For park and ride locations, I would suggest a lot of 120 outlets, either free or for a quarter in a parking meter type, but if you are going to park for 6 to 9 hours, even 120 charging would give enough for a good commute
I was about the say the same thing. In fact the garage at Seattles airport did exactly that by installing 3-4 dozen 120v outlets. Makes a lot more sense when people are plugging in and leavening the car for hours (or days) at a time.
The only issue I see would be cable theft. Lots of EVSE's sitting out there all day, unsecured. A thief could hop into a park a ride, throw everybody's cords into the back of his car, drive away, and sell them all on EBay for a quick buck. Somebody needs to come with a way to actually lock a charging cord to a car in order for park-and-ride charging to become a mainstream solution.
Great video! 1 - I really need to do some roadtrip vlogs. 2 - I'm a big big fan of having redundancies at charging sites. 3 - live the look of the EA Signet chargers at night but not a fan of the crazy throttling!
Cheers Derek! I'd love to see the cars you test with EV Review Ireland (highly recommended channel, folks - th-cam.com/channels/P90Sy_pvdY1-cc2xScs90g.html - taken on longer jaunts around the Emerald Isle. Such a scenic setting for EV road trips and getting your detailed look at the car would be icing on the cake 👍
I got a Bolt EV as my loaner car from the dealership. It's what they are offering as loaner to most car and small SUV customers, so that those people can get around for a day or 2. They say it saves them quite a lot in costs.
@@plugandplayEV Exactly, and this is why I think a big part of our efforts should focus on fleets leaning electric, because the savings are realized much sooner.
Great episode! I think videos like this go a long way toward showing potential EV owners that EVs are viable for day to medium length trips in particular. And longer trips are more comfortable once an owner gains range experience with her/his particular vehicle.
Thank you! Totally agree, of course. For day trips ~200 miles one-way, it's a simple case of finding a plug to park on while enjoying the destination. Any trip like that covers a meal break as well, mostly likely on the way back, so that pretty much covers getting home. Inevitably, longer journeys take more planning, but across multiple days that same destination charging overnight lowers fuel costs and removes the need for a fast charging session the next day.
really sad ea didn't put stations in front of coffee shops like dunkin or starbucks or panera. Feel like this is way more practical and useful than Walmart because you can actually chill out inside and eat a snack and a coffee. Hope EVgo keeps putting their sites at them.
I think Walmart is just their first major partner and allowed them to accelerate across the country quickly, which is why we see such a large proportion at those locations right now. There just wouldn't be a single partner who could offer locations across the country, right next to the interstate exits, in one fell swoop. That said, I do think we're starting to see wider partnerships (Target, Bank of America, Meijer, Love's) that will start to even out the balance and provide more options to EV drivers about where they'd *like* to stop, rather than where they have to stop. The Target site in this video, for example, has both a Panera, Starbucks, and much more accessible with a short stroll across the parking lot.
It's even sadder that the vast majority of hotels still don't have any form of charging in their parking lot, even L1. The price I paid to install L2 charging at home is about 10 times a typical hotel's daily room rate (even with the extra cost to install a sub-panel). This is something that, one would think, would pay for itself in a matter of months, even if it's only used 1-2 times per week.
Great video, crazy issue with the Signet chargers, that looks like a firmware issue with the station to me, did you report it to EA and send the video of the charge rate bobbling all around?
I reported both stations, yes, and did notice a subsequent maintenance flag on the Plugshare listing. I described the incident but haven't taken time to send them the video. I'll link them to this one, though, and provide the full file if they need it.
Slow-yet-steady could well be a positive in the long term if the packs last well into the future with minimal degradation. I'd like future models to shave some time off a fast charge session, but the few early Bolts that have passed 100k miles seem to be doing well in the meantime.
@@plugandplayEV Yeah! I forget the gentlemen’s name in Vegas that has like 120k on his Bolt and fast charges it a lot and has lost very little in capacity !
Thanks Steve. I'm a little confused about the supercharger locations in CT. I always thought Tesla leased the property and paid for the install, and the state or local government had nothing to do with it. Is that correct?
Good question, you're right on the private business locations but I'm not 100% clear on the arrangement when it comes to Interstate rest areas. The Highways Agency regulates commercial activity related to the Interstate system to a limited set of categories. State transport depts have some say over exemptions, so I assume they have the say on EV charging stations as well. The reason it raised a Q for me is that some prominent service plazas in Maine and here in Mass have opened up to EVgo and ChargePoint. Those in Maine went in where Tesla Superchargers are already installed, which makes sense as the utility upgrade work has already been done. Connecticut has money to spend from Dieselgate, so it seemed like spots such as the one I visited would be a perfect place to spend that money. Unfortunately, they're prioritizing heavy vehicle upgrades (often to "clean diesel" versions) and EV infrastructure doesn't seem to be on their radar yet.
Seeing that charger density makes me both jealous and slightly second-guess purchasing an EV. How can I encourage municipalities or businesses to add EV charging, even just L2?
I think pointing to successful case studies is one way to demonstrate the value, especially of relatively inexpensive L2 stations, which both reduce installation costs and increase dwell time. ChargePoint has a few stats here: www.chargepoint.com/solutions/retail/. If you can use examples of towns or retail locations in competing regions/states, all the better. I also like the phrase "it literally puts your [business/town/whatever] on the map!" Plugshare alone had 300,000 monthly active users coming into 2020 and that's only going to grow in the near term. Chuck in the network provider's app, Google Maps etc. and the case for business/location visibility becomes pretty persuasive.
The range alone is only really fully beneficial to get a bit more driving in on the first leg of a road trip, but there are a few more improvements: 1) HD cameras (much better than 2017-'19) with more angles. 2) Improved fast charging speed in cold weather and gradual taper after 55%, rather than sudden steps down in charge rate. 3) Slightly more lumbar support in front seats. But no, not improvements I'd pay a lot for over a used 2017. But with the deals on the new model right now, if you can get in one for $20-22k, I'd get the 2020.
For park and ride locations, I would suggest a lot of 120 outlets, either free or for a quarter in a parking meter type, but if you are going to park for 6 to 9 hours, even 120 charging would give enough for a good commute
I was about the say the same thing. In fact the garage at Seattles airport did exactly that by installing 3-4 dozen 120v outlets. Makes a lot more sense when people are plugging in and leavening the car for hours (or days) at a time.
Great point, James. We always overlook the low power options but sometimes the simplest, easy to implement solutions are the best.
The only issue I see would be cable theft. Lots of EVSE's sitting out there all day, unsecured. A thief could hop into a park a ride, throw everybody's cords into the back of his car, drive away, and sell them all on EBay for a quick buck.
Somebody needs to come with a way to actually lock a charging cord to a car in order for park-and-ride charging to become a mainstream solution.
Great video!
1 - I really need to do some roadtrip vlogs.
2 - I'm a big big fan of having redundancies at charging sites.
3 - live the look of the EA Signet chargers at night but not a fan of the crazy throttling!
Cheers Derek! I'd love to see the cars you test with EV Review Ireland (highly recommended channel, folks - th-cam.com/channels/P90Sy_pvdY1-cc2xScs90g.html - taken on longer jaunts around the Emerald Isle. Such a scenic setting for EV road trips and getting your detailed look at the car would be icing on the cake 👍
@@plugandplayEV will have to stick to Dublin because of lockdown but will do for sure. Thanks for the kind words.
I got a Bolt EV as my loaner car from the dealership. It's what they are offering as loaner to most car and small SUV customers, so that those people can get around for a day or 2. They say it saves them quite a lot in costs.
Makes sense. Guess dealers don't mind the minimal maintenance when they're the ones footing the bill!
@@plugandplayEV Exactly, and this is why I think a big part of our efforts should focus on fleets leaning electric, because the savings are realized much sooner.
Great episode! I think videos like this go a long way toward showing potential EV owners that EVs are viable for day to medium length trips in particular. And longer trips are more comfortable once an owner gains range experience with her/his particular vehicle.
Thank you! Totally agree, of course. For day trips ~200 miles one-way, it's a simple case of finding a plug to park on while enjoying the destination. Any trip like that covers a meal break as well, mostly likely on the way back, so that pretty much covers getting home. Inevitably, longer journeys take more planning, but across multiple days that same destination charging overnight lowers fuel costs and removes the need for a fast charging session the next day.
Thanks for the videos always like seeing my old stomping grounds in the northeast.
Good to get back down there and have a poke around, thanks!
really sad ea didn't put stations in front of coffee shops like dunkin or starbucks or panera. Feel like this is way more practical and useful than Walmart because you can actually chill out inside and eat a snack and a coffee. Hope EVgo keeps putting their sites at them.
I think Walmart is just their first major partner and allowed them to accelerate across the country quickly, which is why we see such a large proportion at those locations right now. There just wouldn't be a single partner who could offer locations across the country, right next to the interstate exits, in one fell swoop.
That said, I do think we're starting to see wider partnerships (Target, Bank of America, Meijer, Love's) that will start to even out the balance and provide more options to EV drivers about where they'd *like* to stop, rather than where they have to stop. The Target site in this video, for example, has both a Panera, Starbucks, and much more accessible with a short stroll across the parking lot.
It's even sadder that the vast majority of hotels still don't have any form of charging in their parking lot, even L1. The price I paid to install L2 charging at home is about 10 times a typical hotel's daily room rate (even with the extra cost to install a sub-panel). This is something that, one would think, would pay for itself in a matter of months, even if it's only used 1-2 times per week.
GOAT hoodie.
When you know, you know 🤜🤛
Great video, crazy issue with the Signet chargers, that looks like a firmware issue with the station to me, did you report it to EA and send the video of the charge rate bobbling all around?
I reported both stations, yes, and did notice a subsequent maintenance flag on the Plugshare listing. I described the incident but haven't taken time to send them the video. I'll link them to this one, though, and provide the full file if they need it.
My Volt will charge quick with that L2 charger!
Dreaming of a sustained 70 kW charge rate in the Bolt, but perfectly happy with its predictable charging nature as it is.
Slow-yet-steady could well be a positive in the long term if the packs last well into the future with minimal degradation. I'd like future models to shave some time off a fast charge session, but the few early Bolts that have passed 100k miles seem to be doing well in the meantime.
@@plugandplayEV Yeah! I forget the gentlemen’s name in Vegas that has like 120k on his Bolt and fast charges it a lot and has lost very little in capacity !
Thanks Steve. I'm a little confused about the supercharger locations in CT. I always thought Tesla leased the property and paid for the install, and the state or local government had nothing to do with it. Is that correct?
Good question, you're right on the private business locations but I'm not 100% clear on the arrangement when it comes to Interstate rest areas. The Highways Agency regulates commercial activity related to the Interstate system to a limited set of categories. State transport depts have some say over exemptions, so I assume they have the say on EV charging stations as well.
The reason it raised a Q for me is that some prominent service plazas in Maine and here in Mass have opened up to EVgo and ChargePoint. Those in Maine went in where Tesla Superchargers are already installed, which makes sense as the utility upgrade work has already been done. Connecticut has money to spend from Dieselgate, so it seemed like spots such as the one I visited would be a perfect place to spend that money. Unfortunately, they're prioritizing heavy vehicle upgrades (often to "clean diesel" versions) and EV infrastructure doesn't seem to be on their radar yet.
Seeing that charger density makes me both jealous and slightly second-guess purchasing an EV. How can I encourage municipalities or businesses to add EV charging, even just L2?
I think pointing to successful case studies is one way to demonstrate the value, especially of relatively inexpensive L2 stations, which both reduce installation costs and increase dwell time. ChargePoint has a few stats here: www.chargepoint.com/solutions/retail/. If you can use examples of towns or retail locations in competing regions/states, all the better.
I also like the phrase "it literally puts your [business/town/whatever] on the map!" Plugshare alone had 300,000 monthly active users coming into 2020 and that's only going to grow in the near term. Chuck in the network provider's app, Google Maps etc. and the case for business/location visibility becomes pretty persuasive.
I have a customer I go to near that target. I literally drive past it on my way to them😆
You know all the stops!
Plug and Play EV haha absolutely 😆
Did you replace your 2017 with a 2020?
Yes. Started another lease on a 2020 Premier back in January.
Plug and Play EV Do you think the small bump in range is worth it? That’s the only difference between the model years, correct?
The range alone is only really fully beneficial to get a bit more driving in on the first leg of a road trip, but there are a few more improvements:
1) HD cameras (much better than 2017-'19) with more angles.
2) Improved fast charging speed in cold weather and gradual taper after 55%, rather than sudden steps down in charge rate.
3) Slightly more lumbar support in front seats.
But no, not improvements I'd pay a lot for over a used 2017. But with the deals on the new model right now, if you can get in one for $20-22k, I'd get the 2020.
@@plugandplayEV Cool! Thanks.