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When I said move them I meant get them moving along by themselves. You can do that by charging to occupy the space.
There is solutions to any problem, as I suggested you increase the cost to occupy the space if you aren't charging the vehicle. This way you are only penalizing those that are hogging the space. You keep increasing it until people no longer unnecessarily occupy the space. If you're making a pile of extra cash because rich people can care less now you have extra money to invest in more charging stations. You can slowly adjust those fees downwards as more capacity is available or the market dictates.
This isn't rocket science, it's a matter of simple economics.
What they do in Chicago, at least at some of the stations, is charge you $1/hr for the first 3 hours and then it jumps to $30/hr.
If the car takes 4 hours to charge, then it costs $33? That is at least halfway to the price of gasoline already.
Do those stations sit empty much?
No, it still costs $3, you just have to move your car after 3 hours. A lot of places in Chicago limit your parking the closer you get to downtown, so a parking restriction isn't that new. It's just that different places set different policies based on their own set of circumstances. The place I was referencing is actually at the Univ of Chicago medical center, and the few times I saw it there was a car using it, but they always have the lot full of cars.
No, it still costs $3, you just have to move your car after 3 hours. A lot of places in Chicago limit your parking the closer you get to downtown, so a parking restriction isn't that new. It's just that different places set different policies based on their own set of circumstances. The place I was referencing is actually at the Univ of Chicago medical center, and the few times I saw it there was a car using it, but they always have the lot full of cars.
Okay, you said:
"What they do in Chicago, at least at some of the stations, is charge you $1/hr for the first 3 hours and then it jumps to $30/hr."
How can it jump to $30/hr is you must move your car after 3 hrs? The 4th hour is $30 right? The first 3 hours are $1 per hour. That is $3 plus $30 for the 4th. Total is $33 for 4 hrs.
If you can't be there for 4 hours then where does the $30 come from?
"What they do in Chicago, at least at some of the stations, is charge you $1/hr for the first 3 hours and then it jumps to $30/hr."
How can it jump to $30/hr is you must move your car after 3 hrs? The 4th hour is $30 right? The first 3 hours are $1 per hour. That is $3 plus $30 for the 4th. Total is $33 for 4 hrs.
If you can't be there for 4 hours then where does the $30 come from?
Nobody tows your car if you stay longer than 3 hrs, so you can stay for the 4th, but the $30 fee provides an incentive to move before the 4th hour. So yes, if you stay parked for 4 hours you will pay $33, but I just can't imagine anybody doing that unless they can't get back in time and even then we aren't talking about someone that voluntarily chose to stay for the 4th hour.
Nobody tows your car if you stay longer than 3 hrs, so you can stay for the 4th, but the $30 fee provides an incentive to move before the 4th hour. So yes, if you stay parked for 4 hours you will pay $33, but I just can't imagine anybody doing that unless they can't get back in time and even then we aren't talking about someone that voluntarily chose to stay for the 4th hour.
And besides, almost nobody is going to need 4 hours of charging... a fact that OP doesn't get, because he doesn't want to deal with reality.
Let's see, you charged up overnight at home and then drove in from Downer's Grove... about 23 miles away... and you want to top off the charge while you're shopping, and that would take... ummmm... lessee... times two, carry the three... ummm...
Nobody tows your car if you stay longer than 3 hrs, so you can stay for the 4th, but the $30 fee provides an incentive to move before the 4th hour. So yes, if you stay parked for 4 hours you will pay $33, but I just can't imagine anybody doing that unless they can't get back in time and even then we aren't talking about someone that voluntarily chose to stay for the 4th hour.
If you can't imagine anyone not doing that then the station wouldn't have the rule. Obviously people do it and therefore the station owner capitalizes on it.
If you can't imagine anyone not doing that then the station wouldn't have the rule. Obviously people do it and therefore the station owner capitalizes on it.
Obviously some people will just sit in the same space unless somebody makes them move. The same thing happens with parking meters, even if they're metered for short maximum stay. That doesn't mean that they're needing to charge the whole time.
One of the things that you don't seem to realize is that most EV drivers also have phone apps that notify them when the charging is complete. And with cars that have two-way internet connections, like the Tesla S does, you can also turn the charging cycle on and off from your phone, as well as the usual bag of tricks, like turning heat or A/C on or off, etc.
If you can't imagine anyone not doing that then the station wouldn't have the rule. Obviously people do it and therefore the station owner capitalizes on it.
Or, obviously people could stay longer and the owner took steps to prevent to dissuade people from doing so.
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