Charging Etiquette

Given that electric vehicle ownership is not yet mainstream, it may come as no surprise to the gas-burners among you that charging stations are not easy to find in the Metro Detroit area.

Finding a charging station that will actually allow you to use it is a multifactorial problem. First, you must find a station, which is made more difficult by the fact that almost none are well-marked, and are often nowhere near their indicated locations on the vehicle's onboard GPS.

(Sploosh)

But truly, the most persistently irritating thing about charging an electric car is the poor etiquette of other EV drivers. All too often, you will run across someone whose car finished charging hours or days ago, and there it is, still sitting in the only available charging spot. One particular Ann Arbor location always has the same two Chevy Volts plugged in with their batteries full, using the place like their own (free) home charging station.

With all that in mind, let's lay down some ground rules to help us become more mindful EV drivers.

1) If you don't drive an EV, don't park in the charging spot. Seriously, if you keep this up I'm gonna start parking in gas stations. It's a frustrating and common occurrence, but I just chalk it up to most people not giving a shit about my charging problem. I understand not giving a shit about other peoples' problems, and frequently the spot next to them is open, so I simply drape the cord across their car to make it reach mine. Problem solved.

2) Don't charge if you don't need to. Why are you taking up the only spot for miles around to get an extra 20% of battery power?

3) Move the car when you're full. If your battery has gotten topped off, move it. Most electric cars can send you a text message when the battery is full so you'll know. Leaving it there for hours afterwards, plugged in, is asinine. If you can't move it when you're done, try to make it so others can unplug your car and still plug their own in. Leave a card with your phone number on the windshield.

4) Feel free to unplug a FULLY CHARGED car. If there is a car plugged in and it's obvious the battery is full, you should feel no qualms about unplugging it to charge your own. Note that Chevy Volts seem to like to sound their car alarms when you do this, but whatever. Leave a note if you want.

How to tell if it's charged fully: On a Volt, it's charged if the dashboard green light is flashing. On a fully charged Leaf, all three lights on the dash are either all on, or all off. And on a charged-up Ford, the blue ring around the charge door will not be lit.

Finally, having found an open spot in front of a charging station, your excitement may well be tempered by finding that said station is actually broken, possibly forever. I'm looking at you, Ferndale!

Tesla

Recently, the Oatmeal showed what it's like to own and drive a Tesla Model S. I highly recommend you check out the comic.

After reading of its glory, your author clicked as quickly as possible on the Tesla website and prepared to order a Model S directly from Elong Musque, as this is how Tesla does things. Our ancient computer let out a sad trombone noise when its dial-up modem finally displayed the minimum purchase price of $69,995. That's 2 to 4 times as much as the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3, and Mitsubishi Car-Shaped-Object, the only other fully electric cars on the market.

Makes you wonder exactly how much money web-comic writers manage to pull in. It's certainly much more than yours truly manages to make, between Mechanically Turking until the wee morning hours and writing excellent blog posts.

By the time we can afford a model S, the sun will be fusing helium into carbon and oxygen.

If you don't already know, the Model S is a wonder. Its range is 200 to 260 miles. It does 0-60 faster than any sedan has a right to, and handles like a sports car. The interior space is cavernous, and it seats up to 7, thanks to the trick folding rear-facing jump seats in the hatch area.

Watch out for Racer-X!

Tesla represents the future of electric cars, and those select few who can afford to pay the premium can be driving the future, today. In the next decade, battery costs should come down to the point that a 200+ mile range will be quite affordable. Fast chargers should be available in more areas, so the range will not limit drivers to short distances.

In the near-term, Tesla itself is preparing a mid-priced family car to compete with the Leaf, and Nissan is almost certainly not going to launch a second generation Leaf without improving the range.

Charging @ Home

Charging is a confused and confusing part of electric car ownership. After a week or so it becomes second nature, and you never even think about it - so when I am asked by people about how long it takes, or what kind of outlet you need, I'm sometimes at a loss to explain.

The jargon-factor is thick, and it's not like you should casually start conversations with "so I had a new EVSE installed, it's hooked up at 30 amps and 220v. Should be a pretty sweet L2, though it's no CHAdeMO if you know what I mean." Though I have found from experiences online, nothing prompts a quicker response from the Nerd Patrol than calling an EVSE a "charger."

Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment - what you get when engineers are allowed to name things.
Ahnold says "It's not a chargah!"

For simplicity's sake, let's divide charging into "Levels." For now, electric cars support mostly level 1 and level 2, with a few supporting level 3 charging.

Level 1

Level 1 - The most basic, slowest, and widely available form of charging. It's also the slowest - Nissan calls the mode "trickle-charging." A well-discharged battery on the Nissan Leaf can take more than 15 hours to recharge fully, for example. Unfortunately, the connector on the vehicle is not a simple extension cord receptacle. Fortunately, they seem to be supplied with every electric car as standard equipment, so you can plug in wherever there's an outlet that you have express permission to use. This includes the Detroit Zoo, for example. Or Mom and Dad's.

Level 2 - When people talk about "charging stations," this is what they usually mean - they use a 240 volt line similar to those used by an electric dryer or range in your house. These charge at much faster rates than a level 1, usually in about 25% of the time - 3 to 4 hours from very low to very full on my Leaf. Many electric car owners have one installed at their home for quicker charges, as even half an hour on the Level 2 can give a good amount of range back for doing after-work errands. DTE was providing the first few thousand local customers a free installed Level 2 device, but that offer has since passed. With installation, these devices can cost anywhere from $1000 to $3000 depending on your home and wiring.

A Bosch Level 2 Charger - AYHSMB

Personally, I think having a Level 2 station at home is essential. DTE also offers extremely discounted electricity rates for those who charge at off-peak hours using a dedicated Level 2 station. Thankfully these are becoming more commonplace in the community for on-the-go charging as well, and can be convenient for visiting places like Great Lakes Crossing, the DIA, and Ann Arbor. So far, all major car companies have embraced the same standard connection for these chargers.



Level 3 - These are beasts of a different color. Level 3 chargers do not come standard on many vehicles - the Tesla, Mitsubishi Car-Shaped-Object, and a few models of the Leaf have the equipment necessary. It uses a high-voltage direct current that will charge a dead battery to 80% in about 30 minutes. There are only 2 such stations I know of in Michigan, though they are more common out west where electric cars are a little more common.

Unfortunately there are a few competing proprietary standards for Level 3 charging. This means a station that will charge your Leaf will not work to charge a Tesla, unless of course you have the optional PIKacHU conversion device: