NRMA_Paul's profile
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251 Messages

Friday, September 9th, 2022 3:21 AM

EV charger etiquette - The dos and don'ts

It’s often a great source of frustration for EV drivers waiting to use a public charger only to find another EV unattended for a long period of time, or similarly see a non-electric vehicle taking up the spot. 

There's also the unspoken rule of charging and whether it's acceptable to charge to 100 per cent if there are a queue of cars behind.

While the only clear-cut rule for any situation is to be polite and considerate to your fellow drivers, we've put together our EV charging etiquette guide and keen to hear your thoughts. 

Are there are specific EV charging rules/tips you follow to remain courteous?


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EV community admin

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7 Messages

2 years ago

The etiquette point about not charging to 100% is absolutely spot on. At least until the charger infrastructure is increased greatly. EV owners need to understand the need to share the limited number of charging stalls at certain popular locations.

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@Oldad​  

Charging to 100% regularly is not good for the battery so I am not sure if anybody does it unless they actually need it. Also if you need 100% to get to your destination, charging to 80% will leave you stranded.

What I do agree with is that you should be at your car by the time it finishes charging so you can vacate the spot without any further delay.

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One I feel is especially important for single charger locations at the moment  - Install plugshare and check in so that people are aware the charger is in use, and provides a way to notify any waiting users once you've finished.

I'd love to see a reminder added to the NRMA chargers themselves, or some capability for it added to the NRMA app.

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251 Messages

@Oldad it seems like that's the consensus from most EV owners too, although I've seen a few comments from other pages, where some owners believe people only charge to 100% when using free public chargers although I'm not sure if that's always the case. 

EV community admin

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27 Messages

I think it's fair to say that someone using a charger for a long period should be open to allowing others who need a short top-up to swap-in. Especially if both have been able to communicate, eg via Plugshare.

Also, probably best not to spam apps with pictures of your car charging. That kind of content doesn't help the community, but it's perfect for crims ;)

(edited)

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@A_Tesla_in_Newcastle​   A few months ago I was "gazumped" by an agressive female driver at Nabiac in a Nissan Leaf. After arriving first and waiting for 20 minutes for the other vehicle to finish charging, I needed to move my car closer to use the charger.  She arrived 15 minutes after me and when the charger was vacated, she just drove in, plugged in and walked off with the comment "I need to get to Coffs Harbour asap". Needless to say I was less than impressed. This is another agument for on site booking and for the chargers to be configured with 2 charging ourlets.  Douglas

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