Walmart gets into the act

[caryc]

The Walmart here in Hemet California just put in three electric charging stations right in front of the store. The trouble is that they took up three parking spaces to do it.

I wonder what they charge to use them? Anyone know? I wonder how many people will pull into those stations just to park?

 

[Valmet]

Haven't encountered any of those at WM here on the East coast...yet

 

[Busterswoodshop]

There is a hotel in Tucson that put those charging stations on a road they own.
There must be 6 of them.
They have been there for years.
I have never seen one single car use them.

 

[pisgah]

I took my mother to the Charlotte, NC airport a few weeks ago for a flight to Maine. The whole airport is a nightmare construction zone right now, but I finally threaded my way in to an upper level of the new hourly parking deck, where I noted three "Electric Vehicles Only" spaces right by the elevators. Fine, folks with electric cars need to get 'em juiced up from time to time -- but, they took up 3 Handicapped spaces to make the electric spaces. This made the nearest handicapped space a good 50' extra away from the elevators. To top things off, and add insult to injury, the three spaces were occupied by three Tesla's -- and only one of them was plugged in!

Again, I don't mind them providing such spaces -- but just as Handicapped spaces, to me, are not meant for cars with handicapped placards but for the use of cars transporting actual handicapped people, the Electric Vehicles Only spaces should be for those vehicles ONLY that need a charge -- and they shouldn't be the closest to the elevators, either. The able-bodied person who just happens to be driving a placarded car but not transporting a handicapped person or the Tesla owner who doesn't need a charge, but still uses those reserved spaces, deserve A**hole of the Year placards superglued to their vehicles.

 

[caryc]

the Electric Vehicles Only spaces should be for those vehicles ONLY that need a charge --

I didn't think about that. There were no signs saying "For charging vehicles only"

I wonder if people with electric cars will think they are entitled to just park there even though they don't plug in to charge? If I owned an all electric vehicle and needed a charge I would be pretty PO'd if I saw three cars parked in those spaces and none of them using the charger. It would be a shame if someone with a pair of pliers pulled out a valve stem.

I see trouble brewing for Walmart.

On the other hand...about handicapped spaces. My brother in law had handicapped plates on his vehicle. His heart was really bad and he must have taken 30 pills a day. To see him get out of his vehicle and walk into the store one might think he was not handicapped at all but he really was. He couldn't walk very far without stopping to rest and was extremely out of breath. So, don't judge those people too harshly when you see them get out of a handicapped parking space vehicle. They may not look handicapped. By the way, he did die of heart problems.

On the other hand...the guy that gets out of the handicap vehicle and skips all the way into the store...well, that's a different story. :mrgreen:

 

[Tom W]

There are a few across the Chattahoochee in "Uptown Columbus". If you're not from around here you can't imagine the change in the city. Since the college moved in it's been a 180• change. Electric cars and golf carts abound. And I've never seen an electric car in one of those charging stations.

 

[pete44ru]

.

IDK how much the cost is, but the charging stations here only accept charge (credit) cards. :mrgreen:


.

 

[pisgah]

On the other hand...about handicapped spaces. My brother in law had handicapped plates on his vehicle. His heart was really bad and he must have taken 30 pills a day. To see him get out of his vehicle and walk into the store one might think he was not handicapped at all but he really was. He couldn't walk very far without stopping to rest and was extremely out of breath. So, don't judge those people too harshly when you see them get out of a handicapped parking space vehicle. They may not look handicapped. By the way, he did die of heart problems.

Not talking about someone like your B-I-L. I see people I know at our local Post Office, for instance, driving Grandma's car and using a Handicapped space -- with no Grandma in sight. Or maybe Grandma's in the car, but sits there while grandson goes in for the mail. They feel like the placard entitles them to use the space. I say, no way. SC has started putting a photo of the handicapped individual on the placard to cut down on this abuse, but how many cops are going to just watch a car for who-knows-how-long and compare the occupants of the car with the picture when they finally come out of the mall or wherever?

 

[blume357]

Every time I park in a handicapped space I just limp when I get out of the car.......

as for the electric car spaces... just get yourself a fake plug and run it from your car to the charger..... problem solved....

Now y'all know how I think.....

 

[opos]

In San Diego there is a sub station/business office of San Diego Gas and Electric..the parking lot has several rows (probably 50 spaces total) of big shade /sun collector "wings" over the parking spaces and charging stations built in to the framework supports holding the shade wings in place...I think the charging electricity is mostly or all produced by the sun shining on the solar wings that furnish the shade.....frankly a great idea for the really hot days to keep the cars cool and also furnish charging stations...of course all the parking spaces in the shade have been made for very small cars so my 3/4 Ton Suburban with the EEE carbon footprint can't park there..don't know if they charge for the charging service but I'd guess they dol

 

[bobski]

fake limp?
not cool.

 

[GunnyGene]

I wonder if anyone has driven off without unplugging yet? Or gotten electrocuted? I don't care how "Safe" they claim these things are, nothing is idiot proof and there are a lot of idiots running around loose.

 

[caryc]

I wonder if anyone has driven off without unplugging yet? Or gotten electrocuted? I don't care how "Safe" they claim these things are, nothing is idiot proof and there are a lot of idiots running around loose.

I can't believe that they haven't built in some safety feature on these cars such as them not being able to start with the plug still in them. Surely they can't trust the drivers to unplug them. :wink:

 

[CraigC]

I noticed a Tesla station at the mall down in Tupelo last week. Problem is, it's a mile from the friggin' entrance. So at least the electro-nerds get their exercise.

 

[LDM]

The people who drive those glorified golf carts distances where they need public recharging stations are already mentally handicapped. Just waiting for the day when so many of them plug in at once they cause massive brownouts or power grid collapses.

 

[GunnyGene]

I wonder if anyone has driven off without unplugging yet? Or gotten electrocuted? I don't care how "Safe" they claim these things are, nothing is idiot proof and there are a lot of idiots running around loose.

I can't believe that they haven't built in some safety feature on these cars such as them not being able to start with the plug still in them. Surely they can't trust the drivers to unplug them. :wink:

Used to be that in Oregon, and I think a couple other states, you couldn't pump your own gas. I wonder if they've applied the same rules to "pump" amps? :lol: :roll:

 

[gasbag]

We have a small outdoor mall here that has 8 charging stations.
They are placed over on the side of the parking lot and out of the way.
I have seen only two cars using them in the past year.

 

[caryc]

We have a small outdoor mall here that has 8 charging stations.
They are placed over on the side of the parking lot and out of the way.
I have seen only two cars using them in the past year.

At that rate how long will it take for those charging stations to pay for themselves? :mrgreen:

 

[GunnyGene]

We have a small outdoor mall here that has 8 charging stations.
They are placed over on the side of the parking lot and out of the way.
I have seen only two cars using them in the past year.

At that rate how long will it take for those charging stations to pay for themselves? :mrgreen:

No worries - They're subsidized. :roll:

 

[A.J.]

Every time I park in a handicapped space I just limp when I get out of the car.......

as for the electric car spaces... just get yourself a fake plug and run it from your car to the charger..... problem solved....

Now y'all know how I think.....

Great idea! I'm gonna up my game a little and simply carry crutches in the trunk of my car.

 

[blume357]

I hope y'all know I was making a joke... then again I thought of the fake plug idea right when I was posting my limp joke.
And I thought that idea was pretty funny and if there are enough close to the front spaces at places somebody else is going to think of this.

I'm going to throw out a question here, and change the subject slightly.... putting aside the cost of the car, maintenance, impact on the carbon foot print and all that other stuff that no one can really answer... say you are charging your car at home and having to pay for that electricity... how much $ does it cost to drive per mile in the average electric vehicle?

 

[GunnyGene]

I'm going to throw out a question here, and change the subject slightly.... putting aside the cost of the car, maintenance, impact on the carbon foot print and all that other stuff that no one can really answer... say you are charging your car at home and having to pay for that electricity... how much $ does it cost to drive per mile in the average electric vehicle?

That would depend largely on what your local electricity rate is and how/where you drive. If you're on flat land it will be considerably less than if you live in the mountains/hills, and if you have a lead foot it drains the battery quickly. For example using a common table saw motor (1.5hp), on start up or under load it will suck down around 15 amps, but not under load only 5amps or so. The big vehicle motors are far worse, since they are nearly constantly under load unless you're at a dead stop or coasting down hill.

Comparison: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/

In HI it's 26.17 cents/KWH. In MS it's 9.53 cents/KWH. (Averages)

 

[caryc]

I hope y'all know I was making a joke... then again I thought of the fake plug idea right when I was posting my limp joke.

I'm guessing that no one thought you were serious, I certainly didn't. :wink:

 

[Kevin]

How much does it cost to drive if you charge at home?

Here in Texas you have your choice of electricity service providers. It all really comes from one source, but that is neither here nor there. Some companies advertise free electricity at night. It's just a ploy to get you to sign up. But if you charged your Tesla S100 at night, well....

By the by, just a quick internet search says the Tesla 100 can go 315 miles on one charge.

And another thing I'd like to point out. Just because you never see a vehicle at a charging station doesn't mean they aren't being used. Do y'all monitor those stations 24/7?

 

[Colonialgirl]

How much does it cost to drive if you charge at home?

Here in Texas you have your choice of electricity service providers. It all really comes from one source, but that is neither here nor there. Some companies advertise free electricity at night. It's just a ploy to get you to sign up. But if you charged your Tesla S100 at night, well....

By the by, just a quick internet search says the Tesla 100 can go 315 miles on one charge.

And another thing I'd like to point out. Just because you never see a vehicle at a charging station doesn't mean they aren't being used. Do y'all monitor those stations 24/7?

315 miles !! OH MY !!

That would get us about HALF WAY to TY's place for the East Coast Gathering. What's the "recharge" time; 3 or 4 hours?

 

[caryc]

How much does it cost to drive if you charge at home?

Here in Texas you have your choice of electricity service providers. It all really comes from one source, but that is neither here nor there. Some companies advertise free electricity at night. It's just a ploy to get you to sign up. But if you charged your Tesla S100 at night, well....

By the by, just a quick internet search says the Tesla 100 can go 315 miles on one charge.

And another thing I'd like to point out. Just because you never see a vehicle at a charging station doesn't mean they aren't being used. Do y'all monitor those stations 24/7?

Yeah, they probably all charge them after 2 AM after all the bars are closed and there's nothing else to do.

 

[blume357]

I guess I'll have to look it up myself or find out how the guberment figures it... should not be that hard.... average miles the average electric car can go on a full charge and how long that full charge take and find out how many Amps at what voltage the charger is pulling and that should be the number...

Okay... just one web site: Average Electric Car with the Average cost of Electricity.... 3.3 cents per mile as compared to the same averages for a gas car...and average cost of gas (I think they were a little high on this) about 17cents a mile.... Hybrids run around 7 or 8 cents a mile.

Keep in mind this does not consider cost of maintenance or such jus the cost of the energy to drive down the road.

 

[caryc]

I guess I'll have to look it up myself or find out how the guberment figures it... should not be that hard.... average miles the average electric car can go on a full charge and how long that full charge take and find out how many Amps at what voltage the charger is pulling and that should be the number...

Okay... just one web site: Average Electric Car with the Average cost of Electricity.... 3.3 cents per mile as compared to the same averages for a gas car...and average cost of gas (I think they were a little high on this) about 17cents a mile.... Hybrids run around 7 or 8 cents a mile.

Keep in mind this does not consider cost of maintenance or such jus the cost of the energy to drive down the road.

I wonder if the batteries in those electric cars will last as long as a gas engine in a car? I hear it's big bucks if you have to replace them.

 

[GunnyGene]

I guess I'll have to look it up myself or find out how the guberment figures it... should not be that hard.... average miles the average electric car can go on a full charge and how long that full charge take and find out how many Amps at what voltage the charger is pulling and that should be the number...

Okay... just one web site: Average Electric Car with the Average cost of Electricity.... 3.3 cents per mile as compared to the same averages for a gas car...and average cost of gas (I think they were a little high on this) about 17cents a mile.... Hybrids run around 7 or 8 cents a mile.

Keep in mind this does not consider cost of maintenance or such jus the cost of the energy to drive down the road.

I wonder if the batteries in those electric cars will last as long as a gas engine in a car? I hear it's big bucks if you have to replace them.

Some real world info on EV batteries that you won't see in the automakers advertising:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/electric_vehicle_ev

 

[pisgah]

Mercedes has solved the battery problem...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AlndKQSs6Q