Does Anyone Here Actually Use Fee-Based Charging Stations?

I wish all gasoline was free or I was charged for my gallons per mile. Has not happened yet. Not likely to happen soon.

 

Um, maybe because your electric car would otherwise be stranded if that EVSE wasn't there? Or are you talking about the 2014 PiP mentioned in your avatar, in which case yes ... you can simply drive on by. But ... maybe you'd pay a dollar for electricity so the EVSE owner can eventually pay of the cost of purchasing/installing a system that likely was several thousand dollars? Or maybe because it'll help pay his liability cost for owning it any you're grateful he installed it in the first place? No? Maybe to help the vandalism insurance policy? No? Or maybe you thought the EVSE fairy planted it there? In that case yes ... it's just about the cost of electricity. Otherwise ... the 50 cents of electricity doesn't help recover even a part of the other costs. In addition, if you presume the car holds 50 cents of electricity ... you obviously pay the land lords' electric bill? Since your avatar doesn't show where you are, I can't comment on you local/state/county electricity costs for juice. Point being ... there are lots of points one may want to consider.

 

You are essentially charged for your miles per gallon.

 

Free electricity for your car...good. Free gas for my car...well that's different.

 

I use way fewer gallons per mile than a hummer does. Why shouldn't I benefit from that?

It make better sense than 'free' charging stations. Or the insane idea that just because you charge your PIP full, you should not be penalized for not moving it, so someone else can charge..

 

Hybrids like the PiP or Volt certainly have the added flexibility of not needing public chargers.
Likewise, EV drivers that never drive beyond the range of their EVs also don't need public chargers.
That said, some PiP or Volt drivers have different priorities than cost of fuel and will use chargers even if it costs the same or more.

Also keep in mind different locations have different costs. Some are free, some are a flat fee, some hourly, and yes, some charge by the kWh.

 

Granted different use, applications and rates, but are owners required to move their vehicles when charging is complete? and if not, shouldn't they then be ticketed just like a normally aspired vehicle using the same "charging spot"? Serious question.

 

I see no point in charging a PIP at a fee station. I believe there are plenty of free ones in the PDX area, but I'm not certain. The math doesn't work out though for plugging in at a fee station because $1 in gas could get you 15 miles, which is further than 1hr of charging at a station could get you.

It seems many areas of CA and other states with high electric rates don't even benefit from charging at home. In Oregon, EV miles are about 1/3 the price of gasoline miles, though.

 

A lot depends on the fee. I came across an Eaton charger that was 50 cents per hour. Thats cheaper than gas so why no?

 

49 cents per kWh at the mall, for a primo parking space and plug is nice deal. The other day, using that cost me $1.35

Think about people paying for the privilege every workday to use the special lane on the highway to shorten their commute time. How much is that worth?

 

Ditto here. There are always open spots, close to the exit, at the parking structures on campus. During the day, it's great. During basketball season with a sold-out arena … it's priceless.

Of course, since my PiP is currently DOA - Day 7 - at the dealer awaiting a new inverter ("Backorder" LOL), parking is the least of my concerns.

 

points taken. For grins though, consider the good rationale for a flat $2 hour fee. Due to its smaller traction pack, the PiP doesn't benefit much from a public evse, compared to a few other plugins. For one thing, the Prius traction pack will only receive about 3kWh's at the charge rate that the PiP's EVSE can deliver in one hour. But plug in one of the larger plugin's traction packs? Some large pack plugins have the capability to charge at 3 or 4 times the speed of the PiP's charge rate. So for their public EVSE usage, the $2 rate is still okay. Also, might not the shop keeper rationalize that driving off the pip owner is to his advantage? If a Rav4ev needs to charge for 4 hours just to get home - the shopkeeper gets paid for 4 hours EVSE use. If the pip charges to full (example) in 50 minutes (because he still had a little juice left) but leaves their PIP parked in the charge stall for 90 minutes - not only does the shop keeper lose out on the rav4ev's more lucrative transaction, the rav4ev driver can't even get home because they don't have the PiP's alternate gasoline propulsion. In that scenario whose business would shopkeeper regularly want to accommodate.

I tend to agree with your view that moderately priced public 240v charging isn't too relevant for the Prius. The L2 EVSE owner might agree too. That leaves just the freebie chargers ... I call them freeloader chargers because way too often in our area - the users primary objective is to mooch a few cents of juice that they really don't need. But that's a topic well covered already in other threads.
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So two people are walking down the street and both see a $10 bill on the side walk.. Both make a comfortable living but one is wearing blue jeans and the other in business attire. Does it matter who picks it up first? Also...would anyone care to respond to this question?

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Since the Prius charges at the slowest rate and the charging stations often have a fee of $1 or more per hour, I don't think it makes much sense for the PiP to use them. The spot is better utilized by a faster charging vehicle with more EV range.

The PiP should have come with a 20mi range and a 220v L2 charger.

 

Not sure where that assumption originated, but it is incorrect. Prius PHV takes advantage of L2 just like the other plug-in vehicles.

 

This depends upon the local laws. I have heard some places in California will ticket cars in EV spots that are not plugged in. Not sure about actively charging though.

As for should or shouldn't they, again, I think it depends upon the situation.
If charging sports are free, I would say yes after a 20 minute or so grace period, as long as only the owner can unplug their own car.
I would also argue that once charging is complete, again with an appropriate grace period, the parking time is charged, possibly ramping up every 30 minutes or so.
For example, plugin car driver parks and plugs in at a free charger at a mall. Their car charges for 45 minutes at no cost. Driver decides to not move their car and so, from 60-90 minutes they are charged 1$. From 90-120 minutes, 2$, etc.

Again though, it is highly situational. If there is no shortage of plugin spots, I don't see the need to ticket or charge people.

 

No, I believe he is correct.
Just because you can hook up a hose to a spigot doesn't mean you get the same amount of water out if you don't turn the spigot on full.

The rate the PiP can charge is 3.3kWh which is tied for the slowest rate.
However, in most cases it is inconsequential as the battery is very small.

 

The post was vague, giving the impression of L1 rate... which clearly is not the case.

It is perfectly sized for recharging while at the mall, a restaurant, or a movie. 1.5 hours on L2 will completely replenish the pack.