Have Plug, Will Travel: Recharge of the Electric Brigade

The professor, an expert on environmental law, decided to do the right thing for the Earth. He got himself an electric car and flaunted it (license plate SMOGLSS). Almost every day, he cruised the freeways, demonstrating that lengthy, non-polluting commutes are actually happening--one less tailpipe at a time.

But Bob Benson did not count on the social ramifications of giving up gas. He had no idea that he--and many of the estimated 200 electric vehicle owners in the L.A. area--would also have to invent standards of electric etiquette: the do’s and don’ts of plugging in. Where and when to recharge. How to win friends and influence valet parking attendants to come up with outlets.

And since Miss Manners has yet to rule on such quandaries, electric vehicle pioneers must decide, for instance, if it’s in the higher good to mooch off unguarded, outdoor electric outlets in order to make it home.

“I know of a few outdoor plugs on my route. I sometimes furtively plug into them,” Benson volunteers, referring to the 61-mile round trip he makes from his home in Calabasas to downtown Los Angeles, a distance slightly longer than the 50 to 60 miles his converted ’74 Karmann Ghia can travel on a full battery charge.

He recharges while he’s at work at Loyola Law School. And, if necessary, he sponges off one of the outdoor outlets he’s found on his way home.

“I dare not tell you where they are. The owners will be irate at me,” Benson says. “It’s been late at night and no one’s been there to ask. You can plug in for an hour or so and only use a dime’s worth of electricity. My guess is that the owners of the electrical plugs would like to make a small contribution to the environment. I’m helping them do that.”

(The city might take exception. “Theft of utilities may be a violation of California Penal Code Section 498,” says Maureen Siegel, acting chief of the criminal branch of the L.A. City Attorney’s office. “Any case that we receive we will review on the merits and determine if a filing is appropriate.”)

Actor Ed Begley Jr., who’s been driving electric cars since 1970, has also been known to scrounge electricity.

“I always ask permission if possible,” he says. “I stopped at a bank parking lot on Ventura Boulevard and left an envelope. I said on it, ‘I only used a couple of hours of electricity. Here’s a few bucks.’ The most it can cost them is a whopping 15 cents an hour. That’s the worst kilowatt rate. The nighttime off-peak rate is about 7 cents an hour.”

According to dealers, most electric vehicles are used as second cars reserved for short, predictable trips. Begley, however, uses his electrified VW Rabbit as his only car.

When he hits a public garage, he’s likely to look for an outlet for a three-pronged plug, use it and forgo the niceties of note writing and reimbursement.

“I don’t know if I’m out of line, but it seems like if you’re paying $1.20 every 20 minutes, the 15 cents an hour should be included in that,” he reasons. “But I’ve had security guys come in and unplug me.”

Sometimes, Begley simply plans on getting help from friends when he wants to drive beyond his car’s range. On Easter Sunday, for instance, he drove to Point Dume from his home in Studio City to visit his friend, writer Amy Ephron. To make the 70-mile round trip without spending eight hours fully recharging at Ephron’s house, he arranged to stop at actor Jeff Goldblum’s house for a recharge.

Or take the case of Walt Disney Co. president and chief operating officer Frank Wells, who pretty much confines himself to driving within the range of his converted Pontiac Fiero.

“I once took the calculated risk that I would make it to and from the beach. I ran out of electricity on the way back in,” he recalls. “It was close enough to a friend’s house. I coasted into his driveway, plugged the car into his washing machine outlet and came back the next day to pick up the car.”

Now, Wells only drives if he’s sure the battery has enough charge to make it to and from his destination.

But he still has to do a sales job on valet parking attendants. He doesn’t prod them to find an outlet. Rather, he has to persuade them to let him park his own car. Figures Wells: “It’s easier than giving them a course in how to make the car work.”

(For the most part, electric cars function much like standard automobiles, but their acceleration is slower and they make virtually no noise, which requires care in watching for pedestrians and other cars. In addition, their parking brakes must be carefully set or they’re likely to roll way from curbs. Virtually all the electric and solar vehicles now on the road have been converted from conventional gas combustion cars. Such converted autos can now be purchased for as little as $12,000 and conversion kits can be had for $5,000.)

At the moment, there are only a few official plug-in stations in the city of Los Angeles, mainly at some Department of Water and Power offices. But that may change. Councilman Marvin Braude has sponsored legislation that would modify the city’s infrastructure to make recharging electric vehicles more convenient.

“The motions are in the council, through the building and safety department and the planning department. They’re pretty much in limbo at the moment, but we’re working on them. I’m convinced that electricity is the fuel of the future for automobiles,” says Braude, who has driven electric vehicles but hasn’t gotten around to buying one for himself. Until Braude’s legislation kicks in, some electric vehicle owners are creating their own infrastructures for refueling--and discovering perks in the process.

“When I went to the Museum of Science and Industry, I asked if I could plug in my car. I was parked closer to the museum than the director gets to park,” says registered nurse Susan Benedetti. In addition, her employer, Tarzana Regional Medical Center is permitting her to recharge, using an outlet in the employee parking lot.

Kate Priest, a publicist who’s been driving a solar/electric car for about a year, has discovered that if you run out of electricity and leave your car on the road, a thief probably will be out of luck.

“Somebody broke in and tried to hot-wire the car,” she says. “They didn’t know that the batteries were down so they couldn’t steal it.”

Running out of electricity is even celebrated by some electric car owners.

Jayni Chase, founder of an environmental organization called Eco-School, has found that her children love it when her solar/electric Ford Escort doesn’t make it home.

“I was wise enough to put a phone in the car,” she says of her car.

“I call my housekeeper who comes back with our truck. She pushes me. The kids have a joy ride. They roll the windows down and scream and holler as we bump our way up the hill to the house,” adds Chase, who has yet to convince her husband, actor Chevy Chase, to drive the car.

One of the reasons might be that it’s a big attention-getter.

“The car has solar panels and I drive it with magnetic signs on both sides that say ‘This is an electric car.’ I get a lot of younger people honking and hooting and hollering because they like the message.”

According to developing protocol, when such motorists ask about the car, the environmentally correct thing to do give a quick speech on the wonders of helping to reduce air pollution.

“I see them looking and I automatically roll down the window and give them the spiel,” reports David Zucker, the director of “Naked Gun 2 1/2” and driver of a solar/electric Fiero. “I tell them that I can no longer beat a Ferrari off the line, but I’m taking several self-esteem courses to make up for it.”