Should Volts be allowed to use public charging stations?

[ahaer]

As I was writing an earlier post about public charging I was wondering what other forum members think about our "rights" to use public charging stations as we can never be stranded by an empty battery.

[AZ-Volt]

I don't think you are going to get the results you may expect. The question is too simple. I get what you were going for though...

[yoyodyn]

I will always take a charging EV spot if one is available. But I will move if (nicely) asked by a BEV owner.

[Ziv]

Ding, ding, ding! "We have a winner!"
BEV's occasionally NEED electricity, and while Volt owners want to minimize their gas usage, they can get home using the ICE whereas the BEV might be stranded until a charger opens up. Which is part of why the Volt is superior.

And I like the, '(nicely)' part too...

I will always take a charging EV spot if one is available. But I will move if (nicely) asked by a BEV owner.

[baragona]

For me the question hasn't been that relevant as I have not yet found a free public charging station that is located near a place that I am going.

Am I jealous? Yes!!! :-)

[flmark]

You are really asking about PRIORITY, not the right to use the charging station, because your options indicate that the poll is really about somebody else stepping in front of you. As such, it really is a matter of waiting for someone else who might have more NEED for the product than you- and that you can simply wait long enough for the product to become available.

I say it this way, because you could make a similar argument that a Hummer would have preference over a Prius at gas pump, because the Hummer needs the product more urgently. We could see who uses gas faster or who has an emptier tank. Or how about asking who has gone the longest without eating to a bunch of people standing in line at a deli counter. Yes, you could keep getting further and further away from this, more or less RIDICULOUS, question.

If you can use a product, free or not, typically it is FIRST COME FIRST SERVE as to who gets to use the product WHEN they desire. And just because a long wait is involved does make the matter any more RIDICULOUS. When I walk up to a restaurant with lots of people already waiting outside, I don't get to say 'I'm starving' and march to the hostess, demanding to be seated immediately.

Edit: I had to come back and add this as I kept thinking about the sense of entitlement that would have somebody assume you have less merit to something than they do- AND, oh by the way, THEY MADE THE CHOICE to buy a vehicle that could indeed leave them stranded-
After I exclaim to that crowd of people waiting for the last 45 minutes to be seated that I am starving, I say,
You see, I am starving because I decided to do this cold turkey diet where I told myself just don't carry any food with you. I figured if I didn't have any food with me, I'd just have to put up with being hungry and somehow make it through. It turns out that I made a mistake and now I just can't wait for all of you to eat before I do.

Remember this analogy if the owner of a BEV ever wants you to take a back seat to his desires!

[12V]

LOL +1 flmark!

[John_Hatchett]

Another question could be something along the lines of "Would you be upset if a BEV unplugged your Volt to get a charge?".

Considering that the Volt can get along on gasoline and only has a 3.3kw charger (10miles per hour of charging) it might not be an unreasonable consideration. Especially if your Volt has already sat there for a couple of hours.

'(nicely)' could be just a flirtatious gesture, or a smoothie at the Whole Foods counter.

[drbruns]

flmark- well said

[Fulgerite]

I think you might get very different results if you went onto the Nissan Leaf forum and asked Nissan Leaf owners if Volt drivers should be able to use public charging stations.