The most annoying thing in the world happened to me last week.
No, I didn’t stub my toe, but I would have taken that option instead of waiting nearly 50 minutes for another electric car to charge from 90 to 100%.
As I sat waiting at the Gridserve Electric Highway rapid, a few things crossed my mind fuelled by Red Bull and Snickers:
- Why does anyone charge to 100% at public chargers? That last 20% takes as long as the previous 70%. It is smarter to drive on 80%, deplete your range, and charge from 10-30% (the 20% you missed) further down the road.
- Why do public chargers allow people to top up at painfully slow speeds beyond 80%? Surely this is bad for business because it limits the number of people who can use the charger?
Ridiculous.
The chap who returned to his car was oblivious to me waiting, which I had to do because my range was so low. Thankfully, I had a bathroom break and got a bite to eat in that time, but a simple pit stop that should have taken me 25 minutes took me over an hour.
Yes, it is a free world, and yes, some people really need that 100% charge, but the vast majority of people don’t.
I can’t help but think it is bad etiquette and I wish public chargers were capped at 80%. One way around this could be to charge a much higher rate for the final 20%.
Have you experienced drivers hogging chargers for that last 20%? Be sure to leave a comment below on your experiences.
