Free Charging Poll..

[Bruce M.]

40 minutes is a nothing drive, litterally twice a day, every day and longer drives in the weekend is very common. Perhaps a so cal thing, we love our cars and spend time in them

And that is one of the reasons I fled SoCal nearly 30 years ago and haven't missed it for a millisecond!

 

[electriceddy]

And that is one of the reasons I fled SoCal nearly 30 years ago and haven't missed it for a millisecond!

I got to agree with you there. I used to fight the 1 - 2 hour urban drive to worksite battle for over 25 years, now when someone mentions to me the traffic was busy and the "rush hour" is getting unbearable, I have to laugh realizing that it's like a 10 minute wait at the worst of times, sigh...island life

 

[ericy]

I got to agree with you there. I used to fight the 1 - 2 hour urban drive to worksite battle for over 25 years, now when someone mentions to me the traffic was busy and the "rush hour" is getting unbearable, I have to laugh realizing that it's like a 10 minute wait at the worst of times, sigh...island life

We have been "sheltering" at our Delaware beach home since February. Which easily beats being in DC traffic. The traffic out here is from the tourists (to the point where we avoid going out on weekends). In 2 weeks they hopefully all go home. And the weather will start to improve as well.

Most of the time when I need to go out on weekends, it is a trip to Home Depot or some such. And those places open at insanely early, so I can get stuff done while the tourists are still in bed.

 

[Bruce M.]

So, getting back a bit closer to the topic of this thread: I wonder to what degree free charging infrastructure will keep up with the growing number of EVs on the road. The Volta stations I use in SF are always busy -- no more than a 50/50 chance at getting a charge, even though they have multiple plugs. I had an easier time with public free charging in downtown Monterey, but that may in part have been due to tourist business being reduced due to COVID, since they were located near major sightseeing areas. As new EV models proliferate -- Ford and VW imminent and many more to come from other companies -- will getting a free charge become more difficult?

 

[FloridaSun]

So, getting back a bit closer to the topic of this thread: I wonder to what degree free charging infrastructure will keep up with the growing number of EVs on the road. The Volta stations I use in SF are always busy -- no more than a 50/50 chance at getting a charge, even though they have multiple plugs. I had an easier time with public free charging in downtown Monterey, but that may in part have been due to tourist business being reduced due to COVID, since they were located near major sightseeing areas. As new EV models proliferate -- Ford and VW imminent and many more to come from other companies -- will getting a free charge become more difficult?

It remains to be seen.. For now, most of the free DC Fast chargers around here are going to be free until 2022. After that, I'm not sure what will happen. While my area has plenty of EVs, we are not anywhere close to the amount of EVs that there are in California for obvious reasons. However, just about every day when I drive around town, I see at least one Model 3. Today, I drove about 50 miles around town and saw about 4 Teslas. Gas prices are still around $2 per gallon in my area while in CA, they are still over $3 per gallon. For the last 13 months, I did not have to wait a single time to charge on one of the free DC chargers.. Tomorrow morning, I'll charge up my car again at the closest free 50kw charger.. That location has 2 50kw chargers and only once I saw someone else using the other 50kw unit. Many EV owners prefer to charge at home.. Local Electric rates are fairly low...

 

[cmwade77]

So, getting back a bit closer to the topic of this thread: I wonder to what degree free charging infrastructure will keep up with the growing number of EVs on the road. The Volta stations I use in SF are always busy -- no more than a 50/50 chance at getting a charge, even though they have multiple plugs. I had an easier time with public free charging in downtown Monterey, but that may in part have been due to tourist business being reduced due to COVID, since they were located near major sightseeing areas. As new EV models proliferate -- Ford and VW imminent and many more to come from other companies -- will getting a free charge become more difficult?

Well, Volta has stated they are going to begin rolling out free DC fast chargers (as high as 300kw) in many places. So here's to hoping that does continue. Of course if EVpassport works out, $39 a month for unlimited charging may dramatically reduce the need for and use of free charging stations as well. Think about that, we did a road trip end of June across the country and back I our FORD Cmax Energi, so while gas was reasonable, it was definitely a lot more than $39. And I checked with a better route planner, we could have done our entire trip without any extra time stopping to charge over what we spent getting food, bathroom breaks, etc. Also wouldn't have needed an oil change in the middle of the trip, although that only took about 15 minutes. So, imagine over 5,000 miles only only $39.

You can see why I am both excited and skeptical for their business model.

 

[Calliope]

In the wee hours of Sunday morning I went to my nearest Ikea for a DCFC charge, and I was surprised to find another driver there trying to charge his car. He had been trying both of the L3 machines, and both were not charging for him using the CCS hookup. I plugged in the CHAdeMO connector and began charging my Leaf right away, and he said he's seen that before: Because more cars use the CCS system, those charging connectors get more use and abuse -- especially at free charging stations. So they tend to break down more often.

Has anyone else noticed that where you are?

 

[electriceddy]

In the wee hours of Sunday morning I went to my nearest Ikea for a DCFC charge, and I was surprised to find another driver there trying to charge his car. He had been trying both of the L3 machines, and both were not charging for him using the CCS hookup. I plugged in the CHAdeMO connector and began charging my Leaf right away, and he said he's seen that before: Because more cars use the CCS system, those charging connectors get more use and abuse -- especially at free charging stations. So they tend to break down more often.

Has anyone else noticed that where you are?

I have found Leaf seems more forgiving on various DCFC using the CHAdeMO connection and encountered issues with CCS usually due to firmware problems which tend to get updated slower as more variety of vehicles are manufactured CCS. Sometimes it takes a while to update the chargers with the required protocols and I suspect that may have been the issue. Did you notice the make of EV that was encountering difficulty charging?

 

[Calliope]

Did you notice the make of EV that was encountering difficulty charging?

No, I didn't really look at the car, just which charger he was trying to use. Firmware is an reason I hadn't considered, but it makes sense....I had thought it might have been a physically weak connection point from people manhandling the equipment.

 

[Bruce M.]

Well, Volta has stated they are going to begin rolling out free DC fast chargers (as high as 300kw) in many places. So here's to hoping that does continue. Of course if EVpassport works out, $39 a month for unlimited charging may dramatically reduce the need for and use of free charging stations as well. Think about that, we did a road trip end of June across the country and back I our FORD Cmax Energi, so while gas was reasonable, it was definitely a lot more than $39. And I checked with a better route planner, we could have done our entire trip without any extra time stopping to charge over what we spent getting food, bathroom breaks, etc. Also wouldn't have needed an oil change in the middle of the trip, although that only took about 15 minutes. So, imagine over 5,000 miles only only $39.

You can see why I am both excited and skeptical for their business model.

A lot of business models will be tested over the next few years. I would love to see Volta expand in my corner of the world, where EVs are plentiful (there are at least 2 others, a Tesla and a Leaf, that live within a block of my house). Their app lets you suggest locations, and I've taken the liberty of offering a couple ideas.

 

[cmwade77]

We have plenty of EVs within our neighborhood, at least 5 leafs, 3 bolts, 5 Teslas, our Kona and several PHEVs, including our CMAX Energi, probably more that I missed as well.

 

[ericy]

Just got an email that they installed what looks like a level 2 charger at our office. Now I just need a couple of things:

• A reason to actually go to the office (technically closed due to covid).
• Get my car out of the shop (currently won't charge at all after a software update that went bad).

Before this, I would need to go out of my way - make a special trip to EA and pay $$, or even more out of my way for a free 50kW ChargePoint.