Dumb question regarding free chargers in the cities

[misterno]

I am planning to buy a LEAF soon.

So I started to look around for charging stations in my area and I found 2 free chargers inside wholefoods parking lot next to my work

Question is; if more than 2 cars want to charge their cars what to do?

Say I arrive late and 2 spots are taken and both cars are charging. Can I go in lunch time which is 4 hours later than early in the morning and take one of the chargers and put into mine?

or

Just be early next time?

I know it is not nice to go with the 1st option but if it is fully charged then the owner would not mind I thought

Personally I wouldn't mind

 

[GRA]

IMO, unless you plan to shop at Whole Foods on a regular basis, you probably shouldn't be using their free chargers daily, especially if they're being frequently used by other customers. Of course, if you do abuse the privilege, I'm sure they'll soon convert them from free to pay, solving the problem.

 

[misterno]

I shop there all the time

The point is; is what I am planning to do, doable?

 

[cwerdna]

Unless you frequently monitor the stations, there's no guarantee they will ever free up or not be ICEd (Internal Combustion Engine vehicle blocking the spot) or otherwise blocked.

There's also no guarantee they will not be broken or remain free/reasonably priced.

The fact that they're free means that the odds are high people will charge there or just occupy the spots, well after they're done. Since I have no idea which location you're referring to nor the layout, I have no idea if the cables will reach to other spots around the station, if the station's blocked.

I would NOT buy/lease a Leaf if it means you're dependent on public charging and have no ability to reliably recuperate sufficient charge at home, work or other destinations.

What sort of comments are there from Plugshare users on those stations?

Can you update your location info via User Control Panel (near top) > Profile (left side)? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it. I saw Houston, TX in another post. I hope you realize that heat is the enemy of li-ion batteries.

In TX, w/o the "lizard battery" in '15+ Leafs, I'd say the battery will degrade fairly quickly, due to heat. We have no idea how much better the "lizard battery" in 15+ Leafs will hold up than previous ones as Nissan's given us no temperature and calendar loss data on any of the batteries.

I'm not sure if you've answered this in another post: What are your daily driving needs in terms of miles? How much city vs. highway? Will you have the ability to charge at your work/destinations?

 

[misterno]

Unless you frequently monitor the stations, there's no guarantee they will ever free up or not be ICEd (Internal Combustion Engine vehicle blocking the spot) or otherwise blocked.

There's also no guarantee they will not be broken or remain free/reasonably priced.

The fact that they're free means that the odds are high people will charge there or just occupy the spots, well after they're done. Since I have no idea which location you're referring to nor the layout, I have no idea if the cables will reach to other spots around the station, if the station's blocked.

I would NOT buy/lease a Leaf if it means you're dependent on public charging and have no ability to reliably recuperate sufficient charge at home, work or other destinations.

What sort of comments are there from Plugshare users on those stations?

Can you update your location info via User Control Panel (near top) > Profile (left side)? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it. I saw Houston, TX in another post. I hope you realize that heat is the enemy of li-ion batteries.

In TX, w/o the "lizard battery" in '15+ Leafs, I'd say the battery will degrade fairly quickly, due to heat. We have no idea how much better the "lizard battery" in 15+ Leafs will hold up than previous ones as Nissan's given us no temperature and calendar loss data on any of the batteries.

I'm not sure if you've answered this in another post: What are your daily driving needs in terms of miles? How much city vs. highway? Will you have the ability to charge at your work/destinations?

Thanks for the questions

The free charger is located in wholefoods in 77056

also, I am planning to charge it at home and this wholefoods is 10miles away from home

and yes heat is an enemy and hopefully lizard battery will help on this matter.

I am still researching.
Also, I never drive more than 1,000 miles/month if this helps.

 

[cwerdna]

The free charger is located in wholefoods in 77056

also, I am planning to charge it at home and this wholefoods is 10miles away from home

and yes heat is an enemy and hopefully lizard battery will help on this matter.

I am still researching.
Also, I never drive more than 1,000 miles/month if this helps.

Is http://api.plugshare.com/view/location/57315" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it? I see no comments and from the pics, no good signage, which means, I wouldn't be surprised if it gets ICEd or blocked. In CA, even spots WITH EV signage get blocked and/or ICEd.

As for your last comment... no that doesn't help. Please answer my earlier question.

 

[misterno]

The free charger is located in wholefoods in 77056

also, I am planning to charge it at home and this wholefoods is 10miles away from home

and yes heat is an enemy and hopefully lizard battery will help on this matter.

I am still researching.
Also, I never drive more than 1,000 miles/month if this helps.

Is http://api.plugshare.com/view/location/57315" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; it? I see no comments and from the pics, no good signage, which means, I wouldn't be surprised if it gets ICEd or blocked. In CA, even spots WITH EV signage get blocked and/or ICEd.

As for your last comment... no that doesn't help. Please answer my earlier question.

What are your daily driving needs in terms of miles? How much city vs. highway? Will you have the ability to charge at your work/destinations?

Daily commute to work every business day so back and forth it will be 25 miles 99% highway

Add another 20 miles a week for other stuff. Again 99% highway

I will charge at home nothing at work

 

[cwerdna]

Daily commute to work every business day so back and forth it will be 25 miles 99% highway
...
I will charge at home nothing at work

Regarding the 25 miles, is it each way or round trip?

I noticed you've set your location to 77477. Is that zip code? If so, I think it's better to indicate a city or rough metropolitan area/major nearby city. It's easier for people to answer correctly/have context at a glance from that vs. a 5 digit number.

 

[cdherman]

Daily commute to work every business day so back and forth it will be 25 miles 99% highway
...
I will charge at home nothing at work

Regarding the 25 miles, is it each way or round trip?

I noticed you've set your location to 77477. Is that zip code? If so, I think it's better to indicate a city or rough metropolitan area/major nearby city. It's easier for people to answer correctly/have context at a glance from that vs. a 5 digit number.

Hey, cwerdna. You get 4000 plus posts from re-asking the same question twice????

He said "back and forth it will be 25 miles". That's plain enough in my version of the English language.

To the OP -- your situation sounds like you have access to an ICE vehicle. That would be very wise in TX, where distances are long. But your daily commute and local needs sound reasonable. Sure, a Leaf entails some sacrifice, sometimes. Many cheaper gasoline powered cars are cheaper from a total cost of ownership. But if you care about carbon, and have access to an alternate vehicle at least for occasional use, then the Leaf is hardly no sacrifice at all....

 

[cwerdna]

Daily commute to work every business day so back and forth it will be 25 miles 99% highway
...
I will charge at home nothing at work

Regarding the 25 miles, is it each way or round trip?

I noticed you've set your location to 77477. Is that zip code? If so, I think it's better to indicate a city or rough metropolitan area/major nearby city. It's easier for people to answer correctly/have context at a glance from that vs. a 5 digit number.

Hey, cwerdna. You get 4000 plus posts from re-asking the same question twice????

He said "back and forth it will be 25 miles". That's plain enough in my version of the English language.

Let us see. We've had confusion from others about trip length more than once, due to ambiguity.

 

[misterno]

Daily commute to work every business day so back and forth it will be 25 miles 99% highway
...
I will charge at home nothing at work

Regarding the 25 miles, is it each way or round trip?

I noticed you've set your location to 77477. Is that zip code? If so, I think it's better to indicate a city or rough metropolitan area/major nearby city. It's easier for people to answer correctly/have context at a glance from that vs. a 5 digit number.

Yes that is a zipcode I am nearby Houston so back and forth to 77056, it is 25 miles each way 12.5 miles

But Houston has terrible climate I am not sure how terrible will this be on the battery

Looking at ebay now and amazed with several used leafs under 12K. So even though the batteries are all depleted I can buy a new battery for under 5K

I am just thinking here

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
Ok then. ~12.5 miles each way, owning a Leaf is fine. It will take awhile before the battery degrades so much where you can't make the trip at all.

Regarding " So even though the batteries are all depleted I can buy a new battery for under 5K". No. From http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17168" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;:

Battery replacements are now available for purchase at your certified Nissan LEAF dealers in the United States. The suggested retail price of the Nissan LEAF battery pack is $5,499. This price includes and requires a return of your original battery pack (valued at $1,000) to the dealer in exchange for the new battery. This price does not include tax, installation fees or an installation kit required for 2011 and 2012 vehicles. The MSRP for the installation kit (which includes brackets and other minor parts required to retrofit the newer pack to original vehicles) is approximately $225. Nissan expects the installation to take about three hours. However, dealers set the final pricing, so we recommend confirming with your local retailer.

 

[patrick0101]

I found 2 free chargers inside wholefoods parking lot next to my work

Whole Foods installed those for their employees and customers, not for the nearby employers to use for their employees. I would encourage your company to install their own charging stations.

if more than 2 cars want to charge their cars what to do?

If everyone used an EV-Card (http://www.pluginamerica.org/evcard" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false, then you would know if you can unplug another car or not and how to contact the owner if you need them to move their car.

Can I ... take one of the chargers out and put into mine?

Some cars lock the connector in so it cannot be removed, others (Volt) have alarms that go off if the connector is removed, so don't assume that you can just unplug any car that is full.

 

[cwerdna]

Can I ... take one of the chargers out and put into mine?

Some cars lock the connector in so it cannot be removed, others (Volt) have alarms that go off if the connector is removed, so don't assume that you can just unplug any car that is full.

Yep, and not all indicators are created equal. See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=307888#p307888" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

I've seen what I believe was a Volt driver who incorrectly unplugged a Leaf that that still needed charging. From having talked to some Volt drivers not at my work but at local public free charging (8 free J1772 handles), some of them are confused about indicators on non-Volts. And, some of those Volt drivers I spoke to don't know how to disable their honk alarm. :roll:

 

[alanlarson]

I am planning to buy a LEAF soon.

So I started to look around for charging stations in my area and I found 2 free chargers inside wholefoods parking lot next to my work

Whole Foods probably expects them to for use of their customers WHILE they are shopping.

Question is; if more than 2 cars want to charge their cars what to do?

Say I arrive late and 2 spots are taken and both cars are charging. Can I go in lunch time which is 4 hours later than early in the morning and take one of the chargers and put into mine?

Don't assume that they put the chargers there for you. I think you mentioned that you have about a 25 mile round trip commute, so your home L2 charger can replace that in about an hour. Just charge at home.

By the way, the charge stations at Whole Foods stores around here all seem to require payment to use them. If you decide to appropriate one of them for your personal charger, you might see payment required there too, to the detriment of all the users.

 

[alesul]

Thanks for the questions

The free charger is located in wholefoods in 77056

also, I am planning to charge it at home and this wholefoods is 10miles away from home

and yes heat is an enemy and hopefully lizard battery will help on this matter.

I am still researching.
Also, I never drive more than 1,000 miles/month if this helps.

If you are planning to charge it at home, you'll be fine without charging at Whole Foods. You should only charge at Whole Foods while shopping to keep them free. Also, That store only opened on Thursday, so I doubt you shop there all the time.

I was there on Saturday. They have four chargers and three spaces clearly marked for EV only. There was a Volt charging next to my car and I started charging with no problems. After I finished shopping there was also another Leaf charging. The chargers lost power with the three cars charging, and they've been down since then. So I wouldn't rely on them so much.

 

[Slow1]

I was there on Saturday. They have four chargers and three spaces clearly marked for EV only. There was a Volt charging next to my car and I started charging with no problems. After I finished shopping there was also another Leaf charging. The chargers lost power with the three cars charging, and they've been down since then. So I wouldn't rely on them so much.

Ouch - perhaps someone didn't calculate the required load for multiple vehicles charging? Seems like an odd thing for a commercial install to goof on, seems if anything those things are way over-engineered.

Hope they get the issue fixed for folks there and don't just leave them 'temporarily unavailable' forever!

To the OP - don't plan/rely on any public charging station. Consider them a bonus if you happen to be at that location or emergency location if something unexpected happens (then be glad if they happen to save your day). For 'daily' use plan on your home charger unless your employer installs station(s) sufficient for all who need it.

As to unplugging someone - just don't do it unless you have communications with the other driver (note on car at least). I can see exceptions to this where you can beg forgiveness after (if you are stranded due to unexpected events), but certainly don't do it just for your own convenience. I've even read guides that discourage 'convenience' charging at public stations - i.e. if you don't HAVE to have the power to get through the day, don't block the spot. I'm not sure I am fully 'there' yet, but I certainly would hesitate to do a convenience charge in the last remaining spot somewhere.

Owning a BEV is about planning and knowing your limits. Charging at home is VERY convenient as you can start every day with full range thus avoiding calculations or chasing down plugs. Plug in once at end of day, unplug once as you leave home. That is convenient. IF you are having to charge away from home daily and don't have a dedicated plug available, consider that a BEV is not the right match for your needs.

 

[kubel]

Question is; if more than 2 cars want to charge their cars what to do?

Ideally, park within reach of one of the cords, and then leave your charging door open with a note on one of the cars asking them to plug you in when they are finished.

 

[misterno]

Question is; if more than 2 cars want to charge their cars what to do?

Ideally, park within reach of one of the cords, and then leave your charging door open with a note on one of the cars asking them to plug you in when they are finished.

This is a beautiful idea

Thanks

 

[cwerdna]

As to unplugging someone - just don't do it unless you have communications with the other driver (note on car at least). I can see exceptions to this where you can beg forgiveness after (if you are stranded due to unexpected events), but certainly don't do it just for your own convenience..

Disagree. If the car is DEFINITELY done charging and it can't be ticketed for not being plugged in (there's a poorly written California law that can allow for that w/proper signage, AB475 (?)), then unplug it. If unsure, then definitely don't unplug it.

In some cases, the EVSE's display can tell you, but not always. One can also use guides like http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=307888#p307888" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to familiarize oneself w/how to tell when car's done charging. We do it all the time at my work, but it helps that we also at my work have an internal web page of the charging station users, their cars, license plates, a table of how to decode the indicators and can also look at our Chargepoint EVSE's displays and mobile app/web page if we started the session.