Years ago, there were a good number of free Level 2 chargers. When they were free, they got a lot of use by people regardless of where they were. Where I live, there was always a shortage of public charging of any kind. About a year or two ago, the first Level 2 chargers were installed in my town. The first went in at the Town Hall, four plugs run by Flo. Then a group of 6 went in at a community parking lot in town, near some athletic fields and some small businesses. They are charging 34 cents/kwh. That may sound outrageous to those of you who don't live in New England, but I pay about 23 cents/kwh at home. They have to charge enough to make some profit, right? In the year or so that they have been installed, I have seen exactly one car ever charging at them!
So, my question is, who is using public level 2 charging that is not free (or almost equivalent to the rate they would pay at home)? When people go to Town Hall, how long are they expected to be there? When I go, I'm usually there for anywhere from 5-20 minutes. Why would I bother using a Level 2 charger? If I'm having breakfast or lunch at a small business, or going into a store for 20 minutes, why would I even bother? What am I going to get, 5-10 miles of range? I understand that there are many people that can't charge at home. And for those people DCFC is expensive. Around here prices seem to be anywhere from 43-60 cents/kwh for DCFC. But who is the person that is going to pay 34 cents/kwh to charge at 6kw? Maybe it's just my area that is so expensive? I can see the case for public level two charging where people will be spending multiple hours, but where is that these days? Hotels seem like a very logical place for them or businesses where employees park all day. Even Level 1 would work there.
So, my question is, who is using public level 2 charging that is not free (or almost equivalent to the rate they would pay at home)? When people go to Town Hall, how long are they expected to be there? When I go, I'm usually there for anywhere from 5-20 minutes. Why would I bother using a Level 2 charger? If I'm having breakfast or lunch at a small business, or going into a store for 20 minutes, why would I even bother? What am I going to get, 5-10 miles of range? I understand that there are many people that can't charge at home. And for those people DCFC is expensive. Around here prices seem to be anywhere from 43-60 cents/kwh for DCFC. But who is the person that is going to pay 34 cents/kwh to charge at 6kw? Maybe it's just my area that is so expensive? I can see the case for public level two charging where people will be spending multiple hours, but where is that these days? Hotels seem like a very logical place for them or businesses where employees park all day. Even Level 1 would work there.
