k2msmith said:
My daughter and I had the idea that we would make the 55 mile trip down PCH to Santa Monica on friday night in the leaf to have dinner, I worry about people getting irrational.
Just have to ask, would you make that long a drive to have dinner in an ICE? I know that driving the LEaf is fantastic, but using it to go further and add to traffic is not what will make everyones life better in the long run. Many fear the added driving electric vehicles promote (Yes, the joy ride is back!) will add to congestion and detract from public transport, is that the case here?
Maybe it is just me, but this seems like a long way to go to get a bite to eat. Was it simply because you could get a charge that this destination was chosen? The parking spaces and the chargers should be used by those that need them, and if this is a normal outing for you, I apologize for bringing this up. If it is though, perhaps a Volt would have been a better choice for you. Using a light foot and driving side streets might have also gotten you there and back without needing a charge at all.
There are also chargers at other locations in SM, so you could have gone to another location to plug in. The civic center is free to charge although you do have to pay to use the garage. They have about a dozen spaces, and although they use a few for city vehicles, I doubt you will have an issue with being ICE'd, since the police garage is housed in the same area.
I don't know how rational it is to expect a parking spot to be resereved for you without paying a premium. Chargepoint may offer this at some point, but until then, don't expect, just accept.
I also would rather see the spaces used by any electric car, then sit empty. Empty spaces scream waste of space, and so I have no issues with a Volt, Tesla, or other vehicle using these spaces, just to show everyone that there is a demand, and more spaces are desirable.