.
Guess I will learn more about charging availability in March lol