Thanks Bruce,
I kept my question general on purpose as I'm trying to find a general
solution and pointing out a general problem. I also do know not exactly
where I'll be stopping tonight - though, probably Syracuse NY.
Certainly if I was stuck I would ask for more specific help. Your idea
of googling "plugshare 'town' hotel j1772" is good - I had not tried
that.
I was mostly lamenting that the hotel industry seems very behind the
times on catering to the EV crowd. I think it's to their benefit to
update by at least adding a reservation filter for what, if any, EV
charging they offer.
Lastly, I am a newbie EV owner (but long time lurker here) and I am
perhaps approaching this from the wrong angle; i.e. assuming EV
charging is more mainstream and formalized (real chargers and EV
parking) rather than ad hoc (find an outlet and asking to plug in). I
suppose in reality we are in the middle as I do see and find charging
stations more and more, but some areas are not quite caught up.
-SteveS
On 04/28/16, brucedp5 via EV wrote:
[ref
http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Hotel-Chargers-tp4681733.html
]
I have some experience at this, and I support I should have caught this
one
earlier but I was dabbling in some research that is OT for the evdl.
First SteveS it is so wonderful for so many members to jump in trying
to
help you, but you did not even give the basics of what your needs are
and
the location(s) you will need them. You do not have to give us all your
personal information, just what type of coupler/connector (L1, L2
j1772,
Tesla, or are you outside the U.S. and are seeking type 1 or 2, what?).
*Your latest post sez you want to charge your Volt pih. So, either a L2
or
L1 will do.
Gives us either an area code or zip code to know where you want to
plug-in.
And give your preference: you need a high-end hotel (maybe for clients,
etc.), or you are flexible and at this point anything will do (as long
as it
does not have bed-bugs).
-Cor had the right idea, but Harsha's trying different-wording to get
your
needs expressed will be necessary (some people do not listen or ar ethe
type
that needs to hear three different ways to grasp what you are saying).
I
usually listen for their confusion. After the second one, I would have
asked
to talk to an assistant manager, or manager.
It really depends on the lodging business. When I have dealt with the
lower
cost Motel6 locations, those that were willing, would let me run a cord
out
my window to my EV. Some wanted some $ compensation, a couple did not
(they
were just confused with what I was doing). Though running a cord out
your
window to your EV can also bring unwanted visibility (the drunken
trucker
neighbors were yakking really loud about "What the Heck is that!?", "An
Electric Car!?", etc. I had to spend time keeping an eye on my EV to
ensure
it was not messed with and was still on a charge.).
A different time when I was hanging out with the GM EV1 Club, and
staying at
one of the places their members were: Fairfield Inn in Vacaville-CA for
a
long convoy rally to Sacramento to impress CARB that EVs were a viable
transportation option, I did not have to worry about drunken trucker
neighbors (this place was too high end & co$tly for their liking).
(Along the same thoughts as Bill Dube had said) Before I checked in, I
drove
around their buildings and saw they had L1 outlets. When I had checked
in, I
talked to the manager and got permission to plugin to one. I chose a
parking
space near one, where people would likely not be walking near by, and
ran my
extension cord across their lawn to the L1 outlet that was along the
building's wall (it must have been there for some maintenance use).
I have experienced how exasperating it can be when the people you are
talking to just do not get what you are talking about. In an effort to
help
keep plugshare.com listings accurate, I had approached a high-end hotel
in
Palo Alto that was listed on plugshare as charging a Tesla (likely a
roadster as this was years ago). I parked and walked into talk to them
to
gather information.
The person at the desk was courtesy but clueless. I asked to talk to an
assistant manager. I waited off to the side for 20 minutes to not be in
the
front desk's way. Finally, after explaining again what I was after, to
try
to know what type of charging they had, and possibly see (so I could
take a
picture to upload), the assistant manager said I would have to wait
until I
could talk to their (very busy) manager. Another 20 minutes, and I
explained
again (I have done this type of thing so often for the EV-cause).
The manager just looking at me knew I was not his level of clientele (I
did
not look rich) yet he begrudgingly gave me his time (I could see that
in his
face). After explaining once again to he I got a quick and direct
answer.
They had let one Tesla driver that was staying at the hotel plug into a
L1
outlet that happened to be in their parking area. He made it clear that
they
had no formal (j1772) EVSE, that I would not be allowed to see where
the
outlet was, and he wanted that listing to not state they had charging.
It
took several attempts to him to understand I did not represent
plugshare,
that someone had put that information up their and that someone was not
me
(he likely did not truly grasp the whole Internet concept, and likely
thought email was a bother, etc.).
So, yea, dealing with people, businesses, can be frustrating. Another
point
of frustration is businesses that do not list having EVSE on their web
sites
(few do, or keep the info up to date).
But that is where plugshare comes in handy. For instance, lets assume
SteveS
is going to Atlanta, GA and is looking for a hotel. I could use a
search
engine with keywords plugshare atlanta, ga hotel j1772
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=plugshare+atlanta%2C+ga+hotel+j1772
Trying to do this type of search from within plugshare does not work
(at the
last Silicon Valley EAA Rally in Sept at De Anza College, I asked a
plugshare rep to discuss that idea with their founder Brian who drives
Electric. So maybe in the future they will).
An alternative method to asking lodging if they have EVSE, is to know
what
lodging is in the city you want to stay and then find public EVSE near
those
lodging businesses.
Lets use a different location and assume SteveS drives the WA-OR
Electric
Highway (Hwy 5) to Corvallis, OR for his business appt.
I would bring up a maps page searching with keywords
hotels corvallis oregon
https://www.google.com/maps/search/hotels+corvallis+oregon/@44.5739942,-123.285427,13z
Then I bring up plugshare in another browser tab searching for
corvallis
oregon
and set the filters to look for L2 (j1772), and L1.
By comparing the two maps I can see which lodging locations have the
public
EVSE nearby. Even if clicking on the individual EVSE listed on
plugshare
does not revile a lodging business with EVSE, at least I know where to
charge beforehand.
There are ways to accomplish SteveS's goals. It can be done.
BTW this might be what John Lindsay was 'snag' ing on (an Aussie
repast)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/felix42/2113180643
For EVLN EV-newswire posts use:
http://evdl.org/evln/
{brucedp.150m.com}
--
View this message in context:
http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/SteveS-wants-to-plug-in-his-Volt-pih-at-or-near-his-destination-hotel-tp4681757.html
Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at
Nabble.com.
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