hill said:http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1065314_gm-riles-ca-electric-car-world-again-over-ab475-charger-sharing-ban/page-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;TangoKilo said:If you have set your timer on a public charger then you are an inconsiderate hog. If you have a Volt and you are plugged in for an hour or more and my LEAF is empty, then I'll unplug your car and put a note under your windshield wiper. It's very unfortunate that we have to deal with this all due to a woefully inadequate charging infrastructure... :ugeek:
Sorry, but it gets MUCH worse. Legislation was just passed recently in CA (don't forget, some states merely follow CA law automatically - for example with CARB rules) regarding "charge stations". It used to be that charge stations were the exclusive privilege of EV's. Most EV'rs would employ a typical courtesy placard that notified folks needing a charge after you plugged in, if and/or when you could unplug another, and plug your self in. Now? With the plugin Volt, and the plugin Prius, rules are different. Legislation was pushed through (By GM of course) that if you DARE unplug any vehicle (even if it's charge lights show it's all done charging ... even if a charge protocol placard on the vehicle says 'go ahead and unplug if needed) you are committing a misdemeanor. It was GM's lackey legislator Betsy Butler that pushed this legislation through ... with no better response other than, "that's what GM wanted". But GM is government owned - so what do you expect?). So ... if you got the parking sticker for LAX, you might as well throw them out because they are now worthless. If a Volt has charged at LAX ... and it's full ... and has been fully charged for even a WEEK ... not only are you legally FORBIDDEN permitted to unplug it - you are legally considered a vandal if you were to DARE unplug the Volt ... even if you are bone dry crawling forward on turtle mode. Unplug any other fully charged car and you are screwed. Unplug the Volt and the Volt's alarm will go off. You will be charged with a misdemeanor (as though you had smashed out its windshield or slashed its tires, or both) and you will be fined accordingly.
Thank you
GM.
Now ... what has changed, since GM crushed EV1's, in preference to hummer production?
{Preaching Mode: ON}
Seems to me that this will continue to be expected behavior leading to more legislative action in the future. As EV's become more common, the users will no longer be the polite "live and let live Birkenstock sandal crowd" singing Kuum-Bye-Ya. We will all see a tightening of control by the Government and a circling of the wagons by the "old users" such as are we and the "new users" whose priorities are different. Wait until we have gas at $10.00 gallon and we will see EV"s sabotaged, charging stations vandalized, and road rage escalating. Commentary about "if he charged up and ain't there to unplug, I'll unplug him anyway" is a small taste of what to expect -- it is human nature: Envy, anger, alpha-male behavior and just plain meanness is humankind in a nutshell. We humans are just plain nasty, mean, and cruel creatures; we have to work hard to be polite and socially accommodating of other people. Ah, you don't believe me? Well take a look sometimes way down inside of your deepest and darkest fantasies which play to the movie screen of your closed eyelids. You folks in California and the rest of the West Coast are tightly packed and aside from the everyday stress and torment of living like rats in a cage, now must compete for mobility. I see trouble in the future not just for the West Coast folks but for the states such as my own where at least one in every three drivers is armed at all times. Why do I pontificate about doom and gloom? Well for starters, I have been through not only that idiot Carter's years of gas lines, but overseas during crisis times where I personally saw the locals shooting at each other over the last bag of rice coming off of the USAID trucks. Who's to say that we will or will not face that kind of societal strife in the future? As for me, I believe in Live and Let Live (call it the Golden Rule if you like) and will do what I can to help my Brother or Sister in their time of need. Seems to me that those of us who have taken the EV Pledge should go completely out of our way to become evangelists for EV-dom -- which includes by definition, the personal obligation to help our fellow man and woman at the same time we help out Mother Gaia.
{Preaching Mode: OFF}
With respect to the group,
Dave