You should all like this...
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/ga-man-arrested-charging-electric-car-local-middle/story?id=21098590
He even spent the night in jail...
And to be clear, it is not like there are very many public charging stations in Chamblee, Georgia, USA - probably none.
This is just one more example of how the USA is not going to be any kind of force for addressing AGW in the world anytime soon. Y'unz can feel free ridicule USAns all you want here, it won't hurt my feelings...
Paul D.
One thing you can do to help us who don't have english as our first language is to stop using abbreviations like AGW... :-)
Hugs from Sweden
Sorry.
AGW = Anthropogenic Global Warming
And "USAn" = a person who is a citizen of the United States of America. Our numerous hemispheric neighbors to the south often get offended when we call ourselves "American" while we call them "Mexican", Colombian and so forth. It would be like, say, Germans declaring that they shall be called "European" and call everyone else is "Belgian", "French", Spanish... etc. So, I prefer their term, which is "Estadounidese" or, in English and abbreviated, "USAn."
...
@PJD: The police version sheds a slightly different light on the events leading to this man's detention, and has not much to do with the stealing of approx 5 cents worth of electricity...
- He was NOT waiting for his son to finish his tennis lesson, but was himself taking a tennis lesson on school premises that he had already once before been thrown out of by the school's staff.
- He accused the policeman of having damaged his car's door, when footge from the police car's video cam clearly showed the damage had been there already upon arrival of the police car
And there are a few additional points that make his night in detention a little more worthwhile than what it originally looked like...
My rides:
2017 Zero S ZF6.5 11kW, erider Thunder 5kW
MErollier,
As you know, the police in the USA are not known for their professionalism. I understand that several days passed between the incident and the arrest at his home - if he had been so combative, they could have arrested him at the time of the incident. And. I'm afraid to think of what would have happened had he been a black man.
EDIT:
But just checking his name, he was an Arab man - cops don't like them either.
But OK; as much as I don't like (invariably right-wing, racist) cops, it appears that Mr. Kamooneh did violate the prime rule of opportunity-charging, returning to the same charging point after being told not to charge by the owner of the electric outlet. He should have found another outdoor outlet nearby.
While Lithium cells have greatly reduced the need. The general etiquette of opportunity charging in the USA is this:
1. Unless it is a friend or a small shop-owner you know well, don't ask permission - becasue the answer is invariably a "NO". And with that "no" you are then in a position of being unable to use the outlet even once in an urgent, need-to-get-home situation.
2. If caught charging (often only indicated by returning to the scooter to find it unplugged), scratch that outlet off of your list of outlets you can use.
3. If approached by the owner or his representative (often a private security guard) apologize, offer to pay (they will always refuse) then tell them that it was urgently needed to get home, but you won't do it again. Then find another outlet in the area.
I learned these rule from cross-country hang gliding - we can always land in any landowner's pasture or hayfield at least once we are as long as we -don't- ask permission. If we had to ask permission from every potential landowner downwind or down the ridge from where we take off, the sport would be impossible as most would say "no" even if it was practical to do so.
To summarize your "Opportunity Charging" rules-
IF CAUGHT, LIE ABOUT IT.....
Kind of like a Right Wing Racist Cop would.
I like you PJD, but tone it down.
LCJUTILA
Lie about it?
I said nothing of the sort! I said that the charger should apologize, offer money and not charge there again. The opportunity charge usually IS needed to get home.
The "Tell them it was urgently needed to get home" part is a lie especially because you say "usually" which means there are circumstances were you opportunity charge when it is not needed. At that point you are lying.
If someone plugged anything in to an outlet on my property without my permission there would be a good chance they would return to not only find their device unplugged but their cord would be cut as well. If they did not like it they could bring it up with me but they would not like the result.
The Nissan Leaf in question has a range of 60 to 100 miles and it is more than doubtful the owner needed the charge to get home. He was a mooch and a thief and his answer that he was saving the world was sanctimonious and convenient.
I have found that people will let you plug in to their outlets if you start your conversation with them by saying, "Excuse me, I REALLY need your help...." and make sure the outlet in question is suitable for the charger. I tell them the charger does not use much more power than a microwave. If it is a Security Guard I insist on giving them $5 bucks right off the bat. This has the added benefit of them keeping an eye on the bike while it is charging.
If there was no one around and the bike was dead, honestly, I may plug in for a charge, but I would not be happy about it and I would not leave the bike.
Bottom line, it is not someone else's responsibility to take care of anyone else's poor planning, against their will and without their permission.
LCJUTILA
By "usually" I mean that it is usually uncertain whether one would squeak home or not.
And if I found someone plugged into the outlet on my front stoop I wouldn't give much of a damn about it except that I would want to meet him or her and thank them for their environmental responsibility. People come in all sorts I guess.
I agree this guy seems to have gone way over the line.