ChargePoint Stations - High(er) Charging Stations

[Tim94549]

I have yet to need to use Charging stations since my purchase of my Kona and am about to take a trip thereby needing to use them. Sorry for my newbie questions, but just don't want any surprises while on my journey. So here goes:

Using the ChargePoint APP :

1. Using the FILTERS, I see a bunch of CONNECTOR types. If I want to find JUST a "fast charger" (so I don't have to sit someplace for hours), should I be filtering on the "DC FAST - COMBO" ? What is "DC FAST - CHAdeMO" ? Are BOTH of those compatible with the Konas?

2. When I look at the "AC - J1772" filters, those all appear to be only 6.6kw charges (only around 20 mi/hr) ... Am I seeing that correctly? So these are NOT "FAST Charging stations & I should probably remove from my filters?

My GOAL is to ONLY know where FAST chargers are to limit my time at a station. It also doesn't look like ALL "FAST CHARGER" stations are a minimum of 50kw ? I see some that are 24/kw = 72 mi/hr. So I am a bit confused what I am able to find using the ChargePoint APP.

Lastly - Do I HAVE to use CHARGEPOINT to charge? I'm seeing a LOT more options using the PLUGSHARE APP .. in fact there's more 50kw charges showing up with connector type "CCS/SAE" - that LOOKS like the Kona connection????? But THESE look like I'm require to have the "EVgo" APP to use them..

Anything else I should consider when using these? Thanks in advance & your experience on how to best do this.

 

[SkookumPete]

The info is readily available. The following is just the first search result.

https://ventricular.org/ItsElectric/2018/07/16/ev-charging-primer/

Fast/rapid DC chargers are 25 kW and up. Chademo is almost always paired with CCS, which is what most EVs other than Nissan use.

Sadly, payment systems are fragmented and you may have to get a few apps/cards to enable you to use the commercial stations you're likely to stop at.

 

[GeorgeS]

Sounds like you are taking a big step in EV ownership, fast charging.
DC Fast is still a little ambiguous. Chademo is not compatible with the Kona EV. It refers to DC charging. Your right they are not all created equal. The Kona has a built in AC to DC converter. When you see AC - 1772, this is AC and uses this converter. It converts the AC to DC and charges the batteries with DC.
When you use a DC FAST - Combo, it has already converted the AC to DC for you and pushes it directly into your battery management system. These are capable of a great deal more charging power than the AC chargers. Some DC chargers , 24 Kwh chargers still convert the AC to DC but put it in much slower. These will take you a lot longer to charge. Finally there are DC Combo chargers such as Electrify America(EA) chargers that are capable of up to 350 KWH. This is much too much for the Kona EV so the station askes the Kona how much can you handle? The Kona reply by communicating the max of 80Kwh. From there on the charger never exceeds the maximum as to not damage the Kona.
These are all viable charging options. *If you need the charge, any of these will work*. Except Chademo which will not fit your plug. That said slower charging is easier on you batteries. I personally when traveling like EA because of the shorter time to charge. Basically 55 min vs 90 min. On the opposite end is the 24 KWH chargers that will take almost 3 hrs. I recommend only using fast charging DC Combo when traveling. Use your home charger as much as possible.
I use many different apps to charge my car. Many will not let you charge unless you have their app and an account. PlugShare is the most complete list of chargers in any app but does not give you special deals like others such as EA. There is a special program with EA for a while that gives Kona EV's a discount price of $.35 minute with no connection fee and no monthly member fees. The car's charging rate also changes throughout the charge. With the higher charging rate of the EA chargers it becomes cheaper when the car is charging fast. It also becomes very expensive as the car gets past 80% and slows down. This is the point when most EV owners disconnect.
Depending where you live, will determine which apps you use most. I find EA easier since I travel mostly interstate highways and EA has many chargers near the interstate. PlugShare is my favorite app since it allows check-ins and comments. I use to tell me if it is working, pricing, problems with parking, pictures of the site and type of plugs available.

 

[eastpole]

just don't want any surprises while on my journey.

Anything else I should consider when using these?

You don't say where you will be travelling so it's hard to point out any geography-specific pitfalls or well-served routes. But overall, I'd say look to charge at locations with more than one charger of the type you need. When you have choices, even more than two. There's nothing worse than arriving at a location with only one fast charger and finding it marked with a hand-lettered sign saying "Out of Order" even though it appears to be working according to an app.

The other thing is, sometimes you can combine charging stops with other activities if you plan ahead. Eating, going to the bathroom, going for a short hike, or picking up some groceries to make a meal when you arrive are all options, and make the stops seem much shorter.

eastpole

 

[FloridaSun]

I have yet to need to use Charging stations since my purchase of my Kona and am about to take a trip thereby needing to use them. Sorry for my newbie questions, but just don't want any surprises while on my journey. So here goes:

Using the ChargePoint APP :

1. Using the FILTERS, I see a bunch of CONNECTOR types. If I want to find JUST a "fast charger" (so I don't have to sit someplace for hours), should I be filtering on the "DC FAST - COMBO" ? What is "DC FAST - CHAdeMO" ? Are BOTH of those compatible with the Konas?

2. When I look at the "AC - J1772" filters, those all appear to be only 6.6kw charges (only around 20 mi/hr) ... Am I seeing that correctly? So these are NOT "FAST Charging stations & I should probably remove from my filters?

My GOAL is to ONLY know where FAST chargers are to limit my time at a station. It also doesn't look like ALL "FAST CHARGER" stations are a minimum of 50kw ? I see some that are 24/kw = 72 mi/hr. So I am a bit confused what I am able to find using the ChargePoint APP.

Lastly - Do I HAVE to use CHARGEPOINT to charge? I'm seeing a LOT more options using the PLUGSHARE APP .. in fact there's more 50kw charges showing up with connector type "CCS/SAE" - that LOOKS like the Kona connection????? But THESE look like I'm require to have the "EVgo" APP to use them..

Anything else I should consider when using these? Thanks in advance & your experience on how to best do this.

I wouldn't just use the ChargePoint App. Use Plugshare. Plugshare has ratings on how reliable certain charging stations are. If you are only interested in DC fast, just check CCS Combo and look for stations.. Plugshare covers all major networks.. You may need each network's app to initiate charge. Plugshare will tell you what network the charger belongs to. For DC Fast charging, the largest network is Electrify America. EVgo and Chargepoint follow far behind. In my area, Greenlots has a lot of DC Fast chargers but in some parts of the country, they have none...

 

[Fastnf]

I agree with George S and BlueKonaEV. Don't use the chargepoint app use PlugShare. It is available both on a computer or as an app and covers all of the fast charge networks and even some that aren't networked. It also has a trip planer that will show the chargers along a given route as well as elevation changes which might affect range. You can transfer the route to google maps for navigation. It can also be customized to your specific car. It also allow you to toggle between CCS fast charge and J1772 level two chargers so that if you are spending a night some where you can find J1772 chargers that will charge the car up over night and be ready for the next day. A number of hotels on PlugShare offer free overnight charging. You can also zoom in on a charging station and see what other businesses are in the immediate area, restaurants,, motels, fast food, Starbucks ....

Some people also like ABetterRoutPlaner app which is similar to PlugShare. My preference is PlugShare but look at both and decided for yourself.

 

[ericy]

I wouldn't just use the ChargePoint App. Use Plugshare. Plugshare has ratings on how reliable certain charging stations are. If you are only interested in DC fast, just check CCS Combo and look for stations.. Plugshare covers all major networks.. You may need each network's app to initiate charge. Plugshare will tell you what network the charger belongs to. For DC Fast charging, the largest network is Electrify America. EVgo and Chargepoint follow far behind. In my area, Greenlots has a lot of DC Fast chargers but in some parts of the country, they have none...

Yeah, but...

The CP app knows if a cp station is busy or not, and you can see data as to how busy the thing is (when the busy times are).

Same for EA - it shows you station status.

The plugshare app doesn't seem to give you real time data like this.

 

[FloridaSun]

Yeah, but...

The CP app knows if a cp station is busy or not, and you can see data as to how busy the thing is (when the busy times are).

Same for EA - it shows you station status.

The plugshare app doesn't seem to give you real time data like this.

Sure, the chargpoint app shows station status BUT most CCS fast charge stations are NOT chargepoint.. Chargepoint is big with Level 2 chargers but at least around here, there are very few DC Fast Chargepoint stations (except the slow 24kw chargers at Harley Davidson).. At CCS stations, sessions don't take very long and if the station shows busy 30 minutes before you would get there, it may be available when you get there..
If I'm on a road trip, I wouldn't consider a 24kw charger. 50kw minimum. It takes like 2 hours to get a decent charge..

 

[Fastnf]

Actually in California there are a decent number of 50 kw DCFC ChargePoint chargers about the same as EA. EVgo has highest number. I have all three apps for when I travel. Plug share show when a site is occupied assuming the person charging checks in.

 

[FloridaSun]

Actually in California there are a decent number of 50 kw DCFC ChargePoint chargers about the same as EA. EVgo has highest number. I have all three apps for when I travel. Plug share show when a site is occupied assuming the person charging checks in.

Too many people don't check in around here... probably 90% don't check in on plugshare.. There is a "Greenwise Market" which is the local version of Whole Foods market and they have 2 J-Plugs and I've seen tons of different EV's charging there but in the last 27 out of 28 check ins since May 6 were from me.. It almost looks like I own that charger when you look at it on plugshare.. I charge both, the Kona and our i3 at that location.. That's my favorite place to have lunch and dinner..

https://www.plugshare.com/location/220187

 

[ericy]

Too many people don't check in around here... probably 90% don't check in on plugshare..

Even that 90% is too low. There is a 50kW ChargePoint - the "recent" checkins show when I charged back in Nov, and someone else charged in Jan. That's it for "recent".

 

[Tim94549]

I can't thank you all enough for this GREAT & detailed info. I have a much better sense of what I need to be looking for and the variety of APPs/Features. Part of the major confusion I was having was the CONNECTOR TYPES showing in the various APPS, and specifically how to properly FILTER those compatible PLUGS with my KONA. (J-1772, ChaDemo, etc.) I get it about the 6kw vs 24kw vs 50kw - which will result in the a faster charge / less duration at the station. That really is my main issue. I don't wish to sit some place charging for 3 hours.

My upcoming trip doesn't involve an over-night stay anywhere. It is to be purely a (round) trip from the SF BAY AREA to CLEARLAKE, CA. The destination Distance shows around 110-120 miles, one way. Sooo, what my HOPE is that I will top off at home at 100% and make that as a round-trip without the need to CHARGE. Based on all of those APPS, there are NO Charging stations (apparently) in Clearlake area. However I just wanted to know in advance what I should expect in the event I get down to SOC of like 25-50 miles. I have all of those apps now installed on my phone.

 

[FloridaSun]

I can't thank you all enough for this GREAT & detailed info. I have a much better sense of what I need to be looking for and the variety of APPs/Features. Part of the major confusion I was having was the CONNECTOR TYPES showing in the various APPS, and specifically how to properly FILTER those compatible PLUGS with my KONA. (J-1772, ChaDemo, etc.) I get it about the 6kw vs 24kw vs 50kw - which will result in the a faster charge / less duration at the station. That really is my main issue. I don't wish to sit some place charging for 3 hours.

My upcoming trip doesn't involve an over-night stay anywhere. It is to be purely a (round) trip from the SF BAY AREA to CLEARLAKE, CA. The destination Distance shows around 110-120 miles, one way. Sooo, what my HOPE is that I will top off at home at 100% and make that as a round-trip without the need to CHARGE. Based on all of those APPS, there are NO Charging stations (apparently) in Clearlake area. However I just wanted to know in advance what I should expect in the event I get down to SOC of like 25-50 miles. I have all of those apps now installed on my phone.

Some of the apps will automatically set the filters for you based on the car you selected in your profile.. However, this will bring up J1772 plugs also which are not interesting if you are on a road trip and don't want to spend hours charging..
Plugshare is really a good app to gauge reliability of chargers. When I bought my car in Maryland (I live in Florida), I drove the car home. I stopped at an Electrify America charger in Walterboro which I found via the Chargehub app. When I got there, none of the chargers were working correctly and I was stuck there until I found a Level 2 charger which ended up costing my 3 hours to get enough charge to get to the closest Fast charger on my way home.. If I would have checked on Plugshare, I would have seen that the reliability of that charger at the time was 1.0 which means completely reliable.. Now, a year later, that charger is at 10.0 reliability which means that it always works.. On road trips try to avoid any chargers that show less than 5.0 reliability rating..

 

[Tim94549]

Some of the apps will automatically set the filters for you based on the car you selected in your profile.. However, this will bring up J1772 plugs also which are not interesting if you are on a road trip and don't want to spend hours charging..

Yea, that was my point - and what I was seeing looking at the J1772 filter = everything was like 6kw ! Thank you for clarifying.

 

[Bruce M.]

Hey, fellow Bay Area person here, also a relative newbie who generally doesn't need to charge at commercial stations. The only addition I would make to the suggestions above would be to get the Volta app and see if they have any locations near you or on your route to Clearlake. Plugshare will show Volta, but they're less numerous than some of the others and finding them on Plugshare is more work than on Volta's app. The good thing about Volta is they're FREE. Most of their plugs are level 2, but they do have some 50 kw fast chargers. But given the relative shortness of your trip, even a level 2 charge while you stop for lunch could be enough to get you all the way home -- and free is definitely my favorite price. I often shop at the Trader Joe's in Stonestown and plug in at the Volta station there -- might as well charge for free when you can.

 

[hobbit]

Unless you're doing billing via your device, you don't really need all these apps.
Charger location maps are available viia any modern browser from plugshare as
well as most of the major networks themselves, without needing an account.
Setting up an account with a given network allows some other conveniences
like remembered settings/filters, viewing billing and history, etc. Many different
ways to skin the same cat if all you want to do is find chargers.

It still requires forethought, it's not like spotting a random fuel station and
pulling in with your ICE car.

_H*

 

[R P]

It still requires forethought, it's not like spotting a random fuel station and
pulling in with your ICE car.
_H*

Definite understatement... With an ICE car all you need is a map for a trip. With an EV you need to plan ahead with plugshare (or equiv). And then hope the one you are planning to charge at is not busy or not working (happens a lot). So you need to have alternates, and don't cut it too close.

 

[FloridaSun]

Unless you're doing billing via your device, you don't really need all these apps.
Charger location maps are available viia any modern browser from plugshare as
well as most of the major networks themselves, without needing an account.
Setting up an account with a given network allows some other conveniences
like remembered settings/filters, viewing billing and history, etc. Many different
ways to skin the same cat if all you want to do is find chargers.

It still requires forethought, it's not like spotting a random fuel station and
pulling in with your ICE car.

_H*

Even with my ICE car, I would plan my gas stops, especially on routes that I knew. I was a big fan of gasbuddy.com which has city/regional/state gas prices and I would pick the cheapest gas stations. For example, when I drove from Central Florida to Houston, I would always stop at specific gas stations. The price difference often was significant. Even locally, I would always fill up my car or truck at Costco whenever possible as Costco is usually 20 to 30 cents per gallon cheaper than the rest of the stations in the area. As someone who usually drives 35k to 40k miles per year, it makes a huge difference.

 

[R P]

Even with my ICE car, I would plan my gas stops, especially on routes that I knew. I was a big fan of gasbuddy.com which has city/regional/state gas prices and I would pick the cheapest gas stations. For example, when I drove from Central Florida to Houston, I would always stop at specific gas stations. The price difference often was significant. Even locally, I would always fill up my car or truck at Costco whenever possible as Costco is usually 20 to 30 cents per gallon cheaper than the rest of the stations in the area. As someone who usually drives 35k to 40k miles per year, it makes a huge difference.

Yeah, to get the lowest gas prices, have to know where the Costco gas bars are. Wonder if they will ever install charging stations?

 

[Tim94549]

Hey, fellow Bay Area person here, also a relative newbie who generally doesn't need to charge at commercial stations. The only addition I would make to the suggestions above would be to get the Volta app and see if they have any locations near you or on your route to Clearlake. Plugshare will show Volta, but they're less numerous than some of the others and finding them on Plugshare is more work than on Volta's app. The good thing about Volta is they're FREE. Most of their plugs are level 2, but they do have some 50 kw fast chargers. But given the relative shortness of your trip, even a level 2 charge while you stop for lunch could be enough to get you all the way home -- and free is definitely my favorite price. I often shop at the Trader Joe's in Stonestown and plug in at the Volta station there -- might as well charge for free when you can.

Thanks Bruce !! I'll check that out.