Noticing. (Public chargers being ICEd up)

[john1000uk]

Noticing how in public car parks how many ice only car drivers are parking in the ev charger bays.

 

[Rolfe]

Last week I turned into a hotel car park to charge to find an enormous articulated lorry pulling in across the line of chargers (which were mainly AC). I protested and the driver held up the plug of the only bay he hadn't blocked, a 7 kw AC thing. I pointed out that I needed the DC unit, which he was blocking. He said, did I have any idea how hard it was to find somewhere to park a lorry this size? I said I didn't care, I needed to charge my car.

He eventually, grudgingly, pulled forward a few yards so that he was blocking all the AC units rather than the DC unit, and I got charged. But the attitude frankly stinks. Would he pull in and park across a line of petrol pumps because it was the only place he could find to park his pantechnicon?

I think people see these bays empty a lot of the time and think, well, nobody is using them, where's the harm. They need to be challenged.

 

[5teep]

ICE drivers often don't realise just what they are doing when they block a charger. The I'll only be five minutes guy (comes back 20 mins later) is the one that annoys me most. Cars that stay longer often get booked and that's a nice bit of karma.

 

[tsedge]

Last week I turned into a hotel car park to charge to find an enormous articulated lorry pulling in across the line of chargers (which were mainly AC). I protested and the driver held up the plug of the only bay he hadn't blocked, a 7 kw AC thing. I pointed out that I needed the DC unit, which he was blocking. He said, did I have any idea how hard it was to find somewhere to park a lorry this size? I said I didn't care, I needed to charge my car.

He eventually, grudgingly, pulled forward a few yards so that he was blocking all the AC units rather than the DC unit, and I got charged. But the attitude frankly stinks. Would he pull in and park across a line of petrol pumps because it was the only place he could find to park his pantechnicon?

I think people see these bays empty a lot of the time and think, well, nobody is using them, where's the harm. They need to be challenged.

Parking an articulated lorry isn't at all easy, especially when the destination hasn't been well designed for deliveries.

I have seen many a petrol station where the tanker has to block large parts of the pumps in order to refuel the tanks.

The driver cannot know in advance that you are going to arrive and want a specific charger type.

Remember that none of these design choices, delivery times or policies are typically up to the lorry driver, who is only trying to do their job.

If you don't care about him, why should he care about you?

 

[Rolfe]

I don't need him to care about me. I just need him to observe the signage. To park where he would have to park anyway if there were EVs charging on these chargers when he arrived.

When I left the hotel an hour later he had gone, and there was another EV on one of the AC plugs as well as my car on the rapid, and no space for any lorry to park along the row.

 

[Archev]

Last week I turned into a hotel car park to charge to find an enormous articulated lorry pulling in across the line of chargers (which were mainly AC). I protested and the driver held up the plug of the only bay he hadn't blocked, a 7 kw AC thing. I pointed out that I needed the DC unit, which he was blocking. He said, did I have any idea how hard it was to find somewhere to park a lorry this size? I said I didn't care, I needed to charge my car.

He eventually, grudgingly, pulled forward a few yards so that he was blocking all the AC units rather than the DC unit, and I got charged. But the attitude frankly stinks. Would he pull in and park across a line of petrol pumps because it was the only place he could find to park his pantechnicon?

I think people see these bays empty a lot of the time and think, well, nobody is using them, where's the harm. They need to be challenged.

When I turned in the Glen Roy road yesterday there was a fire department vehicle parked very close to the charger not charging from it (I think it was an ice vehicle but not sure I just carried on past it and on up the glen)
When I returned the vehicle was gone. I plugged in and charged while I went to the cafe.
My point is that the way the vehicle was parked would have made it a problem for me to reach the cable for a CCS charge to the rear three quarter flank of the Berlingo.

 

[john1000uk]

Mind you I think the EV charging companies missed a trick. They should have installed a camera on each charger. Park an ice in their space for say 5 mins+ and automatic photo/ fine. After all its their profit being compromised.

 

[Black estate]

To the op, food, consumer goods, your new car don't magically get to the shops or car dealers.
And truck drivers are legally required to take breaks.
A lot of MSAs have eaten in to truck parking areas to install EV charging stations, leaving less space for trucks to park

 

[Rolfe]

To the op, food, consumer goods, your new car don't magically get to the shops or car dealers.
And truck drivers are legally required to take breaks.
A lot of MSAs have eaten in to truck parking areas to install EV charging stations, leaving less space for trucks to park

The OP was talking about parked cars. My experience was in the private car park attached to a hotel.

 

[Rolfe]

When I turned in the Glen Roy road yesterday there was a fire department vehicle parked very close to the charger not charging from it (I think it was an ice vehicle but not sure I just carried on past it and on up the glen)
When I returned the vehicle was gone. I plugged in and charged while I went to the cafe.
My point is that the way the vehicle was parked would have made it a problem for me to reach the cable for a CCS charge to the rear three quarter flank of the Berlingo.

While I was charging there an unmarked blue van arrived and parked alongside me, partially encroaching on the other bay, the bay a car with its charging port on the right would need. I just hoped he'd left enough space for someone to get in anyway. I don't think these drivers realise about the variation in charging port position, and just see that a car could back up to the charger, fine. A lot of the bays aren't very clearly marked out.

 

[EvTek23]

We can't just blame ICE drivers for hogging or blocking charging bays. I've seen some dubious parking by EV drivers.
On my walk to work in a mainly residential area, I consistently see EVs parked up in charging bays using them as their personal parking, no cables in sight, others cabled up but not charging.
I think it's fair to say whatever type of vehicle people drive there will always be those who bend the rules to their own advantage.

 

[Gomev]

Last week I turned into a hotel car park to charge to find an enormous articulated lorry pulling in across the line of chargers (which were mainly AC). I protested and the driver held up the plug of the only bay he hadn't blocked, a 7 kw AC thing. I pointed out that I needed the DC unit, which he was blocking. He said, did I have any idea how hard it was to find somewhere to park a lorry this size? I said I didn't care, I needed to charge my car.

He eventually, grudgingly, pulled forward a few yards so that he was blocking all the AC units rather than the DC unit, and I got charged. But the attitude frankly stinks. Would he pull in and park across a line of petrol pumps because it was the only place he could find to park his pantechnicon?

I think people see these bays empty a lot of the time and think, well, nobody is using them, where's the harm. They need to be challenged.

Aha, an opportunity for me to exercise my pedantry, apologies in advance.

Technically a pantechnicon is a large van used for moving furniture from one place to another, i.e. a furniture removals van.
Named after British company The Pantechnicon who originally used a van drawn by horses in those days and used by the company for delivering and collecting furniture which its customers wished to store.

 

[Archev]

Aha, an opportunity for me to exercise my pedantry, apologies in advance.

Technically a pantechnicon is a large van used for moving furniture from one place to another, i.e. a furniture removals van.
Named after British company The Pantechnicon who originally used a van drawn by horses in those days and used by the company for delivering and collecting furniture which its customers wished to store.

So that’s where the fetish for horses and kelpies came from

 

[Gomev]

So that’s where the fetish for horses and kelpies came from

Sssshhhh.

 

[Anon70]

Wonder what would happen if EV owners started leaving their cars a petrol/diesel pumps while they went off to do some shopping? Once that question is answered the same rule should apply for ICE vehicles in EV charging bays

 

[Rolfe]

Aha, an opportunity for me to exercise my pedantry, apologies in advance.

Technically a pantechnicon is a large van used for moving furniture from one place to another, i.e. a furniture removals van.
Named after British company The Pantechnicon who originally used a van drawn by horses in those days and used by the company for delivering and collecting furniture which its customers wished to store.

I know that! You've heard of poetic licence? Next you'll be telling me what a juggernaut is...

 

[Rolfe]

Wonder what would happen if EV owners started leaving their cars a petrol/diesel pumps while they went off to do some shopping? Once that question is answered the same rule should apply for ICE vehicles in EV charging bays

I put that one to a couple of drivers parked on AC chargers I wanted to use. One said that he paid his council tax so he was entitled to park there. The other said, if I didn't park there somebody else would. Neither was at all repentant.

 

[5teep]

I put that one to a couple of drivers parked on AC chargers I wanted to use. One said that he paid his council tax so he was entitled to park there. The other said, if I didn't park there somebody else would. Neither was at all repentant.

That's the internet generation for you, they have no respect because there's no comeback. Suspect both of them knew they were doing wrong but were not going to admit it.

 

[john1000uk]

I wonder what would happen if you just parked behind them, plugged in and went off for a couple of hours.

 

[john1000uk]

I wonder what would happen if you just parked behind them, plugged in and went off for a couple of hours.

I doubt I'd do that but I'd probably start to intimate it by getting my charging lead out etc just to wind them up ! Ha ha.