EV charging etiquette

This story first appeared in the May issue of EVTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

What should one do if one’s PHEV gets ICEd? Etiquette at the socket exists – and yes, it really does matter. Dee West minds her manners.

Etiquette refers to conventional forms and usages: the rules of etiquette. Decorum suggests dignity and a sense of what is becoming or appropriate for a person of good breeding: a fine sense of decorum (dictionary.com).

I am not too sure how much being a “person of good breeding” is relevant. Our much-loved electric vehicle community is one of the most refreshingly varied and interesting crowds in New Zealand.

I do know this: charging your car is a necessity, and it is a new experience sharing the plug points in varying locations, and for varying amounts of time.

I’m not going to sugar coat this. The Electric Vehicle charging conversation is vast and often confusing when you are first introduced to it. There are different speeds of charging. There is free charging; there are places that expect a donation for using their electricity. There’s metered charging. There’s charging in prime spots in parking buildings where you have to pay for parking, but not electricity while you are there.

The key to good charging etiquette is to think.

If you are clever, brave and passionate enough to be one of the early adopters of EV technology here in New Zealand, it will take virtually no time at all for you to have an experience at a charging location that is less than enjoyable.

Here is a short list of fast and slow charging behaviours that we’ve seen, that have left us feeling quite annoyed:

• Hogging spaces for much longer than is needed to charge
• Terrible parking (I’m guilty of this a time or two in tight spots with my big Tesla, but it’s a behaviour I am working to remedy, I assure you!)
• Unplugging someone that is still charging
• Queue jumping
• Treating charging bay as a car park space when you are not charging
• And the most egregious EV charging behaviour…
• ICEing an EV park!

What is ICEing you may ask? Well, it is when an internal combustion engine, or ICE vehicle, nicks one of our precious parks and sometimes even has the cheek to drape a charging cord into their bonnet to make it look like they are charging.

This will earn you a hefty fine in some charging bays and locations.

Whether you are driving a traditional ICE vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or a battery electric vehicle (full electric or BEV), you will have only a few short years of seeing these charging bays being readily available, as the numbers of owners are more than doubling every single year, and we’ve all got to keep moving forward together.

If there are 1200 or 120,000 of these cars here in New Zealand, EV and non-EV drivers are going to be seeing more of each other on the roads, in parking lots, and in general. It is a great idea for us to start off on the right foot as much as possible.

Some people and organisations around the globe have put together “charging etiquette survival kits” that include notices to hang on the charge chord to indicate if it is or is not okay to unplug. These are very similar to ‘do not disturb’ signs at hotel rooms, and if you are desperate for a charge, you can make this fact known. If you are just ‘sipping’ and have plenty of range, you can let people know it is okay to unplug you.

There is also information to place on your dashboard because people always have questions about EVs and charging when they walk by. Sharing knowledge person-to-person is best, but having some information accessibly for people is a really great idea.

Having electric vehicles in visible and much coveted convenient parking locations brings good and bad feelings to the movement. Having access to prime parking locations is just one of the many incentives for us early adopters to switch over and embrace this revolution. One of my favourite parts of any given day is charging publicly and fielding questions from the public. Equally invigorating is running into other EV drivers and having chats and sharing pats on the back for being pioneers in something we are all so passionate about.

EV manners boiled down

EV spots are for EV’s only. Do use them if you need them, do not steal them if you are not an electric vehicle.

Don’t leave mean notes. Do feel free to leave nice ones though (we’ve had some lovely messages from enthusiasts and they make our day).

Charge only when you need to. Congestion will not take long to ramp up if we see the kind of adoption other countries have seen, so get in the habit of charging when necessary or when the bays are quiet.

Charge up and get out. Do not hog spaces.

It is okay to ask for charge. If you are at a campground, office, hotel, home or business and you need to charge, ask openly if you can, and arrange a donation or koha if that would make the process smoother and more enjoyable for your host.

Don’t unplug plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) unless they are done charging please. They have every bit as much right to charge as full electric vehicles.

Safety first. Make sure there’s no tripping hazard, be safe, be seen, be vigilant at putting equipment back correctly.

And I’d just like to add: be nice. If you can take the time to chat with people who have questions it does amazing things for the movement.

People have questions, and I know that they are often the same questions, but if you are charging and you have the time and inclination to engage in a friendly and helpful way with people, you are an actual rockstar, and an EV champion, and we are all so grateful to you.