Now it’s e-tiquette! Guide on charging electric cars to stop assault and battery
List of dos and don’ts to pull plug on f isticuffs
WITH so many electric vehicles on the roads and so few places to top up the batteries, powering up the car can occasionally become a highly charged experience.
Now a new etiquette guide listing key dos and don’ts has been produced to try to stop sparks flying at the charge points.
Cardinal sins include hogging a space long after you’ve finished charging, which causes needless delays for those waiting, and using a charging point as a standard parking space. And don’t even think of unplugging someone else’s car to connect your own.
Queue-jumping is a no-no, as is not putting the charge cable back on its holster.
Some 50,000 EVs are now estimated to be on Scotland’s roads, with around 2,400 public charging points. While many owners charge at home, those who can’t must use the public network, along with tourists and drivers making a long journey.
Traditional service stations offer quick refuelling and well-established queueing systems for petrol and diesel drivers. However, new EV infrastructure is often installed as an afterthought in car parks – and the lack of a proper queueing system leads to jockeying for position, queue jumping and frayed nerves. Hugh Bladon, a founding member of the Alliance of British Drivers, said: ‘It’s a shambles. The number of charging points is infinitesimal.
‘The whole thing is pie in the sky and more electric vehicles will mean more instances of ‘‘charge rage’’.
‘It’s a big issue because it’s not just the time it takes to charge the car – it’s the time it takes waiting while someone else is in the charging point.’
He added: ‘In a petrol or diesel car you go in, pull up and minutes later you’re driving away. But with an electric car you could be sitting waiting for three or four hours, and then waiting while it charges and then you’ve got to worry about the range. It’s potty.’ Mr Bladon said there had been situations, such as on a bank holiday, where ‘there was a huge queue and they’ve had to have marshalling to organise the queue to stop people having fisticuffs and barging in.
‘People get frustrated and start behaving badly. If they are getting flustered and their children are getting bored waiting for a charger, all of that puts pressure on the driver, and that’s not conducive to safe driving.’
Last week, freedom of information data showed that EV drivers had been fined more than £425,000 for staying too long at Scottish charge points.
ChargePlace Scotland, the national body overseeing the public network, is now including its etiquette guide with its email newsletter to raise awareness of the dos and don’ts. A more detailed guide on its website says: ‘Please only park at a charge point if you intend to charge your electric vehicle.
‘Only plug into the charge point if you genuinely need a charge.
‘Please do not remove another person’s cable from a charge point, or use someone else’s cable without permission. Please holster tethered cables back on the charge point once your charge is complete.
‘The emergency stop button should not be used as an alternative to ending your charging session, or to stop another person’s charge so that you can plug in instead.’
It goes on: ‘A maximum stay of up to an hour at a rapid charger is considered fair usage by ChargePlace Scotland... As your vehicle rapid charges, please stay nearby or take note of how long the charge will take, if possible, to ensure you don’t overstay at the charge point.
‘When a charging session ends, please move your vehicle to a standard parking space.’
The guide adds: ‘ChargePlace Scotland ask that you treat your fellow network users with respect and courtesy while making use of the public charge points.’
Another bugbear for EV drivers is petrol or diesel drivers parking in charging slots – a practice known as ‘ICE-ing’, named after the internal combustion engine.
Electric Vehicle Association Scotland director Neil Swanson has called for more dealerships to ensure that new EV drivers are instructed in the correct etiquette before leaving the forecourt.
‘More vehicles will mean more charge rage’ ‘Treat fellow users with respect and courtesy’