As people purchase, drive and need to charge more electric cars a new area of social etiquette is emerging. EV drivers increasingly face uncharted territory when plugging into public charging facilities.

Amy Myers Jaffe covered the issue in a recent article:

US Davis ITS researchers Nicolette Caperello, Ken Kurani, and Jennifer TyreeHageman found that EV owners are unclear, “Even an available charger at an empty parking space can raise the question, ‘How long am I allowed to park and charge here?’ An occupied charger prompts questions too. ‘How long will they be there? Is that car fully charged? If it is, may I unplug it to plug mine in?” the authors wrote in their paper “Do you mind if I Plug-in My Car? How Etiquette Shapes PEV Driver’s vehicle Charging Behavior.” The authors note that as systems emerge to charge for the electricity more rules and norms may emerge. One driver surveyed said she would prefer to be able to make a reservation for public charging time. Others have left notes on their windshields giving instructions on what time would be acceptable to unplug their car, should a new user drive up.

Following on this theme, the folks at uAuto Insurance put together an infographic that serves as a guide to plug-in electric car charging best practices:

Guide To Electric Car Etiquette Infographic by the team at uAuto Insurance.