I've been charging at work since Oct 2012 now Property Management say's I can't :(

I think it all boils down to one thing, some people just want to be idiots.

 

Yup- I'll stick with this theme too. Someone's jealous that you're getting something for free and they're not!

 

When I go out to Boy Scout Camp to do volunteer work for the camp, I have permission to bring my ESEV and get a charge. Found out yesterday from the camp director that he has had a couple people upset that I was "stealing" electricity from the camp. He told me he just got in their face and said, "Tell you what. You come out here and do some work for us, we'll gladly give you 35¢ worth of gasoline for your car!" End of conversation...

The charge will get me about half way home from camp (42 mile round trip). They figure they are getting the better end of the deal. Yesterday I got 96 mpg overall going out and coming home (only got half a charge out there).

 

Unfortunately, the person owning the basketball controls the game

Our company has a half dozen plugin stalls (L1 only ... we're working on getting L2). The company's monthly utility bill is in the 6 figures. Our use doesn't amount to a fraction of even 1%. If the OP's company is reasonably large - the cost is not the reason they dropped usage.

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So, the PIP and the Leaf were allowed to charge at work for free according to the OP of this thread.

There is at least on item that has not been mentioned: "derived benefit". This occurs at a place of employment, and is fine as long as EVERY employee in that company has access to the benefit. That is not currently happening. So, Other employees have a valid concern with the company: fairness for all.

If a select few employees have access to this benefit, all employees need access to the same benefit. This quickly gets into the area of discriminatory practices the company currently has. If, on the other hand non-BEV, plug-in employees get vouchers equivalent to the dollar amount the BEV, plug-in employees get, then that is fairness.

These vouchers could be for gasoline, mass transit, cab fare fare, assisting the purchase for employees bicycles.

Can everyone now see where this is going?

DBCassidy

 

Sad we live in a country where one person complains and everyone else has to stop there fun.

SCH-I535 ? 2

 

E.g. vanpool subsidies, preferred carpool parking, free bus passes, prizes and gift cards for reaching a certain number of bicycle or walk commutes, etc?

Been there, done that, already collected several hundred dollars worth of awards and subsidies.

 

Is the Office Park fully leased or many empty units?

In some cases with high unleased space Property Managers are looking to cut costs everywhere. The problems may be from the owner.

Before you go blaze a trail to your boss have a simple conversation with the guy. Educate him. The cost is just a few pennies about the cost of a Light Bulb. The charging automaticaly stops when te battery is full. If you can find some info on the Toyota Web site print it out and give it to him if it supports your case. If you still get a negative response than approach your manager but be careful since employers look for any reason to eliminate trouble spots perceived or real. Only you know how well your complaint will be taken.

If worse comes to worse just live with it. Revisit in a few months when a few more tenants come on board and emotions cool down with the PM

 

Free fuel is guaranteed to be a transient thing. Enjoy it while you can because the future is going to be locked and secured electrical outlets anywhere accessible to EVs once the larger population figures this out. The OP may be able to figure out the short term issue, but not the long term issue once there are multiple vehicles and only a limited number of spots. The best advice given above is to lobby for true EV charging stations. All problems solved except for the free part...which was going away no matter what.

 

The Leaf seems like a bigger problem because it looks like it is constricting an alleyway to one lane. Big delivery trucks or firetrucks might not have enough room to zoom by.

Just charge and take a stand. Your employer obviously doesn't care and you are not under any obligation from the property manager to listen to them. You are hired by your employer and they are liable for your actions. You have been given the go ahead by your employer so do it. If the property manager makes a big fuss again, hopefully you and your employer can show them how silly they are being.

EV Charging is still something that needs to be fought for, it is very new.

 

1. You are not parking your vehicle in a designated parking spot. Even if the fire department came by and were OK with the setup, did they make a written report stating that parking there was not a fire hazard? What about the parked car as a hazard to pedestrians and others?

2. The charger is an extension cord. Even if orange, what about the hazard is poses to pedestrians, delivery persons? What about the hazard of an electrical shock, particularly if you charge during the winter?

The violation is correct.

It is the legal risk that the land owner and the property manager are thinking about. This may also be stipulated in their own property insurance policy. If someone stupid trips over your charging cord and hurts him or herself, if a skateboarding kid breaks an arm tripping over your cord, then the land owner is at risk for $25,000 to 100,000 just to defend a lawsuit, and up to the millions for loss of income if someone is injured. Sure, the risk is low, but would they want to take that risk? No.

Also, the risk is also shared by your employer - since you as the employee represent your employer. So the person injured is going to sue you, your employer, the property manager and the land owner. And everyone will have to pay legal fees whether or not they win or lose. The property owner himself faces minimum of $10,000 in lawyer's fees just to represent him.

The only way out of this is for your cheap employer to negotiate with the land owner and property manager to make changes in the lease to allow the installation of charging stations for plug-ins in the parking lot and to assign the all of the risk to your employer.

This would increase your employer's insurance costs. And your cheap employer may not want the hassle.

 

I agree, free charging at work should be enjoyed as long as it lasts. If a firm is getting $$$ from local, state, or federal govts to help with the costs of plug-ins, BEVs - thats' one thing.

When more employees start charging at work, with no govt assistance to the firm - free will go away fast. Companies need to stay cost competitive in the open markets. Costs have to be kept down, profits have to be maintained. At best, the plug-ins and BEVs get a reduced corp rate for charging at work. This will be payable on a weekly or monthly basis direct or payroll deductions. Also the cost for purchase, installation, maintenance, and liability insurance enter the equation. If there are more plug-ins, BEV's than charging stations - fights for using the charging stations could erupt.

Best, if the plug-ins, BEV's contribute to the costs of the charging stations. The "welfare mentality" of "free" charging must come to an end for fairness to ALL employees.

DBCassidy

Other employees might have complained about the employee getting "free" charging and they are not.

DBCassidy

There is nothing wrong with speaking up for fairness for all. If "free" for a select few, "free" has to be applicable to all.

DBCassidy

 

Absolutely right! if one employee who has a PHEV or BEV is allowed to get a free charge, then all employees who have a PHEV or BEV should be allowed get the free charge... However......... I have a feeling that if someone complained they probably don't have a PHEV or BEV. Hmmmmmmmm? If you drive something else, you can't use the charge so you would not get the deal until you get yourself a PHEV or BEV. Sounds fair to me!

 

Yeah, that's a tough call for the employer. Good to encourage this technology by allowing plugging in existing outlets or installing dedicated PEV stations, but there will always be employees who see it as special treatment who don't have PEVs. It should be the owners call, and hopefully non-PEV owners either go and get one themselves or just appreciate that the employer is trying to do something good.

 

This seems like a good time to remind people that there is not one shred of evidence suggesting employee complaint as the cause of OP's problems.

Why invoke conspiracy theory when we know a property management company is enforcing (it's view) of the contract to decrease perceived liability ? I find it distressing to read news of Egypt where ignorance and propaganda drive the mob, and then come here and read the same.

 

As long as the plug-in and BEV users financially contribute to paying what electricity they use.

DBCassidy

 

Hey....I have nothing to add here...but Good Luck!

Interesting thread to read though...

On one level all this is evolution. I'd imagine and hope that someday people look back at this "transitional" time and wonder why it was so difficult to find a place to plug in your vehicle. Like when everyone else was riding a horse, and you were one of the rare people that owned a new fangled Auto-Mobile.

 

Plug-in-vehicles amaze me.. I would recommend a regular fossil fuel burning vehicle.. Makes no difference your not saving and green-house emissions. The electric plant that makes the electricity burns fossil fuel.