Our Top Tips for EV Charging Etiquette...

In recent years we’ve seen rapid growth in the number of electric vehicles on our roads. In fact, January 2022  saw electric vehicles make up 12.5% of all new car registrations, a 130% increase from January 2021. Overall, in 2021, plug-in vehicles made up 18.5% of all car sales, with more fully electric vehicles being sold in 2021 than the previous 5 years combined! 

Due to the relatively low numbers of charging points available for public use, there is every chance that some of these EV drivers (including you) might find themselves waiting to charge at some point. 

So, whether you have a plug-in vehicle or are thinking about getting one, there are a few things that it is worth knowing when it comes to EV etiquette! With that in mind here are some of our top tips for plug-in vehicle etiquette. 

1) Do not unplug somebody else’s car! 

This is a common and frustrating issue amongst electric vehicle drivers. We would encourage EV drivers to be considerate with choosing when and where to charge their vehicle, but unplugging someone’s vehicle is not ok - you don’t know their personal circumstances. The only time it’s justifiable to unplug somebody else's vehicle is if it is fully charged and unattended. Be polite - try and get in contact with the owner but if there is no way of contacting them, write a note and leave it on their car explaining it was fully charged and that you needed the charger. 

2) Only park in a charging spot if you need the charger! 

One of the most frustrating things for a lot of EV drivers is when they need to charge their car but find that a spot has been taken by someone that doesn’t require a charger! For this reason please be respectful - only park next to a charger when you need to charge your own vehicle, as you could potentially be preventing someone that does need to charge from having access to a charger. You may have heard the term “getting ICEd” - ICE stands for Internal Combustion Engine, and it basically means have your parking spot taken by a non EV driver! 

3) If you aren't desperate to charge and it is busy - just wait. 

Similarly to the points made above, if there is a charging point that you know is regularly busy and you have an 80% charge, please be respectful of others! By choosing to charge your car regardless it could be hindering someone else’s journey as their car may only have 10% battery life. So, be respectful and wait until you’re in greater need to charge your vehicle. Of course, if it is not a busy charging point, it’s ok to charge your vehicle regardless. 

4) Put the connector away properly!

Vehicle charging points are expensive pieces of equipment, and it would be great for the EV community to see everybody treating these connectors with respect, so please return your charging connector to the way you found it (or should have found it). Not only are they expensive to fix, but it can also take time trying to find the correct contractors to fix connectors like this, and the longer they’re damaged the more inconvenience they’ll cause for you and other EV drivers. 

5) Communication.

Because of the lengthy process it takes to charge an EV at some charge points, many EV Drivers leave notes about their intended length of stay at the charging station, and if they’re happy for the charging point to be removed in an emergency or at a certain time. You could consider doing the same. If you’re happy to leave your number so that you can be contacted by other drivers if necessary, that's often helpful too. 

Although the majority of these rules are simply about being courteous towards other drivers, and the vast majority of people are likely to follow them, we hope you now know how to make sure you don’t fall foul of EV etiquette! 

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