How Does Somebody Get an EV Parking Space at Disney World?

[MickeyLuv'r]

Having to charge at a charging station while I'm not either in the park (or sleeping if it's an overnight trip) would make it inconvenient and I would opt just to drive a gas vehicle that can be refueled in 5 minutes (although since I'm talking two years out I might have to file for bankruptcy after the fill up).

I say this with qualifiers, but newest Electrify America brand rapid chargers claim they can add up to108miles of charge in 10 minutes.

I rarely use rapid chargers though, and have never used that network, so I can't say I have any experience with those.

Rapid chargers usually cost more, so that is part of it. Mostly though, I just don't need them.

 

[mkt]

I say this with qualifiers, but newest Electrify America brand rapid chargers claim they can add up to108miles of charge in 10 minutes.

That's providing the vehicle can accept that fast of a charge. I've used them for work vehicles, and those are pretty much the gold standard for CCS fast charging in the US.

 

[Raxel7851]

So what is the solution? If your car is done charging, where do you put it?

The few times I have had an EV at WDW, we did move it mid-day. Typically, we went back to our hotel. Other times we moved it to a different parking spot, but it wasn't always easy. CM's want EVERY CAR to follow ONE path in the parking lot.

I tried to do as you suggest though. When we were just trying to do as you suggest, moving our car to a different parking spot after it was done charging, we got YELLED at by a parking CM. I'm not sure what she thought we were doing, but she sure didn't like us doing it!

You are partly correct. If using a public charger, it usually does not take all day for most EV users. To answer more fully...I think it would be helpful to give some more detailed information.

1. Many of the EV's out there are hybrids- they often have approx. 30 miles of electric range, then swap to gas. These smaller batteries do not need as long to charge.

2. Cars that are pure EV/close to pure EV have more range (200+ miles). Most days, most drivers do not drive 200miles, so they would also not need to charge all day.

3. Charging an EV battery does not happen at a uniform speed. The pace slows as you get closer to 100% charge. Generally speaking, it isn't important to get to 100% charge with an EV.

While you are mostly correct, the problem is not the EV drivers, but rather the way Disney parking is set up. The parking lots are not set up to accommodate people moving their EV's mid-day.

Although perhaps it may be inconvenient, you could make it work to free up a spot for someone else.

 

[larryz]

If someone leaves the museum to move their car- are they allowed to re-enter the museum? If so, do patrons know they are allowed to re-enter? Many museums do not allow re-entry. If the person with the EV is an employee, are they be allowed to leave mid-day to move their car?

I can't answer for every EV, but yes to the app. To be honest though, I don't use it, because I already know how long it takes to charge my car.

When I do use public chargers, at least 95% of the time it is for less than 2 hours. At least 75% of the time it is less than an hour.

Fairly often though, as soon as I am leaving, another EV comes to take my spot.

I would say though that our society isn't really set up for EV's, we're still in the process of evolving on how to make this work. EV's are still a small % of cars.

It's not an issue other than distance... we don't charge for or require tickets for admittance. It is somewhat of a hike from the front door to the parking lot, tho'.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

Seems like Disney would be better off using their money to put chargers at the resorts, doesn’t make much sense to put them at the parks were people are likely to park and stay all day, at least those staying at the resorts (or eating) would have an easy walk to move it once it’s charged.

I debated an electric before I bought last year but the charging situation was still a concern, I think by my next car it’ll be sorted out but they really need to standardize the chargers to make adoption easier. Us dinosaurs want our convenience.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I didn't see it mentioned, but a lot of chargers cost money to the EV owner if they're full and plugged in, effectively squatting. Not much, and obviously not enough to pull someone out of a Disney park to move their car.

We charged at a Super Charger off site and had chipotle while we waited. It was a nice break.

 

[jloucks]

I owned an all electric car for over 5 years. Great car... but to stay on topic... people are people and their concern and consideration for others is negligible. Other owners will park all day in charge spots and not move. Even hybrid owners will do so (even tho they dont need the spots). The only thing you can do is watch and after 4+ hours unplug the inconsiderate vehicle and plug yours in. In 100% of the cases where I did this, the other person didn't seem to care. ...probably assumed as much.

Ultimately like others has said, the newer cars have significantly larger ranges and the need to plug in at an entertainment venue is almost a thing of the past.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

I had considered renting an EV but the issues brought up in this thread kept me from doing it. I didn't want to stress about where to to plug. Considering Poly and SSR are the two I am going to and I don't even thi k they have chargers(followed by a trip to Vero which also doesn't have them). That would have left me with just the parks and who knows if there would be one available.

 

[jloucks]

I had considered renting an EV but the issues brought up in this thread kept me from doing it. I didn't want to stress about where to to plug. Considering Poly and SSR are the two I am going to and I don't even thi k they have chargers(followed by a trip to Vero which also doesn't have them). That would have left me with just the parks and who knows if there would be one available.

You could still do it safely. There are two types of places to charge up your car, Destination and Residence. Destinations can be tricky because people "charge" often times just to get the good parking spots offered by charge stations. I'd say 70% of the time, it is about the spot and not the charge. However, spots at home/hotel/resort generally don't have the same demand and odds are, at least once during your trip, a spot will be open. With modern electrics, that's all you need. Once.

Worst case scenario, you have to venture out and find another spot off site, but that is only in the unlikely case of no other options.

This thread is amplifying the problem, my experience says 90%+ chance you will not have any issues beyond maybe once having to wait to charge. Since you only have to charge once, you're good.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I owned an all electric car for over 5 years. Great car... but to stay on topic... people are people and their concern and consideration for others is negligible. Other owners will park all day in charge spots and not move. Even hybrid owners will do so (even tho they dont need the spots). The only thing you can do is watch and after 4+ hours unplug the inconsiderate vehicle and plug yours in. In 100% of the cases where I did this, the other person didn't seem to care. ...probably assumed as much.

Ultimately like others has said, the newer cars have significantly larger ranges and the need to plug in at an entertainment venue is almost a thing of the past.

Wait, how are you unplugging that person and plugging yourself in if they're parked in the space?

 

[DryerLintFan]

I had considered renting an EV but the issues brought up in this thread kept me from doing it. I didn't want to stress about where to to plug. Considering Poly and SSR are the two I am going to and I don't even thi k they have chargers(followed by a trip to Vero which also doesn't have them). That would have left me with just the parks and who knows if there would be one available.

Even as an EV owner there's a range anxiety that comes with owning a full EV car. I know that in a gas car things like your speed and if you use the AC make a difference on your miles per gallon, but they make a huge difference on your range, along with weather/outside temperature. I absolutely love my car. Love love love it. But when I go on longer trips there is a slight learning curve to the added logistics.

So I guess I'm saying I'd only rent an EV if I was planning on buying one and really wanted a long test drive, or I was mostly staying around town and had a guaranteed charger. Otherwise why bother with the stress aspect of it if you don't have to?

 

[jloucks]

Wait, how are you unplugging that person and plugging yourself in if they're parked in the space?

Next to them or across from them.

One time, I left a note on my car inviting somebody in need to do so after a certain time. ...and they did.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

You could still do it safely. There are two types of places to charge up your car, Destination and Residence. Destinations can be tricky because people "charge" often times just to get the good parking spots offered by charge stations. I'd say 70% of the time, it is about the spot and not the charge. However, spots at home/hotel/resort generally don't have the same demand and odds are, at least once during your trip, a spot will be open. With modern electrics, that's all you need. Once.

Worst case scenario, you have to venture out and find another spot off site, but that is only in the unlikely case of no other options.

This thread is amplifying the problem, my experience says 90%+ chance you will not have any issues beyond maybe once having to wait to charge. Since you only have to charge once, you're good.

I wasn't super worried about it at WDW but was a little worried about it getting Vero and back. I don't want to be hunting around for a charger on vacation and I had no idea what car battery range would be provided in the rental.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I wasn't super worried about it at WDW but was a little worried about it getting Vero and back. I don't want to be hunting around for a charger on vacation and I had no idea what car battery range would be provided in the rental.

You can't go by a spec sheet either, unfortunately, as the range decreases over time

 

[jloucks]

I wasn't super worried about it at WDW but was a little worried about it getting Vero and back. I don't want to be hunting around for a charger on vacation and I had no idea what car battery range would be provided in the rental.

Nowadays 200+ miles. Back in the old days (my car) was about 85 miles.

 

[SteveAZee]

I didn't see it mentioned, but a lot of chargers cost money to the EV owner if they're full and plugged in, effectively squatting. Not much, and obviously not enough to pull someone out of a Disney park to move their car.

We charged at a Super Charger off site and had chipotle while we waited. It was a nice break.

LOL, maybe shortly after a car is fully charged... the charge starts being sucked back out of the car, down to whatever level the car started with. It would create a sense of urgency to get back and move the car.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Although perhaps it may be inconvenient, you could make it work to free up a spot for someone else.

As I said, we did.

This is generally EV etiquette. Most EV owners understand why they should try to be considerate.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Seems like Disney would be better off using their money to put chargers at the resorts, doesn’t make much sense to put them at the parks were people are likely to park and stay all day, at least those staying at the resorts (or eating) would have an easy walk to move it once it’s charged.

I debated an electric before I bought last year but the charging situation was still a concern, I think by my next car it’ll be sorted out but they really need to standardize the chargers to make adoption easier. Us dinosaurs want our convenience.

There are a few at the WDW resorts. Universal has more. Other offsite hotels have them as well.

Another company that has embraced the concept of EV is Tanger. They run a number of nationwide outlet malls. People can shop/eat while they charge, often for free.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I wasn't super worried about it at WDW but was a little worried about it getting Vero and back. I don't want to be hunting around for a charger on vacation and I had no idea what car battery range would be provided in the rental.

For finding a charging station, there are multiple map/app options. The Chargepoint app lists charging stations, even ones they don't own.

The only catch is that some stations are located in like private parking areas that aren't accessible by the general public, or you find one that is broken.

Usually though it is a little like knowing the location of a restroom in WDW. Once you know it is there, repeat visits are easy.

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

There are a few at the WDW resorts. Universal has more. Other offsite hotels have them as well.

Another company that has embraced the concept of EV is Tanger. They run a number of nationwide outlet malls. People can shop/eat while they charge, often for free.

Good to know, I wonder how many businesses are holding off installing them because they know parking lot chargers will become irrelevant fairly soon, once the charge time gets to 15 minutes everyone will just park in a normal spot and go to the “gas” station to “fill up” like they do now.

It’s a substantial expense for what might only be a few years of benefit to your guests.