Electrify America is enraging EV owners

[hydbob]

3 hours, 10 podcasts (s/o Smart Mouth), 2 virtual HR compliance trainings, 6 servings of flaming hot funyons, and 3 extended commiseration/bitching chats with fellow EV owners later, we charged (86 kWh station-restricted) the needed 300 miles to make it to Pasadena! Ostensibly! And then lost 80 miles of range and had to add another 30 at the whatever premium outlets! Nonetheless, I feel like each of those kWh we added in Quartzite was a rite of passage (hazing?) into this crazy world of semi-early adopters, and was a memorable part of our 2-week roadtrip/initiation into the culture.

Extroverted and want to make friends? Drive a non-Tesla EV across the 95 with insufficient range during holiday rush hour! I think we were all one (additional) broken charging station away from busting out our collective holiday leftovers and having a potluck in the Love's parking lot. My remaining Terry Black's brisket (s/o Goldbelly) would have definitely been a winner.

Which has me thinking, specifically on behalf of my introvert passenger/wife, I think we need some sort of indication that someone is un/available for conversation while queueing/charging. We all have different ways of coping with EA, and while some may prefer a crying shoulder from a stranger, others would sooner hide themselves in the frunk to avoid any human interaction during such an emotional low-point of their holidays. Maybe hang a tie around the rear view mirror? Or, if college memory serves, does that mean something else...

If I don't wanna talk to anyone I stay in my car. If I get out, I'm ready to mingle.

 

[joec]

If I don't wanna talk to anyone I stay in my car. If I get out, I'm ready to mingle.

That's my general rule, too. I don't knock on people's windows if they are in the car. I take it as a signal they don't want to talk. Anyone standing around outside is fair game.

 

[ItsElectric]

About to embark on my first Lucid Air road trip, starting tomorrow morning. We’ll be driving from San Diego CA to Denver CO, a one way-distance of approximately 1100 statute miles. We’ll be returning a week later.

So when I plug in my car and walk away, are others able to unplug the charger from my car while I’m gone? I ask because this is not the case when DCFCing with the other, much more ubiquitous EV brand and their eponymously branded “supercharging” network.

When your car is locked, the plug cannot be removed. However, if you do not unplug once you hit the charging limit you set in the car, a timer starts counting down to when you begin incurring an “idling charge” (at least at EA this is the case).

 

[AirPlur]

That's my general rule, too. I don't knock on people's windows if they are in the car. I take it as a signal they don't want to talk. Anyone standing around outside is fair game.

Sorry in advance

No knock, but if the window is rolled down and/or you return eye contact in a way my well-honed ability to interpret social cues says is amiable, you just may become my prey. Only because this is what has been done to me, and I've yet to be in a mood where I am not eager to praise/complain about the Lucid ownership experience (something, whether you like it or not, we all involuntarily signed up for by driving these curious cars). If I ever do find myself in that mood, I may adopt Larry David's trick of donning specific headware since most of my driving is around metropolitan California.

 

[joec]

Sorry in advance

No knock, but if the window is rolled down and/or you return eye contact in a way my well-honed ability to interpret social cues says is amiable, you just may become my prey. Only because this is what has been done to me, and I've yet to be in a mood where I am not eager to praise/complain about the Lucid ownership experience (something, whether you like it or not, we all involuntarily signed up for by driving these curious cars). If I ever do find myself in that mood, I may adopt Larry David's trick of donning specific headware since most of my driving is around metropolitan California.

Oh, I think a rolled down window should be considered fair play. Eye contact is more questionable with the window up. I get the impression a lot of people can’t see well inside the car from the outside with the window up. I get people staring into my interior all the time, clearly oblivious to my presence.

 

[Snafu]

One of my infrequent stops in the Manchester, NH, EA station - only 1 of 4 stations was open (a 150 kW). One of the cables wouldn't connect and got stuck in the charging port (twice) and I had to manually release it. I switched to the other cable on the station and it connected, I acknowledge EA in the App (happens more frequently now), and I got about 140 kW at 35% battery with preconditioning. I came back to the car about 25 minutes later to find someone (Ioniq 5) had parked in the non-charging parking space on the passenger's side of my car, took the other cable and draped it over my hood and could not get the charger working. I politely explained that only one cable per charging station would work, but I don't think they believed me. I said the person at the charger on the other side of me was leaving and had her move her car to an EV charging spot. I (politely) said that charging etiquette is not to drape charging cables over someone else's car. Not a very sincere apology ensued. I really wish they would not give keys/fobs/phone keys to people until they sit and watch some basic video on how to charge a car. Not a bad drive - temps around 40 degrees, highway driving (55-75 mph) in some serious rain at times, and my efficiency for the day was 3.3.

 

[scal_air]

If the window is up, I’ll wave if there is eye contact. Sometimes the person will come out and other times they’ll wave back but nothing else. I figure they aren’t interested in conversation. Honestly, most of the times that’s me too!

 

[pjdcorp]

Was just at an EA station yesterday (I am guilty of trying to use the free charging on my Lucid but mostly if I am out and about) and EVERY vehicle that was charging or waiting to charge was from a brand that is giving away free charging. During my 45 min there there was 2 EQS, 3 ID4, Taycan, iX, i3 and i7. I think once free charging goes away, chargers will be used simply by those that can't charge at home or are traveling. At this location, they didn't really give any buffer space between spaces so backing in to the spot and getting in / out while trying to avoid the giant metal bollard was difficult. AND there is nowhere to queue up so people are on the honor system to position themselves in a virtual line. I had two people try to take my charging spot when it was my turn. SOOOOO frustrating.

Another EA charger (combo CCS/Chademo) near me is positioned and has a short cable length that prevents me from being able to use it with my Lucid. This limits the me to 3 of 4 chargers at that location, and for the most part one of 3 is almost always broken (just confirmed the this is currently the case!)

I ran into the same issue in NJ re: queuing up recently at a charger where a guy in a Rivian claimed to have been waiting before me. After being reminded (or was that gently threatened??) by both myself & the guy ahead of me that he was 3rd in line, he surrendered & went off to find another charging station. Here too there was no easy way to identify who was first in line. However, it's usually pretty easy to know if you're not first in line!! The honor system usually works, but there will always be bozos who think the rules don't apply to them.

 

[hydbob]

One of my infrequent stops in the Manchester, NH, EA station - only 1 of 4 stations was open (a 150 kW). One of the cables wouldn't connect and got stuck in the charging port (twice) and I had to manually release it. I switched to the other cable on the station and it connected, I acknowledge EA in the App (happens more frequently now), and I got about 140 kW at 35% battery with preconditioning. I came back to the car about 25 minutes later to find someone (Ioniq 5) had parked in the non-charging parking space on the passenger's side of my car, took the other cable and draped it over my hood and could not get the charger working. I politely explained that only one cable per charging station would work, but I don't think they believed me. I said the person at the charger on the other side of me was leaving and had her move her car to an EV charging spot. I (politely) said that charging etiquette is not to drape charging cables over someone else's car. Not a very sincere apology ensued. I really wish they would not give keys/fobs/phone keys to people until they sit and watch some basic video on how to charge a car. Not a bad drive - temps around 40 degrees, highway driving (55-75 mph) in some serious rain at times, and my efficiency for the day was 3.3.

Wow, I would have been totally pissed if someone dragged a cable across my car.

 

[EVCar]

Wow, I would have been totally pissed if someone dragged a cable across my car.

We'd all have been pissed off beyond belief.
Hat off to Snafu for being able to control his emotion.
What would you have said or done in this situation, hydbob?
Me, I probably say something like get that fill-in-the-blank-curse-word cable off my car, would you please.

 

[hydbob]

We'd all have been pissed off beyond belief.
Hat off to Snafu for being able to control his emotion.
What would you have said or done in this situation, hydbob?
Me, I probably say something like get that fill-in-the-blank-curse-word cable off my car, would you please.

I'd drag a cable across their car

 

[Bus Driver]

Wow, I would have been totally pissed if someone dragged a cable across my car.

Some non-car guys and gals are just completely oblivious. Dragging a cable across someone else’s car is like parking on a street in New York. Motorists think nothing of bashing the rear bumper in front of them, and the front bumper behind them, just to wedge themselves into a parking space.

 

[xponents]

I'd drag a cable across their car

I’d whip them with the cable

And seeing as to how my gen thinks it’s okay to lean and touch somebody’s car, not shocked.

 

[EVCar]

I’d whip them with the cable

And seeing as to how my gen thinks it’s okay to lean and touch somebody’s car, not shocked.

You and hydbob are out of luck because there are only 2 cables per station, one being used for your car, and the other lovingly draping across your car.

 

[hydbob]

You and hydbob are out of luck because there are only 2 cables per station, one being used for your car, and the other lovingly draping across your car.

I would unplug mine just to drag it across their car

 

[EVCar]

I would unplug mine just to drag it across their car

Does that mean you've just rewarded a working charging cable to the person with inexcusable behavior?

 

[hydbob]

Does that mean you've just rewarded a working charging cable to the person with inexcusable behavior?

Hmm haven't thought this through yet. Maybe only after I finish my charge

 

[hellolucid]

i was at Hillsdale shopping mall a few weeks ago and saw a lady pull up next to an EV station that had a car connected/charging and the driver of the car was sitting inside. this lady connected the second cable from the same charger to her car and started the session(?). anyways it disconnected the original guy's session. the lady thought she could use the second cable. in the end the other guy had to leave because his car wouldn't restart charging even after the lady returned the second cable. i found it amusing. to be fair to the lady, new EV owners need some sort of guidance or EA should do a better job communicating it to them when it's obvious that someone is using the first cable.

 

[Andretex]

Yesterday, I experienced another issue with EA. I went to a EA Walmart spot with 4 stations. One was broken and 3 taken. I got out of my car and walked around. I noticed one car at 86% and another at 92% state of charge. I was about to ask how long they would charge and got the body language that they were waiting longer. Both cars charged to 100% and made me wait. I got a little upset but chose not to say anything.

I am sure they were both getting free charge from the manufacturer. Both did not look loke they needed the 100% charge for a long trip.

People just dont get it. Besides not being good for the battery, the extra 30 to 40 minutes to charge from 80% to 100% is about a cost of $2 dollars charging at home given our $0.16 cent per kw charge from our utility company. Even if you don't have level 2, just plug in at 120v to top it off at home overnight. Come on now.

I guess $2 is worth 40 minutes to some people or they have never done the math.

 

[hydbob]

Yesterday, I experienced another issue with EA. I went to a EA Walmart spot with 4 stations. One was broken and 3 taken. I got out of my car and walked around. I noticed one car at 86% and another at 92% state of charge. I was about to ask how long they would charge and got the body language that they were waiting longer. Both cars charged to 100% and made me wait. I got a little upset but chose not to say anything.

I am sure they were both getting free charge from the manufacturer. Both did not look loke they needed the 100% charge for a long trip.

People just dont get it. Besides not being good for the battery, the extra 30 to 40 minutes to charge from 80% to 100% is about a cost of $2 dollars charging at home given our $0.16 cent per kw charge from our utility company. Even if you don't have level 2, just plug in at 120v to top it off at home overnight. Come on now.

I guess $2 is worth 40 minutes to some people or they have never done the math.

I've found a lot of the people charging to 100 are either Uber/Lyft drivers or can't charge at their home i.e. condo/apt