this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2023
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Public level 2 charging etiquette question (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hey Everyone, I'm about to buy my first EV (2020 chevy bolt) and there is a hotel next to my apartment with a lvl 2 charger. I called and asked if Its open for the public and their response was "Technically its only for guests but as long as you don't hog the charger I don't see any problem with using it". They seemed busy so I didn't ask anything else, but for a slow charger like this, what is considered too long to charge? My plan was to just leave it there for like 4 hours once a week, but would you count that as "hogging" it? If it matters, they do have 2 charging slots, but only one is functional and they don't know if/when the other will be fixed

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

So I’m going against the grain here but I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to charge at the hotel on a regular basis, even if it is only once a week. Before you buy an EV, your job as a responsible owner is to figure out a proper charging situation. What if a guest at the hotel needs it while you’re there? They likely picked the hotel because there is a charger but didn’t know that a local resident would be using it that day.

If you don’t have a reliable charging plan then I would highly advise that you reconsider buying an EV. Or plan to use actual public chargers until you have a more permanent solution figured out.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

That's a good point, and that's exactly why I'm asking. My original plan was to get an ev after purchasing a house in roughly a year, but my current car has kicked the bucket. There's plenty of fast chargers nearby that would work for me, especially since I drive so little (less than 300 miles a month). I realized that this hotel has a charger after I already made the ev decision, and thought it would be convenient since I won't be charging too often. Plus, after living next door to the hotel for years, I've never seen it used(which is why I didn't know it existed) , with charge point showing it's only used like once or twice a week. I'll probably just end up using this as a supplemental charger, and mostly charge at the fast stations a bit farther away.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

On this point, does the charge point app only show public chargers? Id imagine a hotel or any establishment would be able to make a note if the charger is available to anyone or just their customers

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The hotel would probably tell op if a guest needs to charge and he's in the way.

Op should probably turn his charge unplug alarm off too.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Disclaimer: I've only had my EV for about a month and usually charge at work or home so haven't got that much experience with public charger etiquette.

I wouldn't think 4 hours a week is "hogging it" but I would think the etiquette somewhat depends what 4 hours you are there. If your 4 hours coincidence with the peak usage of the charger (maybe when people are checking in for example) that is different to 4 hours when nobody is there anyway.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Op, if you work something out with the next door hotel then that's totally fine.

Etiquette is to not hog a charger and leave your car plugged in after has finished the charging session. Also note that many EVs will, after completing a charge, spend hours balancing the cells by trickle charging them. You don't need to do this very often, maybe a few times a year at the most.

I would think most of the hotel guests will be plugging in the afternoon and charging overnight.

Also, you could get one of these: https://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/28/take-charge-go-placards-polite-charge-ev/