“Sorry, I went ballooning:” It’s high time charging networks cracked down on EV squatters

Fast-charging an electric vehicle is normally not a big issue, and nor should it be. Depending on the charge in your vehicle battery, the capacity of the charger, drivers can spend as little as 10 minutes topping up to continue a trip. It’s rare to need much more than half an hour, and many EV chargers are priced to move people on as quick as they can.

There are of course some hurdles. One is the fact that there are not nearly enough fast chargers in Australia. There is a shortage of locations, and many of these locations have just one or two charging bays – a sure fire recipe for forming queues.

That is a growing problem, particularly in peak holiday periods, as we have seen by the much publicised queues in the recent Christmas rush, and is made worse by the disappointingly high number of broken chargers, ICE-ing by fossil fuel vehicle drivers, and bad and inconsiderate behaviour by some EV drivers.

Exactly how long is OK for an electric car to spend at an EV fast-charger? In the early days of EV uptake in Australia, when the advice from EV companies was to stop charging at 80 per cent to protect the battery, it was rare to find an EV squatting at a fast charger. The camaraderie and etiquette among early adopters was strong.

Things have changed. It’s now common for EVs to take up a fast-charging post for an hour or more as their owners seem equally determined to charge to 100 per cent – even when they don’t need to – and enjoy their lunch uninterrupted. Some don’t bother to unplug even when their EV is fully charged.

Perhaps the worst example came this week when my wife ducked in for a quick top up at one of the NRMA fast chargers at The Farm, just outside of Byron Bay.

There are two charging bays. One spot was taken up by a Hyundai Kona electric SUV, plugged in, and fully charged. The owner was nowhere to be seen and apparently it had been there for hours. Many EVs had already come and gone without being able to charge.

When the owner did return, he apologised. Well, sort of.

“Sorry, I went ballooning. It took longer than I thought,” he offered, as though the longer than expected flight was the problem.

It’s true that The Farm in Byron Bay is the pick up and drop off point for local ballooning companies, but it’s advertised as a three to four hour experience.

It’s also true that – like other NRMA fast chargers – the service is free, at least for now, so there is no real incentive to move on. But the problem lay in the fact that this guy thought it was any way acceptable to leave his EV plugged into a fast charger at a key stop off for travellers, while he took to the skies.

The Kona ballooner, or should that be the Ballooner Kona, is an extreme example. But it is increasingly common for EV owners to camp at charging bays for well over an hour – particularly at free chargers – much to the frustration of those wanting to continue a long trip. It’s raised questions about the wisdom of free charging, and the need for idle or minute by minute fees.

Squatting at chargers is not likely to happen at a Tesla Supercharging site. Tesla is quick to alert drivers – via phone alerts – when they have enough charge to continue their journey, and often puts 80 per cent charging limits on heavily used locations.

That’s important because while fast charging can be quick, the requirements of battery chemistries means that the charging rate slows down dramatically for the last 20 per cent, and particularly for the last 10 per cent. So, unless you really need 100 per cent charge to get to your destination, it’s a waste of everyone’s time to insist.

Tesla also sends warnings to drivers when the charge is complete. Idle fees of $1 a minute are applied to drivers who don’t return to their vehicle and unplug. Still, as Rob Dean writes, you can’t stop humans doing what humans do. See: EV fast charging: You can change the technology, but you can’t change the people

The call is now going out for other charging networks to follow suit. Not just to deal with EV owners who go ballooning while plugged into a fast charger, but also those who regularly spend more than one hour charging their EV, or in some cases up to two hours. (See above).

One network gets around the issue by mixing the charging rate between kWh charges (the amount put into the battery), and by the minute.

Clive Attwater, the head of Electric Highway Tasmania, which has 12 fast charging locations around the island state, charge an average of around 25c/kWh and an average of 25c a minute, depending on usage, location and time of day.

Attwater says his rate structure is welcomed by “seasoned” EV owners because it provides the right incentives not to charge beyond 80 per cent, when the rate of charge slows, and to encourage good behaviour. He says it will be changed as usage changes – some chargers may have a higher per minute fee, others not so much.

The Hobart City Council solves the problem by imposing parking fees on the EV charging spot, so anyone staying longer than 30 minutes is liable to a hefty fine.

Other networks are thinking about the issue. The NRMA is expected to introduce paid charging at its network this year, but how it structures those payments – whether they are simply kWh based, or have a time component, or a variation of both depending on the local usage, will be fascinating to see.

Note: This story has been updated, including a new photo to replace the original, and to correct some spelling errors.