[ausev] Opportunity charging...

Wed Mar 12 16:19:57 GMT 2008

I consider what Heidi and I are doing to be an introduction to EV 
charging to these businesses.  Once the business owners are accustomed 
to EVs charging at their business they will be comfortable expanding on 
that service.

It is important to be careful about overwhelming a business with a 
request such as a mass charging outlet installation before they are 
familiar with the concept.  This is just simple human nature.  Even if 
the subject is simple, it will seem overwhelming and viewed negatively 
without familiarity.  Additionally, when we approach a business, as a 
group, requesting a mass charging system we must offer to pay for the 
installation and energy use.  They may or may not accept payment, but 
if it is not offered, the request will appear as a charity 
solicitation.  There is a lot to consider when requesting such an 
installation; contractors, liability, management etc.  All of this must 
be pre-researched and managed, by the group, to keep the burden on the 
business as low as possible.

Regarding safety / trip hazard, Heidi and I use Gaffers tape.  This is 
tape used to secure cabling to walls, sidewalks etc. for temporary use 
such as TV station remote live shots and entertainment events where 
camera / lighting cables are run across sidewalks.  We purchase our 
gaffers tape here: 
http://www34.pair.com/harrison/thetapeworks.com/P009.htm

Ken

-----Original Message-----
From: Marc Kohler <mkohler at austin.rr.com>
To: AustinEV News Announcements and General Discussion 
<ausev at austinev.org>
Sent: Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:29 am
Subject: Re: [ausev] Opportunity charging...

I have always found companies to be very positive about plug usage.
However, a big concern that most are not aware of, is hazard that the 
cord
presents to passer-bys.  I would always carry around a cord cover (see
http://cableorganizer.com/rubber-ducts/#image as an example) because 
most
plugs are on the wall and my charging cord would have to cross the 
sidewalk,
even if my car was in the closest parking space.  This posed a real 
risk to
shopping patrons that may not be paying attention and trip on the cord. 
 No
business owner or manager will be happy if that happens.
Obviously this gets worse if there is more than one car plugging in.
Granted, we aren't at the density yet that that ever happens, but in
addition to having two cords (tripping hazards), two EVs plugged into 
the
same socket could (will most likely) trip the breaker.  If that breaker 
also
runs something inside the business (lights, cooler, whatever), the
owner/manager won't be too happy about that either.
So as responsible charging consumers, please be aware of these 
potential
hazards and problems and try not to do anything that would sour this
overwhelming support early on in the adoption process.
Marc Kohler

----- Original Message -----
From: "Aaron Choate" <achoate at gmail.com>
To: "AustinEV News Announcements and General Discussion"
<ausev at austinev.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 10:16 AM
Subject: Re: [ausev] Opportunity charging...

> Thanks Ken,
>
> This is great news.  It is encouraging that there are businesses who
> are willing to make this effort.
>
> I'm wondering if it would be of use to approach these large,
> interested companies as a group and negotiate an arrangement that
> would allow EVs to charge at their establishments in general.  That
> way, we aren't all going in to these businesses and handing the
> managers letters.  Perhaps (if we can raise money to cover the costs)
> this is an area where AustinEV (maybe in conjunction with AustinEnergy
> / Clean Cities - we would have to ask-) could provide signage and
> assistance in making the hookups easier to access, maintain  and such.
> The EAA in California has been pretty successful in expanding and
> maintaining the charging infrastructure there.  It seems like an
> obvious place for us to concentrate our efforts here.
>
> Are there enough people in the group ready to take something like this
> on?  It will take a bit of organization so as to keep the message
> simple and consistent.  I don't want to assume that Ken can take this
> on, so... anybody want to volunteer to start the sub-group?  If you
> need a topic specific list to coordinate, I would be glad to create it
> on the AustinEV server.  Just let me know what you need.
>
> Also, there was some discussion about either starting our own or using
> one of the already existing charging maps to list all of the
> locations.  I can add whichever one to the site when the time comes.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Aaron Choate
>
> On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 8:22 AM,  <kenscircus at aol.com> wrote:
>> One of the primary benifits to electric vehicles over gasoline is 
that
>>  electricity is available everywhere you go. Since fueling up with
>>  electricity is not yet mainstream it is not sold commercially. One 
way
>>  to help change that is to start doing it.
>>
>>  Heidi and I have written a form letter that we present to businesses
>>  requesting to charge while shopping. So far our success has been a 
very
>>  enthusiastic 100%. Recently, one store manager (Whole Foods) 
indicated
>>  that due to recent construction, their outside outlet was disabled. 
He
>>  then went next door to an adjacent business (REI) and presented them
>>  with the letter and request. The REI manager was very excited to 
let us
>>  charge at their outlet even though we were shopping at Whole Foods.
>>
>>  The letter is a request to pay for the electricity, however, no one 
has
>>  ever accepted payment. This indicates a very encouraging 
acceptance, or
>>  even eagerness, for an electric automotive world.
>>
>>  The following is the letter we present along with a Tweety flyer. I
>>  don't think the list will accept attachments, so if you would like a
>>  Tweety flyer send me an email and I will send you a PDF of it. This 
is
>>  not a commercial advertisement flyer. It is one that Heidi and I 
made
>>  in response to frequently asked questions at car shows.
>>
>>
>>  The letter:
>>
>>  I purchased an NmG electric vehicle, November 27 2006, for its
>>  efficiency and convenience
>>  (http://www.myersmotors.com/story_funpracticality.html).
>>
>>  The NmG is a personal commuter car that is designed for shopping, 
work
>>  and general daily driving. From our residential electric rate, the 
NmG
>>  uses $0.0055 (1/2 cent) of electricity per mile or 180 miles on 
$1.00.
>>  It charges from any ordinary wall outlet.
>>
>>  This letter is a request to charge my car at your facility while
>>  shopping. The electricity cost is $0.055 (5 and ½ cents) for the
>>  10-mile commute to your store. The car will automatically stop 
charging
>>  when the batteries reach 100% charge, which will take about ½ hour. 
If
>>  I complete my shopping in less than ½ hour, the cost is accordingly
>>  less, however, the maximum possible cost is $0.055 regardless how 
long
>>  I spend shopping.
>>
>>  Even though this is extremely cheap transportation, I am not 
seeking a
>>  "free ride". I will be happy to offer $1.00, or any reasonable 
amount
>>  you would request, for the convenience of keeping my car "topped 
off"
>>  while shopping at your store.
>>
>>  Best regards,
>>
>>  Heidi C Thomas
>>  512-577-1260 Cell
>>  512-834-8053 Home
>>
>>
>>  You are welcome to edit this letter to fit your car.
>>
>>  Ken & Heidi
>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>>  AusEV mailing list
>>  AusEV at austinev.org
>>  http://www.austinev.org/mailman/listinfo/ausev
>>
>
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