Focused_Driver said:
Regarding charging station locations. I had asked my employer, not for a charging station but simply a properly rated 120V plug so I could do some slow charging while at work for 8 hours. I specifically asked that the plugs not be located close to the building entrance because despite the fact that I had every intention of paying, the perception would be: "Wow, you get to charge for free and a great parking spot?" Seems there is already too much drama for ignorant people about electric cars, I didn't want these new outlets to be another reason for people to talk badly about electrics.
Unfortunately, turns out my employer's answer was no. What gets my goat is I asked permission and was told no while there is already an employee charging a Leaf at another division (and another building). Fortunately I don't need to charge to get home, but it would be nice to extend my range for lunchtime or after work errands.
It would be great if condos and buildings and companies provided L2 or 120v plugs, but it becomes a problem the more people buy electric cars. Cars like the FFE being charged on a 120V for 2 hours is rather pointless. Now imagine 10-20 people needing to charge their cars. Or 10-20 people asking a company to have 120V or L2 chargers installed for them. Which also means 10-20 parking spaces dedicated to only so many employees.
It sucks, but most organizations aren't looking to cater to a few people. I know a few companies that put in 2-4 L2 charging spots, but the office had like 20+ electric cars. And then you get into arguments over "well my car is an FFE and yours is a Volt so I should get preferential treatment" and so on. There should be a difference, but no company wants that kind of liability.
There is also the jealous or whatever factor involved. I know in San diego, there have been quite a few "attacks" on electric cars. It's mostly Teslas, but there have been numerous keying, cutting cords, etc when a Tesla was parked somewhere. It's absurd, but it's happen quite a few times to where it's not just isolated incidents anymore. It's obvious some people don't like Teslas for various reasons and if they think you're part of the electric crowd, your car will probably be damaged in one way or another. I try and avoid those charging areas and places, but you never know. It's kind of the reverse Hummer thing from years ago. People used to key Hummers for being gas guzzlers. Now some people key electric vehicles.
So yeah in a place where there are hardly any electric cars, a company might be open to it if they don't believe there will be any employee issues going forward. But if there are already 20 people who drive some kind of electric car and they only put in a couple of outlets and charging stations, it'll be a nightmare.
I can't charge at home at all as I live in a condo and they aren't going to put in any chargers so I live off of charging stations. And half the time there are broken down stations. that's the other issue I imagine with a company. If one of the L2's breaks down, who is going to fix it? Do they even want to? You could say it's not a big deal, but being somebody who uses every single charging station there is that I can find, I will say 95 percent of them have had issues at one point or another. And some of them just never get fixed.
