Seven tips for being a happy charger

Treating public charging infrastructure with care and respect will keep it in optimal working order for everyone. In particular:

• When you’ve finished charging, put the connector back in its receptacle and hang the cable as neatly as possible on its hooks to avoid a tripping hazard.
• If something is wrong with the equipment, report it – either through your charging app or by contacting the charging station directly using their ‘help’ button.

It can be tempting to see an EV charging point as a premium all-day parking spot, but they need to be kept available for vehicles that are charging. Similarly, don’t use the charger for longer than necessary. This isn’t just about leaving your vehicle connected once the charging has finished, think about how much you need to get to your next destination – and that most manufacturers recommend only charging to 80% or 90%.

In many places charging points are limited, so the next driver may be waiting for you to finish. If you use our free Happy Charger dial, you can let them know how long you think you’ll be, so they can be ready for when you move your car away.

Never unplug another driver’s electric car, no matter how long you think they’ve been there or if it’s a plug-in hybrid. The one exception is when the driver has left a note to say it’s fine to do so.

Most electric cars spend much more time parked than driven on most days. If you use this downtime, you can charge much more effectively. Here’s a quick reminder of the four main types of charging options:

If you’re in a car park, don’t forget to pay (if you need to) and keep to any time limits. For example, some supermarkets only allow one or two hours of free parking.

Make sure there is enough space around the charging point so that other drivers can access any chargers next to it.