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[Stevie]

I have a '18 Zero DS 7.2 with a charge tank. Charging at home and at an EV station all work fine.

The other day I stopped at a EV charge station top off before heading home. Battery at 50%. There was a Chevy Volt using the single port. The driver left a note saying "OK to unplug"'. I had enough charge left to make it home so I decided not to unplug him because I didn't know if that car had to be keyed on to start/restart a charge. My Zero does. Once started I can remove the key.

Can any/all electric cars be charged by simply reattaching the J1772 plug. I would have done this if I needed some charge to get home.

Thanks

[Ndm]

Yup just plug in and walk away, zero should strive to make it work just like the cars to avoid the confusion

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Yes.

By the way, the wiki has a good table for checking on charging EVs on the go to understand which ones are wisest to unplug:

https://zeromanual.com/wiki/Other_EVs_Charging_Indicators

[Stevie]

Thanks Ndm and Brian.

I've printed the Wiki table and will keep it in my wallet. Since getting the Zero this was the first time I've stopped to charge and found all the outlets in use. In my area of Vermont almost all the stations are free.

[hubert]

Chevy Volt Gen1    dash    off = done
Chevy Volt Gen2 or 3    dash    blinking = done
Chevy Bolt    dash    solid = done

That's LOL... Depending on which version/model of chevy, the light coding can be different, and even reversed!

[ashnazg]

On my 2017 Volt, blinking green light indicates charging in progress... 1 blink is charging during the first 20% of battery, 5 blinks is during the last 20% so it's nearly finished.  Solid green light on means fully charged and still plugged in.

Is mine an anomaly?  If another Volter can confirm me, I'll go update the wiki.

[Doug S]

Others have addressed the charging indication, but nobody's said anything about the note. To me, if the owner left a note saying it's okay to unplug, I wouldn't have any hesitation. Nice of them to leave a note, actually -- far more common in my experience is the plug hog that plugs in then leaves for hours without leaving a note like that.

Was this a free charging station? If so, the owner was probably just taking advantage of some free juice, and didn't really need it. If it was a paid station, you couldn't unplug them, charge up yourself, then restart with their account anyhow, so they must have known what they were getting into when they left the note.

[ashnazg]

Very good point about the paid vs free station.  I'd say these guidelines definitely *only* apply to free stations, unless the owner left such a "ok to unplug me" note at the paid station.

[Doug S]

Another thing just occurred to me...it was a Volt, which is the hybrid, the Bolt is the BEV, right? So charging up a Volt is pretty much unnecessary anyhow, and probably more expensive at a charging station than just putting gasoline in the tank.

One more reason I wouldn't have had any problem unplugging him/her.

[ashnazg]

Yep... any Volt will almost always be "opportunity charging", given its gas backup.

Getting back to the OP's key question, though... I've not encountered *any* car that required being keyed on to initiate charging.  So for that aspect, I'd not sweat it.

[giacomo]

Nope, the volt is a plug in hybrid, it means once the battery is depleted that's it... And it costs way less to use the battery...

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk

[ashnazg]

Nope, the volt is a plug in hybrid, it means once the battery is depleted that's it...

I've driven my Volt thousands of miles with the battery completely depleted.

My Volt's battery was at 0% when I test drove it.  This particular dealer didn't seem to worry about keeping their Volts charged at all.  It would be feasible for me to never charge my Volt, and forever use it as a gas-only car.

[droidish]

I've driven my Volt thousands of miles with the battery completely depleted.

My Volt's battery was at 0% when I test drove it.  This particular dealer didn't seem to worry about keeping their Volts charged at all.  It would be feasible for me to never charge my Volt, and forever use it as a gas-only car.

The beauty of the Volt is it's a series hybrid. So even when the battery is depleted and the ICE starts up, you're still driving electric. The ICE is charging the battery and supplying the electric traction motor. The advantage to plugging in a Volt is you get some silent time before the battery runs down and the droning ICE starts. 

Also, regarding unplugging cars: Some have the ability to lock in the connector and/or set an alarm to go off if the car is unplugged. I think you'd be safe when they leave a note saying it's ok to unplug, though.

[giacomo]

Second generation Volt has a parallel drive train, it means that the motor also works on the wheels.
I have been on the first generation Volt, and when the engine engage is very noisy .....

[Stevie]

So many helpful responses.

Yes, it was a free ClipperCreek station. From now on if I see an "OK to unplug" note I'll go ahead and do so and when finished reattach to the car.

I had considered the pay vs free scenario and if absolutely necessary I could restart the car's charging using my account. (Sema or Chargepoint). This would obviously be pricey for me considering the cost to charge a Zero compared to an EV car.

A funny thing happened the other day. I had just finished charging and was putting on my gloves and helmet. An EV car guy drove up and started bitching me out for parking my bike in an EV spot. I calmly pointed out that my bike was an EV like his car. He muttered something under his breath as I backed out of the spot.

Generally, however, the EV car owners and bikers are enthusiastic and full of questions. Many want to snap a photo.