EV Public Charging Etiquette for Drivers in Philippines

A public charger is shared infrastructure, so a little courtesy keeps it working for everyone. Most charging frustration is not about the technology at all: it is about a blocked bay, a car left plugged in long after it finished, or a cable left in a tangle. None of the etiquette is complicated, and most of it comes down to one idea, which is to treat the charger as a shared resource rather than your private spot. This guide walks through the widely-accepted norms of public charging in Philippines: why a charging bay is for charging and not parking, what idle fees are, why drivers move on near 80% at a DC fast charger when others are waiting, and the small courtesies around unplugging, notes, broken chargers, and cables.

By mht-dev, Frontend Engineer & Creator

A frontend engineer who bought a first electric car in March 2026 and built EV Charge Calculator while working out the real cost of charging it, writing every guide from an everyday new EV owner's perspective.

A charging bay is for charging, not parking

The single most important rule is that a marked charging bay is reserved for a car that is actively charging. It is not a convenient parking space that happens to have a charger next to it. When a petrol or diesel car parks in an EV bay, that is known as ICEing, after the internal combustion engine, and it blocks a driver who genuinely needs the charger. The EV version has its own names: bay hogging is parking in a charging bay without plugging in at all, and ghost charging is plugging in to use the space when you do not actually need a charge. All three boil down to the same thing, which is occupying a charger that someone else needs.

The practical version is simple: park in a charging bay only when you intend to charge, and once you are done, move out so the next driver can plug in. In some places a charging bay is enforced like any other restricted bay, so a non-EV parked there can be ticketed, and some charging networks let drivers report a blocked bay through their app. Beyond any rule, this is the courtesy that keeps a small network of chargers usable: every car that sits in a bay without charging is a car that someone else cannot charge.

Idle fees: why you should unplug once you are done

To discourage drivers from leaving a finished car plugged in, many charging networks apply an idle fee, sometimes called an occupancy fee. It is a per-minute charge that starts once your car has finished charging and stays connected past a short grace period. The point is important: an idle fee prices the parking, not the energy, so it is there purely to keep the bay turning over. Grace periods and rates vary by network, but as a rough guide they often run around 5 to 15 minutes of grace, after which a typical fee on a busy network might be in the region of a fraction of a US dollar to about one US dollar a minute. Tesla, for example, has published an idle fee of around USD 0.50 per minute that doubles to about USD 1.00 per minute when the site is full, and waives it if you move within about 5 minutes of being notified. Electrify America has used a grace period of around 10 minutes.

The simple way to never pay an idle fee is to treat charging as something you wait for, not something you walk away from and forget. Most apps and cars send a notification when charging is done, so you can return and unplug promptly. This matters most at DC fast chargers, where there are fewer bays and more demand, and least at a quiet home or workplace AC charger where nobody is waiting. Even where there is no fee at all, moving on once you are charged is the considerate default.

At a DC fast charger, move on and consider stopping near 80%

A DC fast charger is the busiest and most contested kind of charger, so the etiquette there is the strictest. The basic rule is to charge what you need and move on promptly, because a fast charger is for charging and moving from, not for parking while you do something else. When other cars are clearly waiting, the considerate move is to consider stopping near 80% rather than holding the stall to 100%. This is not an arbitrary number. Above roughly 80% the charging curve tapers steeply, so the last stretch to full adds range very slowly: getting from 80 to 100% can take about as long as going from 10 to 80%, for far less range. Holding a fast charger to crawl to 100% while others queue is widely seen as the least considerate thing you can do.

The flip side is just as real: if it is quiet and nobody is waiting, charging past 80% is your call, and there is nothing rude about filling up when the site is empty. The etiquette is conditional on demand, not an absolute ban on the top of the battery. If you do need a full battery for a long drive, the gentle plan is to do that last slow stretch on a home AC charger overnight, where the slow speed near full costs you nothing because you are asleep. To understand exactly why the curve slows down above 80%, see the guide on the EV charging curve.

Unplugging, notes, broken chargers, and cables

A few smaller courtesies round out good charging manners. Do not unplug another car without checking first. Most connectors lock while a session is running, and pulling a plug mid-charge interrupts someone else and can confuse the equipment, so a finished car that is still plugged in is not an invitation to help yourself. If you are confident the car has finished and you genuinely need the stall, the polite path is a quick knock on the window or a message through the network rather than a silent unplug. In the rare case where you must move a finished car in an emergency, leave a clear note explaining why, when, and how you did it.

Finally, look after the equipment for the next person. If a charger is broken, refuses to start, or stops mid-session, report it to the network using the number or app on the unit, because a fault that nobody reports is a charger that stays broken for everyone. And when you finish, return the cable to its holster and coil it neatly rather than leaving it draped on the ground, where it is a trip hazard and gets damaged. None of this takes more than a few seconds, and together these small habits are what make a public charger a pleasant place to use rather than a source of friction. For the practical how-to of finding and using a public charger in Philippines, see the public charging guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is ICEing at an EV charger?

ICEing is when an internal combustion engine car, meaning a petrol or diesel vehicle, parks in a bay reserved for EV charging. The term comes from ICE, short for internal combustion engine. It is a problem because that car cannot use the charger, so it simply blocks an EV driver who needs to charge. The EV version of the same fault has its own names: bay hogging is parking in a charging bay without plugging in, and ghost charging is plugging in to hold the space when you do not actually need a charge. In all three cases a charger that someone needs is occupied by a car that does not. In some places a non-EV in a charging bay can be ticketed, and several networks let you report a blocked bay in their app.

What is an idle fee, and how do I avoid it?

An idle fee, also called an occupancy fee, is a per-minute charge that some networks apply when your car stays plugged in after it has finished charging, past a short grace period. It prices the parking, not the energy, and exists to keep busy bays turning over. Grace periods and rates vary by network, but they often run somewhere around 5 to 15 minutes of grace, and the fee can be a fraction of a US dollar up to about one US dollar a minute on a busy site. To avoid it, treat charging as something you wait near rather than walk away from, and return to unplug soon after your car signals it is done. It matters most at busy DC fast chargers and barely at all at a quiet home or workplace AC charger.

Should I stop charging at 80% at a public charger?

At a DC fast charger, yes if others are waiting. Above about 80% the charging curve tapers steeply, so the last stretch to 100% adds range very slowly and can take roughly as long as the whole 10 to 80% part. Holding a busy fast charger to crawl to full while a queue forms is the most common etiquette complaint, so when cars are waiting the considerate move is to stop near 80% and free the stall. If the site is quiet and nobody is waiting, it is fine to charge as high as you like. And if you genuinely need a full battery for a long trip, do that slow top-up on a home AC charger overnight. To understand why the curve slows above 80%, see the EV charging curve guide.

Can I unplug another EV that has finished charging?

Not without checking first. Most connectors lock while a session is active, and pulling a plug during a charge interrupts the other driver and can confuse the equipment, so you should never unplug a car that is still charging. Even a car that appears finished should not be unplugged silently: the polite path is a quick knock on the window or a message through the charging app, since most drivers will move when asked. In the rare emergency where you truly must move a finished car, leave a clear note explaining why, when, and how you unplugged it. Treat another driver's cable the way you would treat a fuel nozzle on someone else's car at a petrol station.

What should I do if a public charger is broken in Philippines?

Report it to the charging network so it can be fixed for the next driver. Almost every charger carries a phone number, a QR code, or an app reference for exactly this. A fault that nobody reports is a charger that stays broken, so a quick report is one of the most useful courtesies you can offer. While you are tidying up, also return the cable to its holster and coil it neatly rather than leaving it on the ground, where it is a trip hazard and gets damaged underfoot. These habits cost a few seconds and keep the small set of public chargers in Philippines working and pleasant for everyone. For finding and using a working charger in the first place, see the public charging guide.

Is it rude to charge to 100% at a public charger?

It depends on demand, not on the number itself. If a DC fast charger is busy and cars are waiting, crawling up to 100% while others queue is the least considerate thing you can do, because the slow top above 80% holds the stall for a long time and adds little range. If the site is quiet and nobody is waiting, there is nothing rude about filling up. Charging etiquette is about reading the situation: be generous with the charger when it is in demand, and relax when it is not. On AC charging there is far less of an issue, because AC is slower anyway and is often where you would do a full overnight charge.