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[Toom]

As a recent DS recipient, I have found that there are a lot of unused and ostensibly available free power outlets all over the place  . I found a couple near the local movie theater that will allow me to charge up while taking in a flick. I found a couple more over at a grocery store near my place of work. Then there is the major shopping mall that is about 20 miles away from my house; I found more than half a dozen unused sockets in about 5 minutes of hunting  .

Does anyone out there have tips for how to find "public" outlets to charge their S/DS rides with ? Any trouble in getting permission to charge at such an outlet? Has anyone been "busted" for using outlets without first getting permission  ? Is anyone in the Boulder, Colorado area interested in starting a shared database (Facebook) with locations (GPS coordinates?) of unused publicly accessible outlets in and around town?

Then, there's the moral issue. Is it wrong to use an outlet at a shopping mall without first getting permission from the mall owner? The Zeros use so little electricity (40 cents for a full charge), it hardly seems like a case of grand theft, and finding the owner to ask permission seems like such a big deal over a few pennies worth of electrons. However, there might be those who think the ZEV community needs to keep its nose clean to bring the larger community over to "the cause". On the other hand, given the lack of community infrastructure to support ZEV needs, perhaps this is the best way to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles until the formal infrastructure is developed. Any opinions on this out there?

Do we need to start thinking in terms of an advocacy group now, or should we wait until problems start to arise?

Finally, I think we need to come up with a slang term for socket hunting. Does such a term already exist? Any nominations? Here's mine for hunting for a socket: snicking; using a socket without asking permission first: snucking  . Here's one for using a socket after getting permission: snocking  . (I know, I know: They suck  , but I'm just trying to get folks motivated to come up with ideas.)

[Harlan]

If you are parking your bike to patronize the business whose electricity you are using, I don't see how that is wrong.  Its not like they charge you for flushing the toilet if you use their bathroom or for the paper towels you use to dry your hands.  As EVs become more prevalent, it would be in their best interest to encourage charging so that customers with EVs would frequent their establishments.  At this point I'm sure it is such a small, immeasurable amount but I don't expect it to be like that for long.

[picasso]

Long ago I use to putt around on a 400amp Go-Big scooter and would take it on BART our locale subway like train service. All of the platforms have places to grab a fast charge. Many of them have plugs that can to 20amps.  I never got a talking to fo pluging in. But I did have a few times the driver would ask if it was gas powered. The Go-Big was a big ass scooter.

I have only taken the Zero on BART one time, but since I lack an on board charger I didn't take the time to juice up.


And I agree as time goes on and more EV items are on the road public open plugs will start to dry up. CA just changed the law to allow owners of public charging points to charge for the power. It had been against the law to resell power with out PUC permission.

[trikester]

At motels I have stayed in I have described my ZERO DS and asked permission to wheel it into the room and plug in overnight. Permission has always been granted although I've only done this a few times since I just got the DS in August. The one motel I didn't ask was the Furnace Creek Ranch in Death Valley. I figured that a big resort would have too many levels of management and no one would know what to do. It was a big mistake. An employee reported that I was cleaning a motorcycle in my room and the resort added a $100 room damage charge to my Visa Card without even talking with me or checking to see if any damage had actually been done (which it hadn't). They added the charge after I checked out and was 300 miles away so that I couldn't walk with a manager to the room to inspect it with him or her. They also added this $100 charge to my friends cards that were staying in nearby rooms. I guess they figured that if one of us was "cleaning" a motorcycle in his room we all must be doing that messy business.

After much long distance phone calling to both B of A and the Furnace Creek Ranch, and explaining to the resort what the DS was (I said it was no different than taking an electric wheelchair into a room) I got the matter cleared up and they credited my card with the $100. They sent a letter of apology which actually wasn't because they didn't admit that they had made a mistake and could be doing it for good customer relations. Their actions probably bordered on criminal to charge me (and others) for assumed damage without actually seeing any. In fact I probably left my room cleaner than many guests do. I always pick up after myself before leaving (mom raised me well). I also made sure that the only part of the DS that touched the room were the tires, which did not have any mud etc.

On a different note, driving my pickup, I stopped at a desert bar and cafe in Ocotillo CA that's 22 miles from my desert vacation cabin. I ordered lunch and a beer and asked to speak to the owner. I said that I had an electric motorcycle and that I could make it there on a charge but not back to my desert place so could I plug it in if I rode it there. He said; "of course and pointed out an outlet right at the parking lot and several more along side the building". He said sometimes people with golf carts plug in the one out by the lot. I told him it would take several hours to recharge for the ride back and that I could eat a lot of lunch and down a few beers while waiting. Always good to point out the money to be made while using $.40 of his electricity.

BTW - One motel owner made the comment that if I didn't use the TV in the room he would be money ahead. He was making a joke but that is a good talking point, if we were to have a reluctant motel owner.

trikester

[Toom]

I agree with Harlan that it should be good for businesses to encourage electric motorcycle charging near points of sale. Being as the charging process is still a time-consuming process, it would seem obvious that anyone charging their bike at a place of commerce is likely to spend much more cash buying stuff while "snocking" than what the business is charged for the electricity used.

So far, I must admit that I haven't had any objections yet from the business managers I have asked for use of available outlets to charge my DS. (The only push-back I have experienced so far is at my place of employment, where I was told that an official site policy review was required before ZEVs would be allowed to use their existing outdoor sockets. Two months later, and I'm still waiting to hear back on the site policy, but that is an entirely different story...) To my way of thinking, the positive reception I have received from various businesses is a very good sign for all of us early adopters of electric vehicles because one of the great weaknesses EVs have is the large variation in range with speed of travel. A widespread availability of public electrical outlets seems an important means to balance out this particular vulnerability.

And, yes, I'd imagine that the availability of outlets will shrink as the electric motorcycle market grows. But, to be honest, the day I finally find that the outlets at my favorite grocery store have all been taken by other EV users... that will be a great day.

On an unrelated note, I was psyched to hear that CA shot down Prop. 23. The idea that conversion to green technology was bad for employment struck me as ludicrous to the point of being almost criminal. Yay for The Golden State! You are an inspiration for us all.