Public Charging US

[Greatwhite]

Have the i3 REX and love it, had it a week now and the only frustrating thing I've found is what a pain public charging can be. I activated the chargenow cards that came with the car and use the app for my iPhone along with what the car nav system reports to locate local charging stations. For whatever reason Chargenow lists stations in private car parks that the public can't access as well as out of network charging stations, discovered a station near my office in SF that uses its own RFID cards so couldn't use it, also found a fast charger near me as I have that connector on the i3 only to discover it was NRG another RFID account and the fast charge connector is unique to the leaf.

Hopefully public charging gets easier and not carrying multiple accounts and car manufacturers stop opting for proprietary connectors as this only slows down adoption, anyone found anything better than chargenow or is that the biggest network currently?

Cheers,

Stuart

 

[Zzzoom3]

Chargepoint is the biggest and best network. I also have an NRG EVGO access card. Their so-called "Freedom Stations" are springing up all over CA due to a legal settlement with CA requiring them to install $100 million worth of charging infrastructure here. You might also be interested to read my post about home charging that has some Chargepoint details.

CHAdeMO and SAE are NOT "proprietary". These are open standards. Current vehicle manufacturers have adopted one standard or the other. Freedom Station DC Fast Chargers are supposed to get an SAE plug. Some already have it.

Lou

 

[jadnashuanh]

Most manufacturer's in the USA agreed to go with the connector found on the i3 last year. NIssan and Tesla, at least for now, have not, but Tesla does sell an adapter plug to let them use the same one the i3 does as I understand it (it's not quite that simple as just a new plug). Most new ones will have the plug chosen for the i3...some will just add another cord, so there are both that for the Leaf and the others.

 

[stumbledotcom]

Hi Stuart. I'm in SF also so can relate to the issues with the Chargepoint network that you point out. The app does show info under the station details about whether the access is public/private and if there's a cost for the charge. As you point out, most stations in SF are in parking garages. In the city-owned garages, you have to pay the parking fee but at least the charge is free.

I've only been able to find a single SAE CCS station in the Bay Area. It's at the VW Group research center in Belmont about 11 miles south of SFO. You do have to have an account with Greenlots (free app and registration) but there's no cost for the charge. Big caveat: The one time I went there a few weeks ago, I couldn't get the station to recognize my i3. The Greenlots phone rep told me they've been having issues with that station and i3's. The only way to get it to recognize the vehicle is to power cycle charge unit--a VW employee has to flip a physical switch. Of course, I was there on a Saturday and VW was closed so that was impossible. The location only has public fast charge also. The level-2 chargers in the parking lot are not open to the public so I wouldn't try it if don't have enough power to reach another charger.

NRG does have several Freedom stations in the area. They have both level 2 and 3 chargers. However right now level 3 is only CHAmeDO. They are committed to adding SAE CCS plugs to the existing locations but are waiting for hardware. Future stations will be built with all three plugs. Yes, you have to have a separate account and each charge is for a fee. The basic account has a one-time setup fee of about $5 then level 2 charges are $1.50/hr.

I think the best public charging option right now is voltacharging.com which is a new ad-supported network. There's no fee for the level 2 charge, no access card required. They only have a few locations right now but there are four spaces at Stonestown, which has free parking of course. Two are on the surface in front of Trader Joes. Two more are in the central underground garage, just to the right at the entrance.

 

[stillageek]

Download an app called Plugshare. It covers all public and private charging locations. It's very handy as users leave reviews, tips and photos of units.

 

[Greatwhite]

Thanks for all the feedback greatly appreciated I'll download the app.

If anyone flies out of Oakland I highly recommend https://www.expressoparking.com/ev they offer long term parking and free EV charging which is included in the valet option of $15 a day and have a special of $11 a day right now.

Company. I work for purchased a bigger building in SF which we migrate to later this year and will have level 2 chargers available, can't wait as that will stop me using the REX side for commutes to work and home

Cheers,

Stuart

 

[jadnashuanh]

Most of the federal tax credits for installing EVSE expired last year, but companies can still get green credits by installing them, so discussing it with them, may end up being productive.