EV Owner Oddities

[PaulC82]

Visited a small shopping centre near me yesterday. Offered free charging (which didn’t work), however as I was walking off I noticed the car next to me - Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV - had padlocked his charge cable to his rear wheel. I kid you not. Appeared to be an older chap, presumably unaware that the charge plug is locked in the charge port when the vehicle is locked. I actually laughed out loud when I spotted he’d padlocked the cable to his wheel. Madness!

Anyone else ever spotted some strange behaviour when visiting the charge points?

 

[Rolfe]

Someone in another thread posted a photo of a fairly long charge cable neatly coiled up and secured in its coil by tape. While in use.

 

[Archev]

I’ve seen the result of a very long standard household extension lead being used in Waverley station in Edinburgh. A couple of girls were using it to power an urn to heat water. They left the majority of it coiled up When I arrived to repair the other water heater they wanted to plug in to the same extension !! The coil was smouldering nicely and would you believe it - the fuse int the plug had popped and they asked if I had another fuse ???

 

[Narrowgauge725]

Visited a small shopping centre near me yesterday. Offered free charging (which didn’t work), however as I was walking off I noticed the car next to me - Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV - had padlocked his charge cable to his rear wheel. I kid you not. Appeared to be an older chap, presumably unaware that the charge plug is locked in the charge port when the vehicle is locked. I actually laughed out loud when I spotted he’d padlocked the cable to his wheel. Madness!

Anyone else ever spotted some strange behaviour when visiting the charge points?

Charging cables are expensive and in the PHEV it is fairly easy for someone to stop the charge and release the cable. It was a recommendation on forums for those in areas where theft was a possibility

 

[Lovemyev]

Talking of locking in your charging cable, I found these ICE methods slightly amusing .

 

[Lovemyev]

If you have a starting problem with your ICE car, can I suggest you try a can of this stuff !.

 

[Bricktop X PWR]

Well I think this blokes behaviour was a bit strange!

When I charge my car (12 Stall Tesla Superchargers) I often pop off for a Costa, if I haven't brought my MaccyDs with me.
Nom.

This means I walk past the 22KW charging section.

If I ever see a person with a car that I know could use the fast chargers, then I stop and have a chat on my way back.

So far, I've had a chat with three people, who were on the chargers.
Just chitty chatty to start with, then onto charging etc.

All of them were delighted and thankful, when I pointed out that they didn't require a Tesla to use the chargers, and could be on their way much quicker and cheaper.
Showed them the app blah blah blah.

Mercedes EQ
Audi Etron
Volvo XC40 (I think)

Anyway, I had the mispleasure of interacting with a Polestar owner yesterday.
What a stuck up, obnoxious, grumpy, miserable ******.

Knew it all didn't he.
How dare I, a lowly MG owner, even be close enough to be sharing the air he was breathing, let alone be asking him about his car and how he would choose to charge it!
I walked off, gobsmacked.

My wife saw my face and asked me "what was wrong"?

I mean, I haven't felt the need to punch anyone (for a very, very, very long time)

But I came close that day.
(Far too much cctv knocking about these days )

It will certainly make me think before engaging with anyone on those chargers again.
(Probably won't stop me to be honest )

I applaud anyone who has gone electric, and feel a sort of camaraderie with fellow EV owners.

Hell, he might of just been having a bad day, who knows?

 

[Rolfe]

Not really an oddity, just another cross driver.

One Sunday morning it was coming up to time for church. The village charger is right outside the church, and the time limit is 55 min. The church service may or may not be over in less than 55 min, but even if it isn't, I can always sneak out the side door. Saves walking home when I've left the car on the charger. Not that I couldn't use the five minutes walk each way, but there you go.

So there I am, Caliban neatly parked by the charger and I'm sitting in the driver's seat waiting for 11.25, because obviously the sooner I start the charge the higher the chance of having to sneak out during the last hymn. At about 11.22 a big silver EV draws up behind me, possibly an Ioniq, and the driver's door starts to open. I jump quickly out with my Chargeplace Scotland card in my hand, reach out to the charger's touchscreen to wake it up, and say "I'm just about to start actually, hope you're not in a hurry."

I was treated to a glare that would have turned milk and Mr Ioniq jumped back into his car, slammed the door, and drove off at rather higher than the 20 mph speed limit.

The thing is, if he'd said, "well actually I am in a bit of a hurry, how long do you think you'll be?" I'd have ceded the charger to him then and there. It wouldn't have been any serious inconvenience to me to have waited to start the charge after the service, or even to have come back after lunch. Instead he just vanished. I thought I might find him sitting in the waiting space when I came out of church and stopped the charge, but I never saw him again. If he was going to find another rapid charger he'd have had quite a drive.

So the moral of the story is, be nice, because you might be lucky.

 

[dsimpkins]

It is a bit strange. Any interaction I've had with fellow EV owners has been polite and friendly. I chatted with someone on Saturday on some 22kW chargers, noticed that between going to the shops and returning he had moved his car. Asked if he'd had trouble using the charger he was on. He said no. He'd charged, left, and then returned, and was charging again. Car park was busy, and only spots left were the EV ones, so he'd put it on charge again. Also noticed one EV space had been ICE'd (although it's also marked as a parent/child space and they had child seats in the car)

He then explained he worked for a car dealership and asked me about my experience with MG4. Before I knew it he was asking me if I would be interested in test driving some other EVs. I politely declined and said I was very happy with the MG4, and not looking to change for some time.

 

[Archev]

Well I think this blokes behaviour was a bit strange!

When I charge my car (12 Stall Tesla Superchargers) I often pop off for a Costa, if I haven't brought my MaccyDs with me.
Nom.

This means I walk past the 22KW charging section.

If I ever see a person with a car that I know could use the fast chargers, then I stop and have a chat on my way back.

So far, I've had a chat with three people, who were on the chargers.
Just chitty chatty to start with, then onto charging etc.

All of them were delighted and thankful, when I pointed out that they didn't require a Tesla to use the chargers, and could be on their way much quicker and cheaper.
Showed them the app blah blah blah.

Mercedes EQ
Audi Etron
Volvo XC40 (I think)

Anyway, I had the mispleasure of interacting with a Polestar owner yesterday.
What a stuck up, obnoxious, grumpy, miserable ******.

Knew it all didn't he.
How dare I, a lowly MG owner, even be close enough to be sharing the air he was breathing, let alone be asking him about his car and how he would choose to charge it!
I walked off, gobsmacked.

My wife saw my face and asked me "what was wrong"?

I mean, I haven't felt the need to punch anyone (for a very, very, very long time)

But I came close that day.
(Far too much cctv knocking about these days )

It will certainly make me think before engaging with anyone on those chargers again.
(Probably won't stop me to be honest )

I applaud anyone who has gone electric, and feel a sort of camaraderie with fellow EV owners.

Hell, he might of just been having a bad day, who knows?

View attachment 21768

I had something similar a while back but I couldn’t get the charger to talk to me. After a while the guy jumps out and said if I just gave him ten minutes I could have the charger back. Reluctantly I said OK and commenced reversing out of the spot.
It was then I noticed something about his car - he was the service guy for Charge Place Scotland.
Ten exact mins later I was revelling in freshly unblocked watts. It pays to keep your cool

 

[Gadget Geek]

I normally try to make eye contact, smile, and give a nod of comradery. Most times people smile and nod back at my opening gambit and we have a good old natter.

The ones that don't respond I usually presume to be disgruntled employees who have had their "flash" 2ltr (inesrt desirable ICE car here) taken off them and been given an EV that they have to stop and charge, when they could be back at the office, chatting up Tracey in Accounts.