DCFC chargers that work with 2019 Kona

Buckley Bay https://www.plugshare.com/location/167804 works , no issues and no card or app needed. This is a Delta charger and limited to 21 kw, not a BC Hydro charger. Has two plugins available , also a Sun Country level 2 available if both plugs are busy

 

Campbell River Community Centre https://www.plugshare.com/location/152798 also works for me, I have used it twice and no issues either time. You do need a greenlots app here now to activate, that changed just recently

 

https://www.plugshare.com/location/152799 worked flawlessly until it was rebranded to Greenlots. Today it quit with a comm error after 12 minutes.

 

So at the Super Store in Nanaimo BC I couldn't get it to charge I called BC Hydro and they said that they will send a crew out to repair it. I think it has something to do with the change over from Green Lots to BC Hydro because: I had to go into the "Green Lots" app and scanned the base code then try it once and it locked it out then I rescanned the barcode a second time and it started again and it started running

 

It worked for me for about fifteen minutes then crashed then I tried another six times and have up. Went shopping and came out and there was a BC Hydro worker there so I had a long talk with him and apparently it's a software problem that he hopes gets fixed within a week . It's an "ABB" problem the other manufactures have no problem .

 

I just found out that Plugshare check-ins are monitored by Greenlots, and problems are referred to BC Hydro.

 

Tried the Campbell River Community Centre https://www.plugshare.com/location/152798 charger again today and had no issues, took a picture of the Model Number and its attached here. I stopped it twice and made sure it would restart with no communication errors .

 

I just got a call from BC Hydro and ABB has just rolled out a new software update for there fast charger in Nanaimo so this charger will now work for our Hyundai Kona's

 

I tried out the Level 3 charger in my hometown (Vernon— 50kW) to test it for myself and the group. The charger worked well— it took me from approximately 115km range up to 80% SOC in 53 minutes. Greenlots email says I received 31.504kW (not a 50kWh rate).

The most significant issue I found with my local charger is access. I tried to charge yesterday but there was a fully charged vehicle locked on. I was going to charge at 7am but the Greenlots app told me to stay in bed as someone else was already charging. When I pulled in this afternoon, someone else was charging with the Chademo line— I was able to hook on with the DCCombo line and start charging once they finished. Before I finished charging, however, another EV was waiting impatiently. The owner— a new owner— told me EV etiquette says I should disconnect at the 30 minute mark. Physics, I informed her, states the battery is happiest when charged to 80% SOC. Anyways, I successfully completed the charge to verify for myself and the group that this charger is working well— it is. The most important take away impression I had, however, is that BC needs more Level 3 chargers before I will feel comfortable taking my EV to the coast or Island without plenty of buffer time in the middle.

I wouldn’t want to pull into Merritt or Coquihalla Summit this weekend looking for a quick charge— both chargers currently show as off-line on Greenlots. Ditto for Abbotsford.

I hope this post is helpful for the group. If there is in practice a 30 minute charging etiquette in place, please let me know (I didn’t find it on Google)

Regards,

BC Doc

 

There is no 30 minute etiquette at all.

 

My understanding is that the etiquette requires freeing up the charger at 80%, though I'm sure most of us would take into consideration that others are waiting. More chargers are on the way, but until we get multiple stations at the same location the problem of access is only going to get worse.