LAX Parking NOT free

One of our members (OC Prius CLub) parked there yesterday and they made him pay with his PIP- seems they may have reversed what they said- he was shown the list that said NO PLUG-INS.

I was the guy that inventor00 referred too. When I got home from the meeting there was a message on my answering machine that I will be receiving a refund.

Great idea and thanks for the info. I sent in my email request to lax management to add PiP to the EV list.

Re: LAX Parking NOT free AGAIN

I went LAX again. Once again I was not charged, but this time only because I parked within the grace period of 20 minutes. The cashier told me that Toyota Plug in Cars are hybrids, not electric cars, so they are charged for parking.

Fortunately shortly after I pulled into the parking lot, I got the phone call that my friend was waiting at the terminal, so I did not park long enough to accrue a charge. In addition there were no spaces close enough to a charging station for me to plug in. A Chevy volt was pulling out of a spot, but that spot did not have a charger. There was a charger over the wall, but the cable was not long enough to reach my car's charging port, and you are not allowed to back into a parking spot. The Leaf's and Chevy Volt's all have their charging ports near the front of the car. Many of the cars parked in an adjacent row inside the structure -- all of the charging stations are outside; however, many drivers pass the charger cord through a hole in the fence/wall, so they can park inside the structure. The leaf's, BMW's, and Volt's thus have access to more spaces. Since the Toyota has the charge port in the back, again I could park near the chargers, but I could not plug my car in. If all the cars their had all used chargers near their spots instead of using any charger -- I think I would had the opportunity of charging there. The whole point was moot as I had to leave to pick up my friend.

The phone number I was given for LAX parking was 310 646-2911 x 25. I suggest calling and complaining to try to get the free parking back.

Re: LAX Parking NOT free AGAIN

I called the manager (310 646-2911 x 25) and he indicated that yes, the Toyota Prius Plug In IS COVERED, The Hybrid (Prius without a J1772 charging port) is not. There is obviously an issue with these cashiers. I clarified that IF we show the cashier our plug-in (J1772 connector) we should be 'ok', he said yes.
I will park there for a few weeks next month and let you know how it goes! In the meantime keep posting your successful free parking stories and issues!

Just left my car at LAX. All EV spots full at lot 6. People not plugged in and parked in an EV spot have ticket on their windshield FYI.

I love that they are ticketing!

I just left Lot 6 and they didn't charge me the $137 it would have been. Gotta love this car! Sorry Chesleyn, if my flight hadn't been delayed last night, you could have had my spot. It was the clearwater blue one at the end.

He did call a supervisor over, but they checked it against a list in the booth, took my license and asked for my phone number. Then let me thru.

Lurk -- Saw your car. I have the same color. Made me smile seeing someone with the same car as me.

An email from LAX parking:

Hello Chesley,

Your Prius is eligible for free parking and charging at lots P1 & P6 only.

Thank you.
LAX Parking Services

I just left LAX and had an issue, but didn't end up paying. You have to realize that the cashiers and their immediate supervisors are not employees of the city. They hold a contract with the city to provide this service.

The reason I point this out is because I've dealt with the head of LAX parking who works for the city (and the emails you've been getting are from city employes). He made a call down to the 'supervisor' of the company who holds the contract after we had spoke. Instead of making a new list, they scribbled in 'Toyota Plug-In not Hybrid' is eligible.

On my out, the cashier called over her supervisor and both work for the contracted company. They saw the Hybrid lettering below my Plug-In lettering and said I don't qualify pointing me to the handwritten note. I made them call up to speak with the city employees and got it resolved. Unfortunately, we'll continue to deal with this until a new list is made and the contracted company has trained their cashiers.

Is Lot 6 long term or short term?
Could I part there for a week without being plugged into a charger? Since we may get parking for free?
I just got the "standard" email saying we did get qualified.

You can park at any spot in lots 1 & 6 for up to 30 days per visit for free. If you plan on being away for more than one day, I wouldn't advise using an EV spot.

I just received an email from LAX yesterday...the PiP is now ON THE LIST and is FREE:

Hello Dominic,

Thank you for your email. The new Toyota Prius has already been added to the list.

Thank you.
LAX Parking Services

From: Dominic Cerra [mailto:dwcerra@me.com]
Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2012 9:37 PM
To: Parking Services
Subject: Electric Vehicle Parking

To Whom it May Concern:

Hello, I would like to formally request the new Prius Plug-In to be added to the FREE Parking list for electric vehicles. It's AT-PZEV, which is the as the Chevy Volt and that is on your list.

I do fly often and this would be a great feature to have at LAX.


Regards,
Dominic Cerra

Had a bit of trouble. They thought I had a regular prius. Then they went to look at the logo on the front right of the vehicle and realized that I did in fact have a plugin prius. Left with no charges for 5 days of parking.

We parked at LAX for vacation which just ended Memorial Day. Saw a Tesla there with a ticket on it, parked in a space but not plugged in. We found an EV spot and plugged in just to be safe, hoping nobody would unplug us. (Should have taken a photo to prove it!). When we returned we were still plugged in and they let us out free. They took a lot of our time and information - name, drivers license, phone #, etc. They also called the senior guy to help with the procedure. It was Memorial Day so maybe their A team wasn't there but at least they let us through. What mystifies me is that they never verified the car was a PiP; they should have their guys walk around and look at the charging port, or see the green sticker. At any rate, $240 of prime Terminal 6 parking for free! Thanks LAX for supporting our commitment to the environment!

This is such a serindiptous discovery. I going LAX, MEX, HAV in two weeks and have just saved myself 8 days of parking. I called and LAX confirmed: Park in Lot 1 or 6, any spot and when exiting tell them its an electric vehicle if they don't have it on their list.