Charging from Public AC Point With Timer set.

Hi Everyone,

Is it possible to have the timer set and charge via a public charge point and still work by timer or do you have to scan your card and press the timer over ride which is what I would normally do but the work charge point is the same type as a public one so I have to use a card to activate. I don't want it sitting for many hours day at a high SOC. I suppose I could set it to charge to 80% but even so I'd rather it sit at 45-50% and start charging 3 hrs before I leave.

Another question, if the car stops charging will the charge point still be active ? I would like to be able to

Thanks.

o00scorpion00o said:

Hi Everyone,

Is it possible to have the timer set and charge via a public charge point and still work by timer or do you have to scan your card and press the timer over ride which is what I would normally do but the work charge point is the same type as a public one so I have to use a card to activate. I don't want it sitting for many hours day at a high SOC. I suppose I could set it to charge to 80% but even so I'd rather it sit at 45-50% and start charging 3 hrs before I leave.

Another question, if the car stops charging will the charge point still be active ? I would like to be able to

Thanks.

Click to expand...

I see you're from Ireland so the EVSE providers might be a bit different; but before we even get there; parking your EV at a charging station, plugging it in and then delaying when it actually charges (using the timer) may not be the best charging etiquette IMO even if it works. The time when you're not charging but otherwise occupying the station could have been used by another EV owner that needed it.

In any case, the public EVSE that I've used charges you a minimum $2 for the first hour (also need to use the EVSE providers card and/or smart phone app to 'release' the charging cord as its typically locked), but will shut down and stop charging the car via its onboard system that says the car is fully charged or if the time is set to delay the time to start charging.

Also, and lastly; unless the charger shows different rates by time of day (not so here in the states that I've seen so far) most would simply hit the timer bypass and start charging immediately as well. The ChargePoint system charger I've used will typically not charge you for time plugged in but NOT charging but have never tried what you're asking -- perhaps the 'free' public chargers don't have a lock on their charging cords so you could try what you're asking --- also, if there are several 'open' ones next to where you're going to try this, perhaps not as bad charging etiquette wise but still, unless this station is say in a parking lot where you live for the residents not the best way to do this.

Perhaps better explain exactly what your situation is and others can weigh in ...

Thanks for the reply, I should have said this is the work charge point that has been recently installed but I haven't used it yet. It's similar to the Public points installed by the same company.

The idea was that I could start the charge at 5pm/am or set the timer and it's at 80% when I get to the car at 8am/pm depending on shift. And if I think I need more I can set it charging again remotely.

It's similar to a public AC point where you need a card to activate it.

Would you believe we have had free public AC and DC charging since 2011 ? this will change in 2016 because free usage promotes abuse and this is now obvious here to EV owners while locals plug into Valuable DC Chargers and go shopping leaving people waiting because it's free when they otherwise could charge at home.

In that case; technically, it is the car that's allowing itself to be charged or not and not the EVSE so after running this by whoever your work place facilities guy is (whoever is responsible for the chargers themselves) as to leaving the car parked there on a timed charge you should be OK --- charging to 80% was recommended to lengthen battery life (and I do it on my '12 all week in my garage) so I can see why you would want to.

I typically only would use the public charger when on an extended trip and/or when my garage one wasn't available so wasn't concerned at all about a timed charge.

What I can tell you is that the charge station here goes to a 'standby' state (not charging but still plugged in) when the car gets fully charged so you might have to both tell the car to charge as well as the station but experiment a bit to make sure this works --- interestingly enough, the RFID card provided by ChargePoint didn't work at all for me but their smart phone app did (to turn the charger on/off).

Back to your original concern, I do not believe leaving the car fully charged for a few hours will damage the battery. If you were to leave the Leaf sitting idle for more than a couple of weeks, then the best state of charge would be around 50%. In your situation, I would recommend that you just let it charge up to the desired level then, since you are at work, move your car to a regular parking space to open up the EVSE for another EV to be charged. JMHO

I do it all the time, but then, I have no competition for our work L2, so it doesn't matter, and there's always another plug free as well. But the timer works the same as at home.

OK so I finally got to use the charge point, it charges at the full 6.6 Kw too, so in theory 1 hr to 1 hr 30 mins is plenty to get me home.

It seems once the card is scanned the charge point is active until the card is produced again and "stop" is pressed. So I can set it to charge about 6.30 PM and it will be plenty ! It will sit then at 45-50 % for most of the 12 hrs.

There is only one guy with a leaf here and one charge will do him 2-3 days so he said he's not bothered with the charge point, and there are two outlets so it's free for 1 more Ev but I have no problem sharing.

Half my commute for free, excellent !

So long as there are exactly 2 EVs and 2 charging stations at your facility I suppose your strategy will work out fine, but if/when more EVs arrive you could run into problems (might there be visitors who sometimes need a charge in the meantime?) It's generally frowned upon (if not explicitly forbidden) to be parked at a charging station and not actively charging - these things should be treated like filling stations and not reserved parking spots. If another EV driver were to show up needing a charge and for whatever reason the other station were unavailable, he'd very likely conclude that your car was already done and unplug you (supposing he could park somewhere close enough to reach) and likely have some angry words/thoughts aimed at you.

If I were you and I really needed the charge to get home I'd just start charging to 80% right away every morning, then move my car as soon as convenient after it was done. If I didn't need the charge, I'd just park somewhere else in the morning then plug in after lunch, supposing a station were available. Of course it's not ideal to have to move your car around in the middle of the day, but on the other hand it's much less "ideal" if someone shows up needing a charge and finds your car apparently "squatting" in the station. So while it may seem like a lot of wasted effort to maintain proper charging etiquette now, you might as well get in the habit of it for when it inevitably will matter.

Moreover, once more EVs show up it's likely that even if you're doing the right thing others won't, so I'd lobby the powers that be to come up with a clear and firm policy about charging etiquette that explicitly forbids parking without actively charging, and to make the charging stations charge for time plugged in rather than time charging once they're no longer free. Otherwise conflict is bound to arise, as EV drivers will enter an "arms race" to see who can get there first to take the spots and squat in them all day.

That's the plan and I told them in work that my car needs only (depending on the charge point power) between 1hr 30 mins to 3 hrs max and I'll happily share.

I strongly feel the charge points should be reserved only for those who need to use them to get home like me. No point having 2 people that live 20-30 miles away to use them if someone travelling further actually needs it.