Dealer EVSE often closed-off. Any way to change this?

I keep mulling over that a lot of dealers (not just Nissan) are investing significant capital in EVSE and at the end of that process much or all of it will only be for the dealer customers. Might it be worthwhile for the dealers to get together and agree to work with several of the national networking organizations to set up accessible EVSE near their properties, but outside their fences (or at the borderline) such that customers could charge for free (if they want to preserve that aspect) but the EVSE in general could get broader use and help in general with the expansion of the EV ecosystem?

There are arguments against this (what Nissan dealer wants to see a Volt charging a few feet away?) so maybe it's not a good idea, or could use refinement. For example, what if they wanted to make it just for their own type of vehicle, but wanted to make it available 24x7 so the dealer lot didn't have to be open?

The other day I stopped by a Ford dealer which is a sister dealership to the one that leased me my Leaf and they are having a heck of an impressive bit of construction and expansion. At the end of this process I think they will probably have an EVSE that I can use if I am there during their business hours, but I am concerned that outside of their business hours I wouldn't be able to. That's life, but before I give up on the idea, I am wondering if there is a way for some of these dealership EVSE units to be installed such that they might be available after hours.

I took my non-Ford EV over to a Ford dealer who advertises "all are welcome to use our EVSEs" one day. It was like throwing chum in a sea of sharks, a whole bunch of Ford salespeople latched on to me, the alpha shark stuck with it.

This has got to be one of the most brilliant ways ever to bring potential customers into your dealership and get them to stay for a while. The cost of electricity for the hour I was there is probably less than the soda and hot dog they often use as bait.

Hats off to the management of Future Ford in Concord, CA.

BTW - Ford Focus Electric is extremely nice, will consider it when the lease on this EV is up.

Car dealers have enough security problems when they're closed - I doubt they want to add strangers charging their EVs to the list.

It's another thing I'm tracking to tackle in my home state, and definitely would like to come up with some idea, or even a flyer, which explains to dealers why it's a good idea to make it available 24/7.

My local Nissan dealer is part of 'Driversvillage', which is a huge area full of car dealerships, all owned by the same 2-3 brothers, so I guess that's a perfect situation, but in other cases, there has to be something we can do, be it free advertising, or some other incentive, there has to be a way.

I guess this might be a bigger problem in CA, where there are so many EVs on the road, as I haven't run into this issue in NY yet. Wondering if anyone outside of CA has found this to be a real problem as well?

lion said:

It's another thing I'm tracking to tackle in my home state, and definitely would like to come up with some idea, or even a flyer, which explains to dealers why it's a good idea to make it available 24/7.

My local Nissan dealer is part of 'Driversvillage', which is a huge area full of car dealerships, all owned by the same 2-3 brothers, so I guess that's a perfect situation, but in other cases, there has to be something we can do, be it free advertising, or some other incentive, there has to be a way.

I guess this might be a bigger problem in CA, where there are so many EVs on the road, as I haven't run into this issue in NY yet. Wondering if anyone outside of CA has found this to be a real problem as well?

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From a policy-maker standpoint, and from a national EVSE network standpoint, maybe there is a way to negotiate with the auto OEMs, and through them with their dealers, to get to a "win-win" type of situation, at least in the case of some strategically located dealerships. Perhaps instead of locating the EVSE within the dealer gates, it could be at, or just outside the gates in some cases (so they wouldn't have to worry about people actually within the gates during closed hours). Also, if there is concern about providing a lot of refueling for vehicles that compete with one's vehicles, it could be a matter of providing preferred pricing, or free charges, to those vehicles that the dealer designates.

All of this is a hard sell, and in the end maybe not the best idea, but the alternative is to watch as millions of dollars are spent throughout the US on EVSE, ostensibly that will be available to EV drivers, but which will only have very limited availability. Some day this won't matter a lot (there will be plenty of spots to charge in many more places in a few years) but I guess right now it is just a bit frustrating to see some potentially key charge points going in as having significantly limited access.... not sure we can count it fully as publicly-accessible EVSE where the present usual limitations apply.

The problem with this approach is that such "designated" vehicles are likely to be dealer customers who likely live nearby and thus likely don't need charging...

jlsoaz said:

Also, if there is concern about providing a lot of refueling for vehicles that compete with one's vehicles, it could be a matter of providing preferred pricing, or free charges, to those vehicles that the dealer designates.

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Either the dealership "gets it", or they don't. Patronize and recommend accordingly but I wouldn't waste my time trying to influence them.

Never try to teach a pig how to sing. It wastes your time and it annoys the pig

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TomT said:

... are likely to be dealer costumers ...

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Would that be a tailor that specializes in car dealers? :lol: :lol: :lol:

Anyway, the way it's been explained to me, allowing charging when the dealership is closed causes two problems for the dealership.

1. They don't want people hanging around when they are closed.
2. They REALLY don't want the police to get used to people hanging around when they are closed.

Apparently, security at most dealerships consists of leaving enough lights on that people can't sneak around....and making sure the local cops know that anyone hanging around after closing is likely a bad guy who they should be paying attention to.

I think that the only way the dealers could reasonably allow after hours charging would be to move the charging equipment close to the street, and hire private security to make sure that people stay out of the lot while they are charging, and to make up for the decreased police vigilance. Since these things cost money and inconvenience the dealership, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Besides who really wants to hang around a closed dealership, anyway? I've thought all along that the dealers aren't the best locations for charging, and I still think that.

TomT said:

The problem with this approach is that such "designated" vehicles are likely to be dealer costumers who likely live nearby and thus likely don't need charging...

jlsoaz said:

Also, if there is concern about providing a lot of refueling for vehicles that compete with one's vehicles, it could be a matter of providing preferred pricing, or free charges, to those vehicles that the dealer designates.

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Exactly, I purchased our Leaf in Richmond KY, and sometimes need a charge in Frankfort or Lexington. The Lexington Nissan dealership is 10 miles from the house, and we drive right past it on our way home from visiting family in Midway or Frankfort. After hours the EVSE is accessible, but switched off (with an outdoor switch) Since it isn't locked at either dealership, if I really need a charge, I can flip the switch. The trip to Frankfort isn't doable without the charge, we plug in at the Frankfort Nissan dealer and walk to the Waffle House for a meal. The $18 in fuel we save by not taking the 4Runner pays for both of us to eat some waffles! If we run short on the way home, we can plug in again in Lexington, but usually we pick up enough juice in Frankfort in a long hour to skip the second charge. This is a normal, couple times a month, trip for us. I really wish we had a 2013 with the faster charger, then we would choose the Leaf in bad weather when we don't want to walk the several hundred yards to the Waffle House. In Kentucky the L2 chargers are only at the dealerships. Hopefully we will get California style L2 access in the future. Edit... The Waffle House would be the perfect location for an L3. They are open 24/7/365, and they are often located along the interstate. Forget about L3 at Nissan Dealerships, put them at the Waffle House, and Steak and Shake!

srl99 said:

Car dealers have enough security problems when they're closed - I doubt they want to add strangers charging their EVs to the list.

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Nissan of the eastside in Bellevue, wa decided to have both!
They had level3 charger at the garage that open during business hours and you had to get a service person swipe the card to charge, but recently they added L3 blink charger outside for public use 24/7!
That's the way to go!

UkrainianKozak said:

srl99 said:

Car dealers have enough security problems when they're closed - I doubt they want to add strangers charging their EVs to the list.

Click to expand...

Nissan of the eastside in Bellevue, wa decided to have both!
They had level3 charger at the garage that open during business hours and you had to get a service person swipe the card to charge, but recently they added L3 blink charger outside for public use 24/7!
That's the way to go!

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I thought that Nissan of the Eastside was restricting their charger to only their customers? Plugshare lists their charger(s) as restricted. Have they become more accommodating?

Nissan is missing the boat by not having a broader array of customizing doo-dads for the leaf. Imagine if it was like Harley Davidson and you had people stopping by captive for an hour or so.

Luft said:

UkrainianKozak said:

srl99 said:

Car dealers have enough security problems when they're closed - I doubt they want to add strangers charging their EVs to the list.

Click to expand...

Nissan of the eastside in Bellevue, wa decided to have both!
They had level3 charger at the garage that open during business hours and you had to get a service person swipe the card to charge, but recently they added L3 blink charger outside for public use 24/7!
That's the way to go!

Click to expand...

I thought that Nissan of the Eastside was restricting their charger to only their customers? Plugshare lists their charger(s) as restricted. Have they become more accommodating?

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Nissan of the Eastside has a dual head Blink DCQC which they host with 24/7 access to everyone.

Then they also have a private DCQC in their service department which is used frequently for internal purposes as one of the highest volume LEAF dealerships and to support their large rental fleet. They have a posted policy with regards to public use of their private DCQC. It goes something like this priority is given to internal use and their customers first. Then non customers can pay a fee.

I did not buy my LEAF from them but have stopped by a few times and gotten a charge without paying, without being turned away, without even being asked if I bought there.

Their new car sales manager Jimmy Kalie is great and wants to support is in every way he can including hosting multiple LEAF events. They are moving to a new location which will have a lot more space allowing to have more DCQCs and the plan is to have different brands/networks for more options. I'll definitely buy my next LEAF from him.

Their LEAF tech Aaron McAfee is great! He spends a lot of time on our local FaceBook group supporting us and is the only person I want working on my LEAF.

So well there might be some people at this dealership that give them a bad name they still have a lot going for them.