Conflict at the Supercharger

[COdogman]

I am frustrated that I have to explain why I was at the SC site as opposed to the discussion of what happened. I arrived in Davis with a low SOC. The hotel has a 6kw charger that could charge up overnight. But I had family things to do and tried the EA and the EvGo resulting in the usual frustration. I don’t agree that I should have waited for a slot to charge with the usual EA problems. So I drove 9 miles to a Rivian compatible site.

You don’t have to explain that at all. You used a charger that was open to you and were very nice about it when Tesla owners showed up. The only problem is one of those folks was an uninformed asshole, which is unfortunately all too common these days.

According to some here you would need to check with others at the station before charging to ensure the reason you are charging there passes some morality test. And since any non-Tesla would block more than one spot if you can’t grab the far right spot, we all immediately flunk that test, despite Tesla opening the network to us and giving us guidance on how to use it…

Nevermind that many of those Tesla owners attempting to charge at that station likely did not NEED to charge at that station at that time, some want you to feel like you did something wrong, which is not the case at all…

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[Dark-Fx]

According to some here you would need to check with others at the station before charging to ensure the reason you are charging there passes some morality test. And since any non-Tesla would block more than one spot if you can’t grab the far right spot, we all immediately flunk that test, despite Tesla opening the network to us and giving us guidance on how to use it…

Actually, I was thinking about how we could solve the problem without additional hardware.

 

[Redline]

I prefer to have access now rather than waiting 2-5 years for all the SCs to be updated with longer cords first. And I really don't understand your irrational Elon hate, but whatever dude. Personally I am thankful he agreed to open them up.

And you will spend $70k+ on a vehicle you want but refuse to spend $300 in order to be considerate to others? Seems pretty selfish to me. This is another reason I hate public charging.

There is nothing irrational about not liking Elon.

 

[Dark-Fx]

There is nothing irrational about not liking Elon.

Here's a list of some other folks you probably have irrational hate for.

https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/

 

[White Shadow]

It's sad how many people do things with disregard for others just because they "can". I could go to Chick-Fil-A and spend 15 minutes in the drive through ordering for 30 people at the office but that would be fucked up and inconsiderate (instead go in or order ahead). I think there's a lot of people who feel the need to harass others due to their own shortcomings (lifted truck syndrome).

This shouldn't about what you "can" do as many are proclaiming, it should be about what's considerate of other EV drivers. Other's saying well it only blocks a Tesla, well yeahhhhh ... like the OP says he's doing (whataboutism). Blocking 2 spots while making others wait when you don't even need the charge (could finish on the hotel L2) isn't very considerate of others. They justify it because "Tesla bad". I've bookmarked this thread because I know when RAN opens up to the public the same people defending blocking 2 spots will have their day. Hypocrisy isn't a good look. I don't want people double parking at RAN, EA, EVGo or Tesla units if it's preventing other's from charging and I would never do that to anyone else.

I can understand a situation when someone has no other choice in a situation like this, but my issue is with people who somehow seemingly look forward to causing this type of conflict and take pleasure in it. I just think that's not a good attitude and does nothing to help the cause for electric vehicles in general. The whole "screw those Tesla owners" thing is just ridiculous, even in a situation where one particular Tesla owner was being a jackass.

 

[White Shadow]

I’m sorry the prospect of me showing up at a Tesla SC that we were given access to (by Tesla) and following the exact directions provided for charging (by Tesla) causes you sadness.

I'm sorry that you failed to comprehend my message in such a big way.

 

[Redline]

More Elon cult bros continuing to hang here for some reason.

 

[COdogman]

I'm sorry that you failed to comprehend my message in such a big way.

You didn’t even offer me soup?

 

[emoore]

I prefer to have access now rather than waiting 2-5 years for all the SCs to be updated with longer cords first. And I really don't understand your irrational Elon hate, but whatever dude. Personally I am thankful he agreed to open them up.

And you will spend $70k+ on a vehicle you want but refuse to spend $300 in order to be considerate to others? Seems pretty selfish to me. This is another reason I hate public charging.

I don't have an irrational hate for Elon, I just don't like him or his business attitude and won't give him money if I have the chance. I'll use my adapter if there aren't any other available chargers in the area. And no I'm not going to buy yet another adapter (extension cable) so I can charge in the same stall as a Tesla does. It's like having to buy an extension hose for a gas station, not going to happen.

 

[White Shadow]

You didn’t even offer me soup?

 

[COdogman]

Thank you.

BTW I fully “comprehend” your opinion on the topic. My original point is it’s a slippery slope when you are creating double standards about the reasons people are at the charging station. Do you care if the Tesla owners there NEEDED to charge at that station at that moment? Does that extend to EA stations and other brands or just non-Teslas at superchargers?

You wouldn’t know why I was there any more than you would know why those drivers were there…. It is 100% opinion that OP should not have been at that station with his Rivian. Not that he needs to, but he has explained that his hotel charger would not have supplied him with enough charge by the morning, especially if he had more stops before going back to the hotel. And if you had bad experiences at EA or EVGo or any other charger I think pretty much all of us would have headed towards the chargers with the best reliability In that situation. Especially on a road trip where you might not know the local stations as well.

His intent was not to block chargers or cause trouble - he simply needed a charge and went to a station he was allowed to use and followed the guidance offered by Tesla to use it. The majority of Tesla owners were fine with it and instead of blaming the one who had an issue with it, OP is being told he shouldn’t have been there… it’s weird.

 

[mkhuffman]

I don't have an irrational hate for Elon, I just don't like him or his business attitude and won't give him money if I have the chance. I'll use my adapter if there aren't any other available chargers in the area. And no I'm not going to buy yet another adapter (extension cable) so I can charge in the same stall as a Tesla does. It's like having to buy an extension hose for a gas station, not going to happen.

You do what makes your feel justified, and I will do my best to be considerate of others. I will buy the extension cord so that I can use crowded SC stations without blocking other people from using a SC. The sooner it gets released, the better. Public charging sucks.

 

[DevSecOps]

The majority of Tesla owners were fine with it and instead of blaming the one who had an issue with it, OP is being told he shouldn’t have been there… it’s weird.

Just like the other person pointed out, you're seemly and blatantly missing the point or creating a false narrative. No one, in 12 pages, has said the OP shouldn't have been there. The OP has every right to charge his EV, just like anyone who owns an EV. However, courtesy, etiquette and politeness should be practiced by all of us who use public chargers.

If the OP wants to, quote, have a "discussion of what happened" then there's 2 possibilities. He wants to know how to avoid or prevent a similar situation or he wants to attack some random person who got pissy with him. I assume he wants to avoid a similar situation. In that case I think that he has a couple options. Use a station that wouldn't create a double parking scenario or be courteous of people waiting and leave if you don't need the charge especially if you're double parked. He could also use an end unit like he showed us a picture doing at his next stop. Some SC locations also have side units that could be used, even pull through units that could be used unless someone comes along with a trailer that would be perfectly fine as well.

I'm 40 years younger than the OP and I would be the "Mr Muscles" because I have zero patience for people who are inconsiderate of others. I would try to reason with them politely at first, but if they aren't receptive to that then yeah I would be mad too. I can almost guarantee you that the OP didn't need to continue charging. He even admits in post #161 that he left the next day. He could have charged to 100% on a 6kw L2 at the hotel, I do it all the time. That's not to say he must, but rather explaining that there's other options.

There's a disgusting cult mentality on this forum of Tesla hate of which moderators have had to step in to stop many, many times. Hate the car all you want. I own one and I don't even like it. Hating the people who drive them or advocating confrontation with Tesla owners is what's weird and as the other person said, it's not the right attitude.

 

[COdogman]

Just like the other person pointed out, you're seemly and blatantly missing the point or creating a false narrative. No one, in 12 pages, has said the OP shouldn't have been there. The OP has every right to charge his EV, just like anyone who owns an EV. However, courtesy, etiquette and politeness should be practiced by all of us who use public chargers.

If the OP wants to, quote, have a "discussion of what happened" then there's 2 possibilities. He wants to know how to avoid or prevent a similar situation or he wants to attack some random person who got pissy with him. I assume he wants to avoid a similar situation. In that case I think that he has a couple options. Use a station that wouldn't create a double parking scenario or be courteous of people waiting and leave if you don't need the charge especially if you're double parked. He could also use an end unit like he showed us a picture doing at his next stop. Some SC locations also have side units that could be used, even pull through units that could be used unless someone comes along with a trailer that would be perfectly fine as well.

I'm 40 years younger than the OP and I would be the "Mr Muscles" because I have zero patience for people who are inconsiderate of others. I would try to reason with them politely at first, but if they aren't receptive to that then yeah I would be mad too. I can almost guarantee you that the OP didn't need to continue charging. He even admits in post #161 that he left the next day. He could have charged to 100% on a 6kw L2 at the hotel, I do it all the time. That's not to say he must, but rather explaining that there's other options.

There's a disgusting cult mentality on this forum of Tesla hate of which moderators have had to step in to stop many, many times. Hate the car all you want. I own one and I don't even like it. Hating the people who drive them is what's weird and as the other person said, it's not the right attitude.

Even in this post you are implying the OP should not have been at that charger, which is the exact point I was making. You imply he was “inconsiderate” for not charging in the spot you want him to and for not going to a non-Tesla charger. You “almost guarantee” he didn’t need to charge to 100% because he could have charged at the hotel. If OP had other stops to make that evening and would not get back to the hotel until later, only he would know how much time he would get at that charger or maybe it is occupied by the time he gets back? Remember he’s on a road trip.

There is no “false narrative” being created. Only the actual narrative you have put forward even though I know you mean well and I respect that.

When I am at an EA or RAN charger and I see someone charging to 100% I don’t start wondering if they needed to charge to that limit or even if they needed to be there at all because I have no idea what their story is. Are they on a road trip and truly need it? Are they new to EVs and just uncomfortable going with less than 100%? Did they make an extra charging stop just for peace of mind? It doesn’t matter to me - I can’t control any of that. I don’t know their situation and I wait my turn regardless.

If I were a Tesla driver at that station and OP was there I would feel the same - I would say to myself this station is open to Ford/ Rivian now and he obviously needs a charge or he wouldn’t be here. End of story. I wouldn’t expend any energy attempting to figure out all the details of why and how he got there or what other options he might have had. I am a busy person just like you and I have more important things to worry about.

I agree with you 100% that we should all be considerate of others at all times, but this parsing of OPs decision to use this SC is just over the top. If he needs to answer all these questions about why he was there, why don’t all the Tesla drivers? Could they have made it to their next stop without charging? Did they charge beyond what they needed? Could they have waited in their car instead of going into idle time while they eat nearby? If those are all fair questions to ask, then let’s ask them of everyone at every charging station. I agree using the extra space next to the far right spot at a SC is the ideal solution IF that is possible at the station you need to use. Even parking on the back side of the station if possible. So we are in total agreement on that. But we all know that is not how every station is designed.

The only person I have a problem with in the entire situation is Mr Muscles (1 Tesla driver) because he seems to think he gets to choose who can charge at Tesla stations that are open to other brands now. If that prospect bothers him so much then maybe he needs to only visit stations that are still exclusive to Tesla or at home, because Elon opened up 15,000 of the 50,000 chargers to other manufacturers. I don’t blame them if they don’t like that, but it’s reality now. So if lacking empathy for an impatient, ignorant person who has a meltdown over a charging station makes me the bad guy, then I wholeheartedly embrace that.

I don’t hate Tesla drivers or even Tesla (false narrative). I know tons of people who drive Teslas and 99% of them are amazing human beings. I have very little respect for Elon Musk and his behavior, which is no secret. Likewise with people who melt down over minor stuff (Mr Muscles).

 

[DevSecOps]

Even in this post you are implying the OP should not have been at that charger

Again you're missing the point. Let me make this easy ...

Please confirm that you're perfectly fine with a Tesla double parking at a RAN with a line of Rivians waiting to charge.

Everyone should be asking themselves if that's what they expect from EV owners. This has nothing to do with Tesla or where one charges.

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