CA AB475 requires connection to the EVSE to avoid cite/tow

[KeiJidosha]

Hmm...shall we start a pool on how long it'll take for site owners to decide charging is more trouble than it's worth?

Costco already voted

 

[GregH]

The sad news is now WE have lost the authority (granted by the 2002 sticker law) to tow offending ices from the few spots that did have correct signage.

This bill still provides for towing, but the language is now goofy enough that it's only a matter of time til a gas car owner fights it in court, or someone sues a site for unlawful towing.

Let the good times roll.. The point of my last post was that I didn't think many sites would be in a rush to put up the new AB475 compliant signage and in the meantime we've lost the ability to de-ice based on the 2002 law at what few sites even had proper signage for it.

 

[TEG]

I have yet to read a story where someone was unplugged just for giggles.

Hard to say what their motivation was, but probably not good:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/5605-Charging-Lessons?p=67654&viewfull=1#post67654" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[yoyofella]

Let's just see how long it takes for the first AB475 compliant signage to show up anywhere. I bet it will be a while... I can't imagine many site owners getting pumped up about buying new signs to support the new law... Maybe some Volt drivers who get iced will push for it..? The sad news is now WE have lost the authority (granted by the 2002 sticker law) to tow offending ices from the few spots that did have correct signage.

Not exactly a AB475 sign, but has same idea?

 

[mwalsh]

Not exactly a AB475 sign, but has same idea?

Pretty much. And with this sign you get into the grey area of what exactly is charging. At least AB475 language talks about being connected for charging purposes....I'll give them that!

 

[garygid]

Cvc 22651(a) does not apply to parking spaces!

 

[Yanquetino]

Wow. I happened to be rereading an interview Chelsea gave to Urbanite Magazine over two years ago: "Keynote: The Accelerator." She could not have been more prophetic! Here is what she told the interviewer, Marc Steiner:

Watching automakers is like watching my children. You have to let them figure it out on their own, and you so badly want to step in and say, "Let me just show you." And they go, "That's great. Piss off. I know what I'm doing."

How utterly ironic. That is precisely what GM told her in this instance, despite all the sage advice she has given them in the years since that interview. It is a wonder they can even walk after shooting themselves in the foot so badly with this bill. :x

 

[thew]

Guys this is still on the goveners list of bills.. email him tell him to veto it.. it is a huge was of tax payer dollars at the benifet of GM,s hybrid the volt....that recharges itself while driving.....tell governor brown to veto.

 

[EVNation]

Guys this is still on the goveners list of bills.. email him tell him to veto it.. it is a huge was of tax payer dollars at the benifet of GM,s hybrid the volt....that recharges itself while driving.....tell governor brown to veto.

Signed and approved as written. Sadly, the governor didn't listen to all the current EV driver concerns. So we have that to look forward to, assuming any charge stations get built with the signage as required by this law.

 

[cdub]

Well on the bright side... maybe this means they'll be adding more charging stations? ha

 

[Yanquetino]

Well on the bright side... maybe this means they'll be adding more charging stations? ha

Yeah... and I'm sure GM will pay for the extra cost, right? Pffff.

 

[thew]

Guys this is still on the goveners list of bills.. email him tell him to veto it.. it is a huge was of tax payer dollars at the benifet of GM,s hybrid the volt....that recharges itself while driving.....tell governor brown to veto.

Signed and approved as written. Sadly, the governor didn't listen to all the current EV driver concerns. So we have that to look forward to, assuming any charge stations get built with the signage as required by this law.

One more Reason to move out of Cali.. Oregon is a calling!

 

[Yanquetino]

I noticed that the latest opinion poll from EV World is about this issue. Only "premium" members can access the poll itself, but here is how the votes stack up to date:

Should public charging stations be shared, allowing EV drivers to plug another EV when it is finished charging?

Results To Date
Yes: 154
No: 9
Don't Know: 15
Total: 178

Obviously, the poll is no more scientific than the ones hosted in this forum, but those percentages nonetheless show that GM did not consult with actual EV owners before pushing this law through. Here is a quick-and-dirty pie chart of the results:

 

[LEAFfan]

So, somebody unplugs your EV, it is towed, and you are left totally stranded! Totally Unacceptable !!!

Not necessarily. If this bill passes the way it is, you'll just have to have your email/text messages set so it will alert you when it's unplugged. Then, you will have to go and either plug it back in (if needed) or move it.

 

[Stoaty]

Not necessarily. If this bill passes the way it is

It has already been passed and signed.

 

[smkettner]

So, somebody unplugs your EV, it is towed, and you are left totally stranded! Totally Unacceptable !!!

Very easy with a networked charging station to pull up the charging record and show the Judge.
I wonder who will pay the towing charge then? But honestly I doubt this will be more than a very rare issue.

 

[Yanquetino]

So, somebody unplugs your EV, it is towed, and you are left totally stranded! Totally Unacceptable !!!

Not necessarily. If this bill passes the way it is, you'll just have to have your email/text messages set so it will alert you when it's unplugged. Then, you will have to go and either plug it back in (if needed) or move it.

Unless, of course, you're out of town, on a plane, car pooling, in an important meeting, have your cell phone turned off in a movie, a theater, a doctor's office, a classroom, or... forgot it at home, etc. Ouch.

 

[Stoaty]

So, somebody unplugs your EV, it is towed, and you are left totally stranded! Totally Unacceptable !!!

Perhaps that is the reason there is a place to put a lock on to keep the J1772 from being removed by someone else?

 

[Yanquetino]

So, somebody unplugs your EV, it is towed, and you are left totally stranded! Totally Unacceptable !!!

Very easy with a networked charging station to pull up the charging record and show the Judge.
I wonder who will pay the towing charge then? But honestly I doubt this will be more than a very rare issue.

I guess we'll soon see, as soon as the law takes affect on January 1, 2012. Nonetheless, IMHO, we should never pass a law without fully intending to enforce it. Otherwise... what's the point?

 

[Yanquetino]

So, somebody unplugs your EV, it is towed, and you are left totally stranded! Totally Unacceptable !!!

Perhaps that is the reason there is a place to put a lock on to keep the J1772 from being removed by someone else?

And this opens a whole new can of worms. I can well imagine that many EVSE providers and their parking attendants will not be happy about drivers using unremovable padlocks on their equipment.