Electrify America clarified their unfair policy

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheLight75
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TheLight75

TheLight75

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Over the weekend, I stopped to charge my Kona at an EA station. Once the session ended, I was surprised to see that I was charged their tier 2 rate of $0.58/min since my "max charging rate" was only 73.68 kW (below the 76-125 kW range for tier 2). I called them today to discuss and request a credit for the difference to which they confirmed that their official policy is the rate is based off the THEORETICAL maximum of the vehicle, not the actual max charging rate used during the session. They seemed to think this is perfectly acceptable.

This got me thinking.. Do any local, state, or federal bodies regulate public EV charging stations billing practices? I'd love to follow-up with the regulators, if I could figure out who to file a complaint with.... ?!
 
You have my sympathies. The last time I used one, I saw only one rate at the Manchester TN station and it was pretty severe. I see now they have:
  • $1.00 session fee
  • $0.99/min - 126-350 kW
  • $0.69/min - 76-125 kW
  • $0.25/min - 0-75 kW
Compared to a Tesla SuperCharger:
  • $0.26/min >= 60 kW, typical upper limit is 120 kW
  • $0.13/min < 60 kW
Bob Wilson
 
Knew these miss understandings were going to happen. I feel for you.

I know in NZ it’s illegal to charge for a service you don’t provide. That’s the angle I’d look into.
 
Utilities (like power companies) are regulated. Charging providers are not.

Generally speaking, if you charge by the kWh, you would be considered a "utility". Some states, like Oregon, have specifically written an exception that allows for electric vehicle charging to be billed by the kWh. Many places do not allow this practice and that is one reason why you see charging billed by the minute instead of by the kWh.

EA rates are not regulated. You're choice whether or not to use them, and you get to decide if what they charge provides sufficient value. Definitely would not be price gouging as they are almost certainly losing money with the current price structure.
 
DucRider said:
Utilities (like power companies) are regulated. Charging providers are not.

Generally speaking, if you charge by the kWh, you would be considered a "utility". Some states, like Oregon, have specifically written an exception that allows for electric vehicle charging to be billed by the kWh. Many places do not allow this practice and that is one reason why you see charging billed by the minute instead of by the kWh.

EA rates are not regulated. You're choice whether or not to use them, and you get to decide if what they charge provides sufficient value. Definitely would not be price gouging as they are almost certainly losing money with the current price structure.
Click to expand...

EA is supposed to be Atonement for the dieselgate. So I am not going to cry over their losses. Their objective is supposed to be promote EV usage and not to make a profit. Yes they may not be regulated but the expectation is they will be reasonable and transparent, which VW was not in dieselgate. That is what irks me, that the state regulators did not generally force VW to live up to the terms of the agreement.
 
I do see a lot of greed in higher speed charge stations. Everyone seems to be trying to figure out how quickly to recover their investment costs rather than promoting their stations. Points to lack of competition. Having said that, it’s interesting to observe what’s happened at my own place of employment where 6 Level 2 Charge Point stations are right next to 6 trickle (120 volt) charge stations that are free. Turns out the only people using the Charge Point stations are those that don’t have convenient home charging options (I.e., live in an apartment complex). All of those with garages are all more than satisfied with the free trickle charges while they work. It’s also interesting that a year ago there was only 1 or 2 of the stations occupied but now there are usually half of the stations with cars charging. The majority of the vehicles are PHEVs rather than BEVs so that’s also telling.


Sent from my iPad using Inside EVs
 
@DVoran I'm not surprised, since in a 9 hour day the L1 will give more than 30 miles of range, enough for most one-way commutes. I decided to stick with L1 charging at home since my 48-mile PHEV capacity is filled in 10.5 hours.

With larger EV ranges, I think that chargers at workplaces and multi-family housing have become more important than at shopping destinations. I doubt most owners of new EVs need a mid-trip charge on a regular basis, but there are many people interested in EVs who don't control the area near where they park.

DC Fast Charging is another story which is oriented more towards long distance travel routes.
 
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