Any indicator to other drivers that you're still charging?

[bwilson4web]

You smile at them and say, "OK, get out your insurance card and let's exchange information."

Take a photo of theirs and their license plate. Encourage them to do the same of yours.

Then, take a photo of the EVSE to see what it says is going.

Get in your car and see if you can remove the plug. If you can, with infinite patience, hand it to them and leave. Make sure they have your contact information.

As you leave, roll down your window and addressing no one, 'vent your bile.'

When you find the socket is broken, call your insurance agent and give them a full report. Take the car to the BMW shop (or have it towed) and give them a full and accurate report. Have them fix it and provide a full written report including the cost of the rental.

Bob Wilson

 

[jadnashuanh]

I was picturing just the parking lamps being left on.

If they're on for all that long, it won't do the 12vdc battery any good.

The way the Euro version works, as I understand it, when the car is off, turning the directional lever one way or the other will illuminate low-power lamps on the side the directional lever is pushed, minimizing battery drain. This is useful on narrow, unilluminated streets common in many parts of Europe.

At least on my EVSE, there's an indicator lamp that is illuminated when the car is charging. I've not used more than a couple of public EVSEs, but many seem to indicate the charging rate and probably some other values. It should be fairly obvious to most people, if they care or have some semblance of intelligence, that the car is charging or not. But, in today's me attitudes, most people don't care. Only when there's an EVSE at every parking space will this become less of an issue!

FWIW, maybe a sign that says the cable won't unlock until the car is fully charged would send a suitable message. I've noticed that on some, the button release can move some, but to me at least, it's obvious it isn't going to release. If it's finished, or you unlock the car, there's no resistance to pressing the handle's release button. The original firmware on the i3 wouldn't unlock the charging cable until you unlocked the car, regardless of the charge state. That got changed after a couple of years from original introduction, at least in the USA.