Public Charging Point 'blocking'

[caseys]

So in my town there's a fair few multi-storey car parks and also a couple of shopping centres with either free charging, or free parking whilst you're paying for charging at the point.

Whilst it's irritating when someone without an EV/PHEV parks in a charging bay and so blocks the use for anyone, it seems there's a growing trend for people with EVs to park in the multi-storey spaces and plug in the charger to their car but not actually charge - so they get the free unlimited parking but aren't in fact charging. When someone with an EV (quite important) or a PHEV (less important) might actually need the charger comes along - even if there's a free adjacent charging bay it'll look like the charging plug they need is in use unless they go make a closer inspection.

What you say it's a bit poor game of the people doing this? Or possibly the person that was charging next to them that spotted them doing this and when they went to leave just put that not-in-use charging plug back in it's holster?

Are there other unspoken rules/etiquette on public charging points? I'm a PHEV driver, the other one I try and adhere to is if I'm at a motorway services and I've plugged in that I leave my number for an EV driver who will probably need it more than me.

[caseys]

buggalugs said:

Points should charge simply for time in bay rather than actual charging via anpr.

I'd agree *if* the rate was adjusted for how much you were charging.

For instance
A PHEV which is rated to 16Amp / 3.6kWh could be charged at 5-10p/minute whilst charging, then a flat rate per minute when it's done
An EV vehicle rated to 32Amp / 43kWh could be charged at 60p/minute (12x the PHEV rate as 12x the charging?), then the flat rate
An EV vehicle charging at 50kWh could be charged at 70p/minute, then the flat rate.

It's all well and good where there are public charging schemes which charge £4/first hour, £12/subsequent hours, where it's cost effective if you're drawing the top kWh rate that you can, but for those that can't (mainly PHEVs, some 1st gen EVs) it's not - so those points should try and blend the rates so that they're in use for the maximum amount of time during the day. Ergo they'd be pulling more profit and maximising environmental savings.

I'm for ANPR on points where the gits park, 'plug in' and don't actually charge. I'd have them towed

[caseys]

See, should this go into the Bad Parking Thread in General Gassing? Or just here?

I'm getting some stickers printed up to let people like this know how awesome they are....