Note: For more from Alexandra, visit the "Ask Alexandra" tab on the Chevrolet Volt Facebook page.

As more electric cars hit the road we will start dealing with issues of public charging etiquette. I’ve laid out some of those issues below.

-      Is it OK to take an EV charging space if you don’t need a charge?

What if someone really needs a charge and cannot get one because your car is there? Right now, I have a card printed up which I put on my dashboard when I park at a charger. It has my cell phone number in case someone desperately needs me to move my car to get a charge. If I am charging and there is room to charge next to me it shows what time my EV can be unplugged. So far, my friend Larry is the only person who has ever called me to ask when he might use that public charger at which I was charging, but things will be changing soon enough. That brings us to the question…

-      Is it cool to stay at a public charger all day when your car will be charged in a couple hours?

When someone is counting on a charge and cannot get one because you are at work and parked for the day, we will need to figure out a way for folks to share spots.

This is an interesting question, to which there are many points of view. My friends and I at Plug In America traded e-mails back and forth about this last week. A Volt only costs about $1.50 a day to charge fully, which doesn’t seem like much, but multiply that but 11 months of work five days a week and that adds up to $330 a year in electricity costs. Some drivers will huff that their gasoline isn’t paid for by the company, so why should we get free power? Chelsea Sexton notes that companies often give perks that not all employees use, like use of the building’s gym, preferential carpool parking or free coffee.

-      Would a 100% electric car get precedence over a Volt at a public charger?

Let’s say in 5 years, when there are hundreds of EVs in the area (thousands, I hope), and I have run out of juice and somewhere where there is only one EV charger space left.  Should I take it? What if a 100% battery electric comes along later and also is near out of charge? Since I have a backup gas engine, my Volt doesn’t have to have a charge, but that pure EV does.

At some point, I foresee an App that shows whether a charge station is occupied, and a reservation system to ensure a charger is available when I need it. In a way, these are good problems to have, as they show that lots of plug-in vehicles are on the road, but it is a good idea for all of us in the EV community to think ahead to the social questions this new technology brings.

Ironically, when I went to a nearby garage which has public charging to take a photo for his blog, the six spots were full. There was a Volt and a Leaf, but there were four gas-powered cars in the other spots, which meant I couldn’t charge. ICE’ing (Internal Combustion Engines taking EV parking spots) is very bad public charging etiquette!

Fortunately, the man in the photo is a cop writing parking tickets.

Alexandra Paul is a longtime electric vehicle advocate, actress and former EV1 driver. She is working with Chevrolet to educate consumers about EVs and the Volt. Full disclosure, Chevrolet is paying her for her time, but her opinions will always be hers.

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