Priority Parks: Fill & Download for Free

Far more so, I think they might even get paid to park in front of a Casino. What good advertising they are! I think they’d be less effective in front of a hotel or restaurant as it might imply those places are excessively expensive, whereas at the casino, it might suggest that the place is trusted by the wealthy and even may have played a role in helping them to generate their wealth (even if the opposite is actually true).

Having never previously driven a Tesla I had similar concerns. So a year ago, when the world was a much less scary place, I flew into the US from Australia, bought a used Tesla S 85D from Tesla in Los Angeles and the following morning set out to drive around North America. 178 days, 24 states, 11 provinces and 32,000km later I returned to Los Angeles, sold the car and returned home. During the trip the car consumed 5,700kWh of energy sourced from 62 superchargers and 98 other chargers. The total cost for all fuel and repairs and maintenance for the entire trip was $5.75, including $1 for air for a front tyre.Keeping mainly to scenic roads and following the coast as far as possible, we drove up the west coast, through the San Juan Islands of WA to BC and the Yukon to Alaska, across Canada (where last year there were no superchargers for 3000km between Calgary and Sudbury and none north of Whistler or Halifax, although a lot more have been added since then) to Cape Spear on the easternmost tip of Newfoundland, southwards via Cape Cod, through New York city and along the Outer Banks of North Carolina before heading inland through Nashville and Memphis to New Orleans, across Texas and via New Mexico, the Grand Canyon, Zion and Joshua Tree NPs to San Diego and back to LA.At no stage did we run short of fuel or struggle to find a place to charge. Sure it took some planning; in the remoter parts of Canada beyond the supercharger network it meant limiting travel to about 400kms a day, selecting overnight stays with or close to charging points and on a few occasions running a cable out of a window to get a few extra kms but the car itself provides far more accurate info about remaining range and refuelling options than an ICE car. It also meant that on occasion on particularly long days, we would drive more slowly than we otherwise would, keeping to 80- 100km/h or reducing the a/c to conserve energy.The only worry was a bonfire of the vanities moment leaving New York when en route to a supercharger I missed an exit ramp, resulting in a lengthy detour through the industrial wastelands of New Jersey and reaching the charger with only 2mi of range. However, we found apps such as Plugshare to be indispensable and very reliable. We only once unexpectedly found a charger out of order or unavailable, (at Gitanmaax off the Yellowhead Highway in northern BC, where the manager of the gas station had gone fishing and taken the key to the charger). Once, in Regina we had to share a hotel charger, where the other driver v kindly unplugged his car and connecting ours when his had finished at 2am, and once we did have to queue about 30mins to charge, at the 20 stall supercharger near San Clemente, CA. Otherwise, leaving aside the cost savings and the lack of emissions, and having to stay at one or two motels we wouldn’t otherwise have chosen, it was no more inconvenient and an awful lot more relaxing than driving an ICE.Of course charging an EV takes longer than filling a tank, but on a road trip where time is not of the essence it can provide some unexpected benefits, such asNot having to worry about whether to fill up now or wait to see if it will be cheaper at the next gas station/town/stateThe opportunity for serendipitous conversations with other drivers when charging, although not so much in California where the EV novelty has worn off. We would frequently get tips on routes, places to visit, restaurants and bars etc, as well as an invitation to join the NC Tesla club in a drive along the Blue Ridge ParkwayNo worries as a foreigner about not having a zip code linked to our credit card, which with an ICE can mean at best the need to go into the gas station office prior to filling, or at worst not being able to get any gas, as happened to us late at night in Alaska on a previous tripThe opportunity to visit interesting places whilst charging, which we might otherwise have passed by. I don’t mean just shopping malls and outlet centres where many superchargers are located but places such as the Russian fort at Fort Ross, CA, the Museum of Western Film History at Lone Pine, CA, the Acadian Historic Village in New Brunswick, the Yukon Transport Museum at Whitehorse, the curiously named Sober Island Brewery in Nova Scotia or even the amazing Fogo Island Inn somewhere off NewfoundlandPriority parking, in EV only spaces such as at the Wright Bros National Park in Kitty Hawk NC and at a metro station in MontrealIn short, within the supercharger network, we would give no more thought to charging than we would to getting petrol. The car itself takes care of that. However venturing beyond the supercharger network does require more planning, checking the proposed distance on google maps, sometimes ringing ahead to ask a hotel to make sure its charger is working and isn’t ICEd, checking the latest feedback from users on PlugShare, and occasionally moderating our driving style to conserve energy.I’m not sure though that I would call it inconvenient; interesting might be a better word.

Actually, yes. I use an electric wheelchair, and really do need the HC accessible spaces for my vehicle. Just last week I was accosted by a belligerent woman who had not been able to find a convenient space, and as I got out of my car, she started yelling at me because it wasn't fair that I got to have a premium space, when I clearly didn't need it (after all, I am in a power chair, so distance is not a factor.)I ignored her as best I could then finally started using sign language at her. Acting as if I did not understand what she was saying. That actually shut her up for a moment as she tried to figure out how to keep attacking someone who can't hear her.She followed me into the store, and I could hear her on the phone complaining that some handicapped DEAF woman was driving around Dallas, and how unsafe that was! She was following me around, and when I spoke to the manager, asking for security to take care of her, she literally shrieked in shock because she realized I wasn't really Deaf!She was escorted from the premises, and the mall security told me she was banned from the mall for 6 months.I have had people complain to me in the past, because while "they can see I am legitimately handicapped" they don't think it is fair that I get priority parking 'just because I am in a wheelchair. (Almost always with the disclaimer that 'no offense meant, of course.')I have had people point out that, in their opinion, I should park in the regular parking spaces, and leave the HC spaces for people who need to be closer and don't have a wheelchair. When I point out that I NEED the extra space in order to get in and out of my car, due to the ramp and mechanical doors, and the extra space needed for that, people will look a little uncomfortable because they hadn't thought of that... then say if I park way in the far reaches, away from everyone, chance of being 'blocked' by other cars would be small.Lets that about that... a single, older woman, in a wheelchair, alone, with baggage from shopping going through a deserted parking lot all alone... yeah. Doesn't strike me as a good idea.Honestly I did not plan to have my feet amputated just so that I could snag the best parking spots. Or priority on elevators. Really.All that aside, even counting this most recent episode, I have seldom had negative experiences. Most people are very kind and accommodating. People hold doors for me, and if I ask for assistance, I have never had anyone refuse or be rude. Not saying it is "good" to be in a wheelchair, but really, it isn't all negative either. I am very glad for the technology that allows me to be as active as I can be, and that includes driving when I can and using public transportation when I can't.Thanks for the A2A Pam Anderson.