From the November 2016 issue
The first note was polite. "Hello, I drive a Nissan Leaf[1]. My car for some reason only charges on the left kiosk. If and when convenient, could you help a fellow EV driver by using the charger by the street? Beautiful car, by the way!"
The beautiful car in question was a Tesla Model X[2] P90D in which I'd logged 249 miles en route to Charleston, South Carolina, to check out Mercedes' groundbreaking ceremony for its new, enormous van factory. And while I was off watching Senator Lindsey Graham tie himself in rhetorical knots—his speech praised NAFTA and free trade, yet the reason we were all there was because of the 25-percent vig on imported trucks—the Tesla sat at a municipal charger in a parking garage, replenishing its battery for the trip home. And, unbeknownst to me, severely aggravating a certain Leaf driver.
Our EV-charging infrastructure has come a long way since the first Chevy Volts[3] and Leafs hit the street about six years ago. Back then, you had to get creative. When I registered at a hotel in Los Angeles circa 2010, I asked the guy at the desk if there was anywhere I could plug in a Leaf. "If I gave you a room on the ground level, could you plug it in to an outlet in your room?" he asked. In fact, I could. Since the Leaf logs its charge locations, someone from Nissan later got in touch to ask where I'd discovered a heretofore unknown public charger. "Room 104 at the Ramada," I replied.
A couple years past the debut of the Volt and Leaf, it seemed as if there were plenty of chargers and barely any cars to use them. Now it's often the other way around. During last year's 10Best[4] testing, I drove a Model S[5] 70 back to my hotel, planning to plug in overnight. But when I arrived at the chargers, they were socked in with Leafs, with a Volt lingering nearby and making everyone uncomfortable.
While inconvenienced, I was not exactly outraged, because public-charging etiquette dictates that the Leaf and other limited-range pure electrics have top priority. Teslas come next, since they have larger battery packs and can use Supercharger stations, which are off-limits to the plebes. Lowest on the list are the plug-in hybrids, since they can use a popular network of high-speed chargers called "gas stations."
| 2016 Tesla Model X P90D |
I predict that we're nigh upon the hour when plug-in hybrids get banned from public chargers, since they incite such rage among EV drivers. I once pulled up to a garage in Los Angeles in a Volkswagen e-Golf[6] and found the lone charger occupied by a Volt, prompting me to start wailing, "Why me?" like Nancy Kerrigan.
Conversely, when I parked the Model X at my town's lone public charger, I returned to the car just at the moment that the owner of an adjacent Ford Fusion Energi walked up. "Busted!" he declared, before apologetically adding, "You need it more than I do." I agreed that I did. Only in the strange world of electric vehicles can you feel morally superior while popping open the power gullwing doors on your 463-hp SUV.
This cooperation among EV owners, this fragile truce, depends upon conscientious use of the public charging infrastructure. And I admit that in Charleston I violated a major rule: When you're charged, you move. And that's why there were not one, but two notes on the windshield.
The second note read: "Unbelievable how inconsiderate you are being to the electric-car community here in Charleston. You have been hogging this charger for at least a day and a half. Charleston doesn't have the infrastructure for asses like you to be so selfish. It takes three to four hours to fully charge. Then move to another spot!!!"
I admit that I got a little bit indignant when I read this one. First of all, Leaf Guy, this charger was dribbling out 12 miles of range per hour, which means I needed 20 hours anyway. And it is not my fault that your car has a problem with the perfectly good charger in the space next to this one. Furthermore, I'm detecting an element of proprietorship here. This is a public garage. If you want a charger that's always available, get a charger.
And, finally, three exclamation points? I would've felt your rage more keenly if you'd written everything in capital letters and dotted the i's with boogers, but that's just the editor in me talking.
Still, I feel guilty. Because I know that, despite my adversary's incorrect assumptions, I did linger too long. I recounted this story to the local Tesla service manager and wished aloud there were a way another driver could unlock the Tesla's charge port when the battery's full. "The adapter locks to the car, but you can unplug a public charger from that at any time," he said. "That guy should've done that. Problem solved."
Now I didn't feel so bad. Here was Leaf Erikson, exploring uncharted waters of note-scrawling aggression, when all he had to do was unplug the charger. So let's normalize that practice, EV owners: If the battery's full, give that cable a pull. And save the nasty notes for the Volts.
References
- ^ Nissan Leaf (www.caranddriver.com)
- ^ Model X (www.caranddriver.com)
- ^ Chevy Volts (www.caranddriver.com)
- ^ 10Best (www.caranddriver.com)
- ^ Model S (www.caranddriver.com)
- ^ Volkswagen e-Golf (www.caranddriver.com)
