http://www.thestar.com/autos/2015/08/23/ev-charging-stations-deserve-more-respect.html EV charging stations deserve more respect By: Gary Grant Aug 23 2015
[image / Gary Grant http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/autos/2015/08/23/ev-charging-stations-deserve-more-respect/gary-grant.jpg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpg Auto News columnist Gary Grant was appalled to see that the driver of this car had parked in a spot where an electric charging station was installed. The rest of the lot was empty ] Auto News columnist Gary Grant finds himself upset when he discovers that owners of gas-powered vehicles are parking in places where electric charging stations have been installed. Last Sunday morning, following a suitably late sleep-in, I set about my duties to prepare for the day's BBQ activities. Naturally, a stop at a local LCBO was in order. This particular store, on Thickson Road in Whitby, recently installed an electric vehicle charging station from Sun Country Highway. My visit took place just after noon and, as one might expect, there were few cars in the lot. I was amazed then, to note that a new gasoline-powered car was occupying one of the two spots dedicated to EVs. I took its picture, intending to shame the owner on social media — as has become custom these days. As I paid for my libations, I noticed that an older hatchback had replaced the other car. In this case, the owner was still there. I asked the woman who owned the car if she knew that she was parked in a spot dedicated to electric vehicles. She looked at the sign above her car and said no. I explained that while most of us can go to a gas station on the way home if need be, the driver of an electric vehicle cannot and if low on juice, might not make it. "Oh, I'll try not to do it again," was the answer. She made no attempt to move her car elsewhere. Giving this driver the benefit of the doubt, I will suggest that she was not inconsiderate. Instead, I will suggest that perhaps she was so busy on a Sunday afternoon that making an effort to move her vehicle a few metres to another empty spot was not an option. I also took a photo of this person's car. I posted a photo of both cars to Instagram with the caption, "Inconsiderate drivers of Whitby go booze shopping" or something similar. Unlike parking places reserved for hybrid cars at home-repair chain stores and/or for parents with unruly children at shopping malls, charging places for EVs fulfill a very real and valid purpose. Before all of you start writing letters to the editor about my insensitivity toward parents, please note that I have more or less successfully raised three upstanding citizens without ever using a special parking spot. All sarcasm aside, this got me thinking about what weight the signs that say "reserved for electric vehicles" carry. It turns out that there is very little. In fact, it seems that because the charging stations are so new, nobody really has a handle on them. The situation is so serious, however, that drivers of EVs have resorted to using the term ICE'd — short for internal-combustion engine’d — when they are blocked out of a charging station, according to John Dixon. Dixon, who is the founder of the Ontario chapter of the Tesla Motors Club, pointed me toward dozens of forum threads on the club's website, www.teslamotorsclub.com , with Tesla owners recounting tales of being ICE'd. Toronto Police representative Victor Kwong reports that in this city at least, there are no bylaws supporting the validity of those signs. Electric Vehicle charging stations, much like dedicated parking spots for parents with small children, hybrid car spots and those for pregnant women, are nothing more than a courtesy. The reality is that most of these charging stations are on private property and policing them is the responsibility of the property management. The city itself does not appear to have a grasp on the problem, either. Operational Planning and Policy Manager Naz Capano says that while there are no bylaws on the books currently for EV parking stations, laws have been put into place to protect users of three test charging stations that the city is about to install as part of a project called "Electric Vehicle On-Street." When operational, these spots will be behind City Hall on Elizabeth Street, on Mirvish Way and on Wellington west of Blue Jay Way. The particular LCBO store where I came across the issue is one of a handful of "green" test stores, according to LCBO spokesperson Christine Bujold. "The majority of our 650-plus stores are housed in leased spaces and therefore are not LCBO-owned property", says Bujold, who adds that "the EV charging stations you referenced and any enforcement requirements would be the responsibility of the landlord/property management." Town of Whitby Parking Services Supervisor Alison Albrecht reinforced this, saying that, "Private property, such as the spots located outside the LCBO, are at the property owner’s discretion. Plazas usually retain private security and may or may not issue Town-authorized tickets, as some private property owners choose to issue parking invoices instead." The busy Iroquois Park sports facility in Whitby also has an EV charging station, which also sees regular abuse by drivers of non-electric vehicles. In this case, as town property, Albrecht says that staff are able to ticket offenders, although not as heavily as they could be. To put it into perspective, accessible parking violations carry a $300 ticket, while those who park in an EV charging spot receive a ticket for “parked on municipal property without consent,” which costs the violator just $27. The challenge for owners of electric vehicles is that just about everybody I have spoken to considers an EV charging station parking spot to be a courtesy, which makes them unworthy of any real enforcement. The reality is that without a charge, electric vehicles cannot move. The customer who needs that top-up might not make it home and roadside assistance can't save the day with a jerry can. EV charging spots are a necessity and should be afforded the same importance as accessible parking. 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