Public charging parking spot layout... needs improvement

[snoltor]

Charging at a Target in Davis today. They have two dual ChargePoint stations in front of the store, so 4 EVs could charge at a time. First 2 hours free, $2 an hour after that, it's a great deal. I think the charging stations work for them.... I'm so much more likely to go to Target now. I got 4 kWh today while shopping, so that cost them maybe 30, 40 cents? In return I bought $60 worth of goods I could have bought elsewhere.

But more thought has to go into the planning and implementation of public charging stations like this. The parking spots directly in front of the chargers say "Hybrid / Alt Fuel Vehicle Parking Only" so those spots are often taken by hybrids... as you can see today. There is only one spot reserved as "EV Parking Only" for each dual charger and it is 2 spots down from the charger. That's me charging on the left, the red arrow points to the ChargePoint station.... the cord just makes it to my car. Is this poor parking spot layout at public EV charging stations a common problem around CA?

 

[Michael Bornstein]

I'm jealous. The only public charging in my town is at the Nissan dealer.

In answer to your question, you should contact store management and ask them to redo the signs. Sometimes management will confuse all of the special parking situations with handicap parking and place them in desireable spots. Its nice if you can get the spot, but you are much more likely to be ICE'd. In your Target, they just decided to lump everything together. I am not sure why one even needs a Hybrid / Alt. Fuel parking. If they go to the trouble to install charging stations, the parking should be reserved for cars that can use those stations, i.e. BEV's and PHEV's.

 

[snoltor]

Saw an interesting variation on that today. One location has three chargers and three parking spots, but one of the spots is labeled for handicapped only. We definitely need handicapped parking spots, but putting a charger in a handicapped spot greatly reduces the number of people who can use that charger.

 

[Dsinned]

It should be much more obvious, but I've seen worse. There are no "standards" for how to set apart with signage these public charging stations, so almost anything goes. People with handicapped parking privileges driving ICE cars must feel they have the highest priority regardless of how well public charging stations are marked. :roll:

 

[snoltor]

People with handicapped parking privileges driving ICE cars must feel they have the highest priority regardless of how well public charging stations are marked. :roll:

Agreed

 

[TonyWilliams]

The very reason JLongtm came into being.