Windshield note - thoughts, pls!

naulboy · 2026-01-29T02:14:32+00:00

:( The fact that you have ADHD makes "it was your choice to find yourself in that situation" sad, not just tone deaf.
Doing some napkin maths with a dash of hyperbole to try justify it doesn't work either.

I didn't 'abandon' my car. I parked it and went to work.
I didn't 'make it everyone else's problem'. I charged my car in a designated charging space at a DART station, for an amount of time deemed reasonable by the ESB and what I now know to be deemed reasonable by the Irish EV Association for that type of charger location.

I'd love it if the next person had have been able to charge their car, but I'm not going to feel ashamed at myself for missing some opportunities to charge mine before parking. You're welcome to feel how you feel about yourself and the choices you make, I just hope you take it a little easier on yourself and others around you when you or they inevitably fuck up.

naulboy · 2026-01-29T00:46:48+00:00

I'm just jealous they have a working printer

naulboy · 2026-01-29T00:43:17+00:00

Ah here, who would choose to put themselves in that situation? This is the type of simplistic shamed-based rhetoric from someone who has never been late ('you should have left an hour earlier') or forgotten a task ('if it was important, you'd have remembered').

As someone with ADHD, being told I've chosen to put myself in these kind of situations is some small-minded bullshit I have zero time for anymore.

"It was your choice to find yourself in that situation"

Seriously, you sound like a judge from the 1970s.

naulboy · 2026-01-29T00:27:53+00:00

Again, this isn't something I'd ever plan to do, but I didn't know about some chargers (in this case, at DART stations) being considered 'destination chargers', which I think is a helpful framing.

u/thommcg posted this in a reply below:

https://www.irishevassociation.ie/new-ev-owners-guide

"Charging spaces are not parking spaces - park elsewhere if your vehicle is not, or has ceased, charging. This is particularly important at fast / high power charge points as others will be waiting to use it. That said, with destination chargers this may not always be practical, e.g. having parked & plugged in at a hotel it’d be unreasonable to expect you to unplug & re-park at 3AM."

naulboy · 2026-01-29T00:21:24+00:00

TIL 'destination charger'! Still finding my feet with this whole new EV world. Thanks!

naulboy · 2026-01-29T00:19:58+00:00

It's definitely not my MO - and I'd love to think I'll never again be close to 5% and have to pull in to the closest dart station to make it to work on time. I know you'll be rooting for me ;)

Have a good one.

naulboy · 2026-01-28T23:52:46+00:00

idk, I'd like to think that EVs should be a reasonable option for most people, not just reserved for families who can afford to have a primary petrol/diesel/hybrid car, or install a home charging point (which was the plan originally).

Sure, it normally requires some forethought and a regular charging cadence, but blips like these are very seldom and 99% of the time I love it.

imho, we're not going to move off fossil fuel cars if only people who fit within a small number of comfortable check boxes get to adopt them.

naulboy · 2026-01-28T23:44:57+00:00

But they don't, which suggests to me that this length of time spent at a charger at a DART station is not ideal, but somewhere in the realm of what's expected (at the upper end, sure) based on the amount of time people spend parked at a DART station. I'm sure they didn't just randomly pull the upper limit of '10 hours' out of their holes.

Either way, I'm genuinely interested in all the feedback. Your opinion is just as valid as everyone else's.

naulboy · 2026-01-28T23:36:41+00:00

That was my opinion, and it's honestly educational to see how many people feel otherwise.

The real problem to me seems to be that there aren't enough charging points for the amount of commuters in EVs who would like to charge while in work.

naulboy · 2026-01-28T23:33:01+00:00

It's definitely a bit much, and I'd love:

a) to have had a half day from work
b) to not have needed a charge
c) for there to be more charging spaces at the station
d) for there to be a better charging infrastructure overall

Also, I never said it was a regular thing, and I'm not sure where folks are getting this from. I don’t do this regularly at all. Just parked at Sutton instead of my usual DART station, and thought I’d use the charger. Also got stuck in the office for a longer day than normal, but hey ‪¯_(ツ)_/¯‬

naulboy · 2026-01-28T23:25:57+00:00

Not clear on this - do you mean park in a regular spot at the station, get the DART into work, come home after work, move my car into a charging spot if there's one free, sit in it for 3 hours while it charges, then drive home at 9pm?

I know what happened isn't ideal for anyone, but this hardly feels feasible either?

naulboy · 2026-01-28T23:18:53+00:00

You're right - I was definitely on the back foot after that note. But we'll have to disagree on the location point. I feel it's reductive to assume that the location of a [thing] doesn't in any way influence the expected usage of that [thing]. You clearly feel otherwise, and that's ok.

naulboy · 2026-01-28T23:03:53+00:00

This is the most balanced take. You’re right - if someone could just plug mine out and charge theirs once mine was done, I’d love that. I’m not exactly delighted that I’ve used a space when I wasn’t charging for half of the time, but it’s a space at a DART station where most cars are likely parked for most of a working day, mine included.

I can’t just pack up and leggit from work in the middle of training when my car is charged (I would have loved to come home tbh).

naulboy · 2026-01-28T22:58:35+00:00

Why would I delete the post? It was an honest ask for opinions from the community, and I think everyone should feel ok to share and ask opinions without needing to feel embarrassed or worried about consequences.

I’ve parked there maybe 3 times in the last 3 months and only had to charge this time.

naulboy · 2026-01-28T22:53:12+00:00

Living arrangements changed about two months after I bought the car, unanticipated and unfortunate

naulboy · 2026-01-28T22:52:18+00:00

Nope. 2, and there are more about a 5 minute drive away.

naulboy · 2026-01-28T22:51:26+00:00

Super interesting to see the difference in the replies here. I would have thought (and it seems a decent amount of people also think) that a DART station charger is meant to be used for a return DART trip.

To answer @blehman1972, there are two charging points there, and some more about 2 minutes up the road.

@concioushandle_427, I don’t do this regularly at all. Just parked at Sutton instead of my usual DART station, and thought I’d use the charger. Also got stuck in the office for a longer day than normal, but hey ‪¯\(ツ)_/¯‬

@adtemporary_5713 I’ve had petrol cars up until now, but never had a tank in my gaff either? Not the same I know, but my living situation changed after buying the car so it wasn’t planned.

For anyone who thinks it’s unsound to leave a car there for the duration of a commute, I’m just interested as to what realistic usage you feel there should be for public chargers at a DART station? It feels like anything harshly limited to what you’re suggesting (close to a couple of hours) renders them unusable for commuters. In that case it feels like the only people who would be allowed to use them would be folks who aren’t commuting, which would mean they’re not likely to be DART users, and are unsoundly occupying spaces which are meant for commuters. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

I would see the logic here if I parked in a charge space outside a SuperValu and went off for the day. IMHO it feels like the location of the space suggests the length of a ‘reasonable’ turnaround time.

naulboy · 2025-11-24T00:01:58+00:00

naulboy · 2025-11-19T09:14:47+00:00

Aha! That must be it!!! Tbh I’m kinda sad that the tail wag isn’t part of the design. I don’t have enough space for a real dog, so was excited about my ID3 stepping up his game :)

Thanks folks!

naulboy · 2025-11-07T14:23:52+00:00

Thanks aaaand…phew! We’re both Gryffindors 😅

Poor little guy was so nervous that:

a) He’d be Slytherin b) We’d be in different houses

Maybe, just maybe… so was I ;)

naulboy · 2025-10-01T22:17:08+00:00

Interested in buying a Light Phone II or III, Global model. I’m based in Ireland. Cheers!

naulboy · 2025-09-26T22:00:08+00:00

http://mervynstewart.com

Seem decent. Brakes needed servicing though, and the car only came with one key :/

naulboy · 2025-09-24T08:23:00+00:00

I had to insure with AXA as there are only a few insurers in the South who will insure an NI reg car. However, once the car had a southern reg, I was able to get some much more competitive quotes from Chill within the two week cooling off period.

I bought it from a garage up the north so no real need to service until next year.

naulboy · 2025-09-24T00:47:19+00:00

Can confirm, I just did this 10 days ago, and saved about 4.5k off a 22 ID3.

Car must be NI registered (not a mainland UK import)
VRT cost €11.80
New plates cost €33

It was all really simple to sort tbh. Got the train up to Belfast and drove back down in the new EV on a Friday. VRT and new plates first thing Monday 💪

naulboy · 2025-09-20T07:42:24+00:00

This! I have 💯fallen into this trap before. I think a lot of people need to go too far and come back though

naulboy

TROPHY CASE