Charge Point sales team....please, please, please come to Minnesota. Our charging infrastructure is so far behind a state like Colorado. For a progressive, outdoorsie state like Minnesota, its just such a shame how far behind we are.
ChargePoint is a horrible business model for site operators. They charge a lot for crappy Level 2 AC chargers. Look at how much the state of Maine paid for their level 2 chargers: www.maine.gov/future/sites/maine.gov.dafs.bbm.procurementservices/files/inline-files/2020%20MA%2018P%20200730-004%20Web%20Doc.pdf The ongoing costs are insane too. Contrast that with Tesla that only charges $595 for a NACS/CCS wall connector. For the cost of a ChargePoint charger, you can maintain a Tesla Wall Connector and offer every car that comes by free charging while still spending less than what ChargePoint wants.
I work for a fairly large company that can afford to install a bunch of level 2 chargers in our parking lots. It is very apparent, that the service contracts are *VERY* expensive -- the company essentially have been asking people to be vigilant about "sharing" and "careful" the use of the chargers. Invariably there are carelssess people or network/configurations/hardwore issues occur, as the number of working dispensers dwindles.
I've used many chargepoint stations across the country. As you say, they aren't super fast. But I've never encountered one that didn't work. And that's honestly more important to me than speed. I'd rather plan on being at the station an extra 10 minutes with the assurance that it will work, than risk going to a high power station from Francis or somebody like that, and then it not work.
We have about 8 of those exact units in the video spread around my work and about half of them work. I think they're heavily neglected since they're only open to employees. Has really colored my view of those units though.
When I first tried to use ChargePoint, I had to go to 4 locations before I could find one that actually worked. The connector is finicky and there is a small piece that is easily damaged that will keep the charger from engaging. When I finally did locate a unit that was not broken, it worked fine and the app was friendly enough. Is it fast, yes faster than my level 2 at home, but not 250kw fast like the Gen 3 Tesla Superchargers. Say what you want, this is not a reliable "backbone", no way I would feel comfortable on the road having to rely on this network to get me charged and from point A to point B. Tesla supercharger network, now there is a backbone!
@@davidbondiwell stated mate. I thought the term backbone sounded a bit like an AD. Everyone raves about the ease, reliability and simplicity of Tesla charging, but ChargePoint? I’m calling BS here.
If they're not broken, completely kaput, then they work great. There are a lot that are in that completely-broken condition. But I'm hoping for the best for CP.
I took the $500 of Evgo credit w/ my Chevy Bolt EV, and it can be used on ChargePoint chargers. I drove from Arkansas to northern Minnesota and back, twice, using almost entirely ChargePoint chargers. Never touched EA, only used 1 Evgo charger. ChargePoint chargers were extremely reliable, and while some had lower speeds like 62Kw, that didn't cause a problem for my Bolt's top speed of 55. In the 3+ years of owning an EV, I've used EA once and it worked fine, but ChargePoint has been my proven champion.
Alyssa, you're a genius! First, you flip sides to get the beautiful Fall foliage in the background, then you add an important fact to the discussion, than you push in when the truck goes by to get better sound. MVP of the Out Of Spec team!
Thank goodness for ChargePoint -- often the only oasis in the midst of the many CCS "charging deserts" here in the Midwest. ChargePoint units have often meant the difference between success and failure for a number of trips we've taken in Iowa/southeastern Minnesota/southwestern Wisconsin. 60 kW in a pinch -- heck yes, I'll take it, and be glad to have it.
Imagine having the head start of Electrify America with billions invested and completely fumbling the ball as badly as they have. Glad to see someone in the CCS world is actually performing.
Its such an absurd situation, if the EA stations had actually been reliable and durable they would have eventually been money printers for VW group. It's just laziness, they buy a charger from whoever the fuck manufacturer, slap a logo on it, install the charger, pocket the subsidy money, move on. Whereas had they actually had a hand in designing reliable charging units and keeping them maintained, they could have actually made real revenue in the long-run. Instead, they've left heaps of money sitting on the table, and completely lost customer faith at the same time.
I agree, I love these chargers, and the 40 minutes (or less if they are paired) it takes to charge my EV6 from 20% - 80% is perfect to run into a cafe and hit the restroom on a road trip, but the problem is they are always installed in sets of one or two. You have just a single person in front of you and that 40 minutes goes to an hour and a half. I would love to see larger installs with 4 or 6 of these.
That's the "Beauty" or "Downfall" of this. The property owner may not jump at all if the deal was 4 or 6 minimum. Potentially leaving a gap in coverage. Unfortunately using "Better than nuthin'" for a marketing campaign isn't a good idea.
Especially when you don’t have an 800v car. It’s INFURIATING when these are the only option on major corridors, because when their installed in sets of 2 and their both used you drop to 30kw per car and it takes almost 2 hours to charge
They are the only major charging provider that allows owners to own the cabinets. Together with having a network and payment infrastructure, and a new optional service plan, makes them the only option for people who want to provide charging and own the revenue.
It's in their interest to keep the things up and running. As opposed to maybe the charger company having to pay a fee to pop chargers on someone's property. If the property owner gets paid whether they work or not, the property owner doesn't really care if they work or not. Having skin in the game focuses the mind of the entity that has the unit.
I’m a big fan of ChargePoint. I had a leaf and now have a Kona so the 62kw limit isn’t much of a limit to me and they AWAYS work. Have never had a failed session. CP is the only network that ever delivered the 50kW my leaf could take.
I just completed a road trip to Oregon which relied on Chargepoint chargers in the town I was staying in. The chargers worked great and 50 kW was just about the right speed for walking to one of the many restaurants within a couple blocks of the charger and eating dinner. However, as the number of EVs increases, the amount of charging capacity is going to have to vastly increase with it. This site had 4 chargers, which would have been pretty good 2-3 years ago, but is likely to be woefully inadequate 2-3 years from now, due to increasing numbers of EVs on the road. We also need lots more overnight level 2 charging at hotels and AirBnb's, as the general lack of it puts a lot of pressure on the limited supply of DC chargers, especially if the appeal of eating dinner while charging results in everybody staying at the town trying to hit the same DC chargers at the same time.
Great comment. I just did a 700 mile road trip on the Eastern Seaboard. I generally was able to use EA 350 fast chargers and get to 85% in about 12-15 minutes. Had some slow 50kw charges in Quebec, but that was offset by incredibly low prices and restaurants close by. It took an hour to go up to 80%. You are correct, Level2 at hotel/motel is awesome. I am running some numbers on the microeconomics; Level2 is the place where hotels and small businesses can make some profit. Low cost of install (under $5k-$10k for a charger) and charging the same price per KW delivered as the fast chargers means that small businesses can actually profit from this. It's not perfect, but being able to add 11Kw per hour makes a big difference when you spend a couple hours walking around a downtown area, at a restaurant, or inside a mall.
ChargePoint 125kW saved my hide traveling through Columbia, SC when the EA station was down last week. Most consistent power delivery of any DC charger I’ve ever used.
They recently opened some DC fast chargers at a grocery store I frequent (ideal location imho) and the charger states that it can do 150kW at 1000V, which surprised me as usually you see 150kW chargers getting limited to 500V. So I had to test it out and yes, my Ioniq 6 was able to charge at 150kW at that charger :) . It's nice to see more and more DC chargers popping up everywhere and nice that more and more support 1000V
Here in south east Pennsylvania, we have many ChargePoint locations. They seem to be the popular choice among local municipalities just starting out with installing EV chargers. Some even offer free charging. As a Leaf owner, I appreciate that the ChargePoint DC chargers around here usually have a CHAdeMO connector. But the most important factor to me is that they are reliable and easy to use, including the app.
Recently ran in to a pair of them that were off line and unavailable. Which was really bad as I I waist the middle of no where. Found a level 2 and charged for 2 hours to get 40 miles down the road to the next DC charger. The units that were off line were that way for 2 weeks. I tried calling Customer service, after an hour of music on hold, I gave up. They didn't answer my emails either
Salida CO has a bunch of FREE ChargePoint L2 chargers, located all over the town. That's a great way to get tourists to stick around for a few hours. Some free Rivian L2 chargers at the downtown Safeway, too.
The ChargePoint units in Missouri are really an exception to this story about how great they are. Not sure if it’s ChargePoint, Ameren (the elec utility provider that has their name all over the chargers), or the site owners… but they were all derated (unannounced) this summer to 30kW, literally all of them in eastern MO. And we have no idea why or if that will happen again moving forward.
Totally agree. Ameren Missouri runs these and derates them constantly. Ameren must be run by a bunch of anti-ev luddites. They took the fed handouts and ran. Crooks.
I would assume that's the fault of the stations' owner (Ameren?). ChargePoint themselves would have no reason I can imagine to force the owner/operator to de-rate them. It was probably done to "support the grid" while people were heavily using AC in the summer.
Yes, but I have had so many bad experiences at Chargepoint stations because business do not maintain them. This is a huge problem with your business model.
Tesla has installed 27 new 250 kW Supercharger stations just in the month of October in the US. Locations have 8-20 stalls. This has been pretty much the standard install rate in 2023 with 2024 and beyond anticipated to go at a faster pace. Chargepoint while a great addition will have a hard time keeping up especially with the tight software integration advantage Tesla has. To state in the headline Chargepoint will be the EV backbone is a stretch.
I used one recently, it was located nearby a super-busy Supercharger along I-25 in Southern Colorado and I'm so glad I have a CCS adapter. Saved me a 30+ min wait for a not much higher kWh rate!
Still with Tesla stock, investors can never be sure what will happen next, bearish periods ultimately establish a new set of stocks to buy and watch while setting the stage for a robust new uptrend. I have been reading articles of people that grossed profits up to $250k during this crash, what are the best stocks to buy now or put on a watchlist?
I agree, that's the more reason I prefer my day to day investment decisions being guided by an advisor, seeing that their entire skillset is built around going long and short at the same time both employing risk for its asymmetrical upside and laying off risk as a hedge against the inevitable downward turns, coupled with the exclusive information/analysis they have, it's near impossible to not out-perform, been using my advisor for over 2years+ and I've netted over 2.8million.
I've had majority of my holdings in ETFs, tech stocks and I've had 45% increase in my portfolio, especially with Nvidia P/E (price to earnings ratio) adding few others, personally, coach Jennifer Lea Jenson take good care of my holdings.
As a Tesla driver, I have used their L2 chargers many places - especially in parking garages to charge up while I'm doing something else. In particular, the South Gondola parking structure in Breckenridge. Since moving to Colorado, I am considering getting a CCS adaptor so I can use their L3 chargers since they are in several small towns throughout Colorado.
Hi Kyle, great video! I'm the local ChargePoint rep in Colorado, and wanted to let you know we can now replace those plug clips with a better engineered clip without the need to replace the head unit. It's very cheap (less than $20 dollars) and takes about 5 mins to replace. Cheers!
I love seeing replies, coming directly from ChargePoint agents answering concerns. The recent change in leader ship can only help they were in charge and got us into this situation. I’m rooting for ChargePoint. I’m in construction and I see them everywhere.
Chargpoint needs to add boost logic to their CPE250 cables pronto! They would be much more useful at 300 amps and the cable is plenty capable of that power level.
I used a 62kW version one of these for the first time last week in Burlington Washington. Worked great on my first try, just a bit slow for my ID.4 topping out at 61kW.
Charge Point DC chargers all over in Michigan mitten. They always work! It’s rare when they don’t, although the closest ones to me in Owosso, Michigan are turned off - been this way for weeks. They are the perfect charge speed to have near restaurants, shopping centers, or grocery stores.
Side note, this is a perfect illustration of why driver-side charge ports are bad. With any curbside charger, the cable needs to be pulled across the front of the vehicle, and the wand is sticking out into traffic. Should it get clipped by a passing car, then both the car and the charging hardware will suffer expensive damage. (Rivian's angled port at least minimizes the exposure as compared to a perpendicular port, but it's still a bad location.)
Curbside charging is not practical, and owning an EV is bound to be a disappointment if you do not first own a garage to L2 charge it and keep it warm. Driver’s side charge ports are located with DCFC in mind, and are more convenient in inclement weather. A solution? Dual charge ports! The cost would probably be $100s, but as a percentage of EV price, most would find it a very acceptable increase for the value. Or, make it a factory-installed option.
@@89five3five For curbside charging? No, not in the USA. (Unless you want an expensive ticket, and possibly a moving violation if a cop catches you in the act of driving the wrong way to pull up to the charger.)
@@carsonassociates3263 Dual charge ports would be great! Or maybe a center-located charge port like on the Leaf, but that may limit some design elements of the car.
we' ve LOVE Chargepoint simply by the reasons you mention: NUMEROUS LOCATIONS and available with many more cities/utilities/regions, and businesses... so many new DUAL Chargers popping up all over our area... and we are very RURAL. Love it.
They put one of these (60 kW) in Gardiner, MT and it's great. Did the Beartooth Highway twice this summer in my M3P. Just need one in Red Lodge now. I also used these this summer up in Whitefish with zero issues. Not bad at all Also, it was de-rated to 30 kW last time I went there. I filed a support ticket and they fixed it within a week
I charged at the Lvl 2 stations in Red Lodge while we ate and shopped around for a few hours. Was enough to get back to Canyon Village and plug in at the hotel. But, they need a lot more charging stalls there for such a big hotel. The 4 they have there wasn't enough between other EVs and being ICE'd. With Yellowstone area being so popular, I'm surprised there aren't as much public charging options. Might have to do with the heavy anti-EV stance the governer has... Red Lodge could use a few DCFC stalls for beartooth, and there definitely needs to be more DCFC/SC options in the Wind River Reservation area, and in Jackson. I stopped at a LVL 2 station between casper and jackson to charge for 1.5 hours. It was an hour faster than going all the way around the state, but would have saved a ton of time if there was even a 50kW station somewhere in the reservation area.
I’ve been wanted to drive portland to red lodge in m VW. Still a weird hole through Bozeman that boggles my mind. EA might be building a location there. Montana is one of the trickiest states right now
@@ben3989Bozeman has two Tesla Supercharger lots, but it is strange that even their Walmart doesn’t have any charging. The way things are going, it could be the third Supercharger lot, but Bozeman overall needs more chargers along Main Street.
@@TechTab00because they care, and have the resources to make them great. I don't trust chargers like chargepoint to not fall into a state of disrepair. I hope that's not the case.
@@TechTab00 Tesla owns the stations. ChargePoint does not own the stations after sold to a site, just the network communications on the back side. If a site owner doesn't maintain the station, there is little CP can do about it. If a driver calls in a support issue, CP will work with the site owner to see what options are available with their warranty or contract if a repair is even possible. Since Tesla owns the stations, they have teams that will go out and mark stations needed for replacement and can schedule and replace the parts quickly, having mainly to only answer to themselves for the service. Also Tesla only (mostly right now anyway) needs to work with Tesla. So developing the protocol for communications between the station and your own small range of vehicles is quite a bit easier to develop and test than being an open standard that has to support a wide range of vehicles like a Leaf all the way up to a metro bus or even a EV boat. It is also reported that Tesla chargers with the Magic adapter having communication issues with non-Tesla vehicles, so Tesla isn't quite as universally reliable as you think. The cables of a Tesla charger are also smaller and easier to manage because they don't actually fully meet specifications. Sure enough the EU model Superchargers use different thicker cables that are certified, but in the US, the cables are as small as electrically they can make them for their cars with such a charging curve on a "small" battery. If a Tesla charger was charging for instance a very low SOC Hummer at full speed up to 100%, it will thermally throttle or damage itself because of the high current for long amounts of time. CP stations are built for buses to charge their 400-600kwh battery packs at up to 200KW in the current EXPP product. The cables are also shorter because Tesla can count on the charging port to be a consistent distance away from the station because it makes the car, too. This lets them get away making thinner cables because they are shorter and don't have to be shielded as well. Making a more universal station required beefier and more complicated cables. And you still need the app for that. There are also reports of new Superchargers with the credit card reader installed so you don't need the app that are also having issues starting the charge sessions because of protocol issues.
But ChargePoint’s software engineering team needs to do a better job of listening more to station owners on software enhancements. One of many examples: a station owner can set pricing and overstay fees, but it’s fairly basic and there are no advanced options such as the ability to disable the overstay fee overnight at multifamily properties so residents can charge overnight and not have to move their car at 3am to avoid the overstay fee. I think we may need to push for more competition in the marketplace and have grant funding support this.
Am I missing something here? The Tesla chargers I use away from home are 250kw an hour. Why are these so slow? It would take so much longer on one of these?
If you have a Tesla, these aren’t really geared to you. However for everyone else these do work well…and typically pull rated charge. Very much like EA and a couple others that seem to be a crapshoot. Maybe 150kWh+….maybe 3kWh. When traveling, these are always on the plan A, B, C….and sometimes Z list.
If you have a Tesla, these aren’t really geared to you. However for everyone else these do work well…and typically pull rated charge. Very much unlike EA and a couple others that seem to be a crapshoot. Maybe 150kWh+….maybe 3kWh. When traveling, these are always on the plan A, B, C….and sometimes Z list.
These are local curbside charging units, they aren’t meant to be used by people who need to drive 800 miles in a day. Though, they probably are given how there aren’t enough working chargers. Carbondale in Colorado might just be a lunch stop along the way to skiing.
The 200kw ones in Estes Park are great in warm weather, awful in cold temps. I was in a Kia EV6 and got 170kw at 59% when it was 65F out and got 34kw at 30% on preconditioned battery when it was 36F out. On the same charger one day apart with no other vehicles charging!
What’s really cool is back in your live stream of the EV6 70 mile an hour range test you were pretty adamant that the CPE 250 was not good on the consumer side. I think that speaks volumes for ChargePoint and how they really started to up their game.❤
I haven't seen any Chargepoint DCFC units in Western Washington. I use their level 2 chargers at parks and parking lots in Bellingham at times with no issues.
A CHAdeMO to NACS retrofit would be impractical even using an adapter because the Leaf uses CAN buss communication instead of CCS protocols to negotiate DC fast charging sessions. Instead of trying to get CHAdeMO to work with NACS, Tesla should just open up all the older Version 2 150kw Superchargers up to CHAdeMO EVs with an adapter since they also use CAN buss communications to initiate DC fast charging sessions. This would require a very simple update to the CHAdeMO firmware along with ‘charge my non-Tesla’ access to version 2 Supercharger stations for those with a CHAdeMO to trident port adapter.
He's talking about completely replacing the cable on the stations. They already support CCS communication, and CCS communications can run over NACS physical connector (this is how the Tesla CCS adapter currently works, but only for Teslas that "support CCS"). Since all these ChargePoint stations with a CCS physical connector are already using that protocol for the communication, I assume it's probably just a software config on the charger.
@@gotamd Well, there’s a difference between the NACS standard and how older Version 2 Tesla superchargers work. Originally the supercharger network protocols were modeled on the only other DC fast charging standard in the market at the time, which was CHAdeMO. The CHAdeMO plug was big and ugly, but the underlying CAN buss protocol was simple and easy to implement. Tesla came up with their own svelte plug but decided to use the existing CAN buss protocols instead of developing a whole new DC fast charging protocol. All Tesla EVs can charge on CHAdeMO stations with a simple adapter. Newer Tesla EVs can charge on both CAN buss systems as well as CCS protocol systems. CHAdeMO EVs can only charge on CAN buss protocol chargers. CHAdeMO EVs don’t speak CCS. If ChargePoint and other DCFC operators remove the CHAdeMO plugs in favor of NACS plugs, CHAdeMO EVs won’t be able to use them even with an adapter, because the NACS standard doesn’t retain the CAN buss protocols and instead uses CCS protocols exclusively. That would be disastrous for Leaf owners. That’s why I suggested that Tesla open up their older non-NACS superchargers to the Leaf community with an adapter.
Chargepoint has been one of the most reliable charging networks for me since 2020 as a CCS user. Only recently has Electrify America improved enough to make me choose them mainly because of improved speed.
My alma mater (UM Ann Arbor) is installing 400 level 2 Chargepoint chargers atriums campus. They’re charging $1 per hour, though I think there will be a 4 hour limit.
Sorry but Charge Point is the worst around here. Too expensive, and most are broken. I avoid them as much as possible. I am in Florida. Especially all the 25kw ones that they set up but are no longer working. Most of them are at dealerships. Very crappy support as well.
ChaegePoint is in a partnership with Volvo and Starbucks to equip 15 stores along the Denver/Salt Lake City/Boise/Seattle corridor, providing a 4x62kW station roughly every 100-130 miles. Three of five planned for Colorado [Grand Junction (online), Glenwood Springs (online), Silverthorne (no progress), Idaho Springs (no progress, Broomfield (online)] are now online. Have you visited any?
My experience with ChargePoint in Colorado is great. If they're not damaged or broken. And there are a lot in this condition. I have charged my Model Y in Fairplay, Co and Conifer, Co and they do good. I charged at Conifer today and it was excellent, but 3 of the 4 cables at the two units were broken off the arm they hang on and were on the ground, including the one I successfully charged on. I have a lot of hope for ChargePoint.
The additional time-based charges not only encourage drivers to unplug when they are done, but also encourage people to not charge up to 100% which is a good thing. So I think the time-based charges are fine if the power-based charges and not also high. This does, however, mean that cars that charge slowly are penalized.
Most of them in Chattanooga (level 2) have 1 stall with 2 connections and most have at least one broken almost all the time. Either won’t start charge or handle latch broken.
In Westchester County NY the only place I've seen these level three ChargePoint charging stations is at a Cadillac dealership and they all say unavailable. I've had problems with the ChargePoint app at its level two charging stations, some of which don't work. Right now the big plus of EV is charging at home. I hate gas stations. Eventually public charging stations will improve and spread. Lower EV prices will drive that.
ChargePoint has a lot of experience, with the best AC charging infrastructure literally everywhere. All they gotta do is upgrade their AC locations to DC (at least every 20 miles)
This sounds like an AD to me. Just a few short weeks ago, he and his dad were raving about Tesla superchargers. I’m smelling BS here ( and a sponsor too)….
Here in SC and south NC I usually end up using ChargePoint and honestly between the dealers and municipalities using CP machines/network it’s has the best coverage and options for charging. Way better than Electrify America which is unfortunate because I still get free charging at EA for another year on my Ioniq 5. Not yet had any problems with CP chargers being down which I have at EA.
It’s worth mentioning that there are too many Charge Point L2 and even CCS post that are offline LITERALLY because no one will swap the $10 cellular model card from a 2G to a 4G part. There is also a “new” 3 year old charge point near me that is powered but won’t activate a session because the property owner paid for the install but doesn’t pay the $8 service fee so it just show an offline message on the screen. Insane
In Quebec, they install and provide the DC charger for free. Only give the land and space they need. The only catch is that they keep the profit, but they maintain everything-ideas to bring more traffic to your business. they provide 50 100 120 180 kw units depending on the traffic in your area and power availability from their website all Flo units. I never went to one and it didn’t work. Fast-Charge Station The cost of purchasing and installing this type of charging station is now assumed entirely by Hydro-Québec. However, you can participate to the deployment by allocating a piece of land and this will bring new customers to your business.
Was at EA this week. Tried 2, the others were full. Best I got was 30kWh. RAN charger down the highway topped out at 213kWh. It’s not the vehicle, it’s the charger.
Chris, Bight your tongue on taking out the Chademo's. Nissan drivers don't have an adaptor to shift to any other standard. On the other hand Lectron does make a CCS1 to Tesla (NACS) adaptor. So take out the CCS1 and install an NACS instead.
ChargePoint is the most common CCS option in SW Colorado. Some were recently upgraded to 200 kw units. Those had some initial downtime in the couple of months after installation but they now seem to be working well.
The combination of NEVI and other funding schemes, and the weak position of Electrify America, I think we're the the verge of seeing an rapid expansion of other entrants into the arena. If ChargePoint and get some higher powered versions out in numbers that'd be nice.
Hey Kyle, can you do a follow up on ChargePoint, specifically regarding the lawsuit between Harley-Davidson and ChargePoint? If you haven’t heard, ChargePoint installed a network of fast-DC chargers at the Harley-Davidson dealerships when Harley came out with their electric motorcycle Livewire),but then ChargePoint completely dropped the ball. The entire network is down; electric motorcyclists are out of luck…
I considered a 11kW CP to share at our 52 unit condominium. But, the cost to buy it and annual service program was awful expensive. There are at least a half dozen other brands with billing capability priced 75% lower. As a CP user, their reliability is excellent. However, most level 2 installations only deliver 6kW using 30A @ 208V causing a very slow charge. While living in an apartment, my parking space had a CP charger only delivering 195V. My Tesla frequently rejected that low voltage assuming a defective extension cord. CP service refused to fix it because they hid behind the operator who was clueless on technical issues.
I like the NACS, but I haven't seen V2X and cables seem really short for DC fast charging applications... Kia is already teaming up with Wallbox for V2X.
I finally went and got my first EV earlier this year, in Hawaii ChargePoint level 2 seems to be the major supplier in the areas I have been driving. The point in your video when you explain that if the enduser has not kept up the monthly maintenance package then the units are not repaired now seems to make sense why so many are defective. I can't tell you the number of locations I have pulled into to charge while shopping or dining out with broken (jammed) tabs on the J-1772 connectors. it is so frustrating. I wish they would install some of those DC fast charging stations, my local mall has two level two chargers for what must be at least 1,000 car parking lot!
I'll be in Colorado soon in my Tesla. I'm looking for reasonable prices. In my area non Tesla superchargers I have found are running twice as much as to use.
The CP Express units are the official charger of the VW Mitigation Trust money that was distributed to states. They're still installing them in TN. It's nice to have more chargers that are generally reliable, but it's kind of silly to still be installing 62.5 kW units on highway corridors in late 2023.
It just shows you how bad electrify America was done and lack of maintenance support/reliability and location, even now our local in buffalo has been more offline than running over the past 6 months it can’t be just a parts supply issue,
Site hosts charge a parking fee while charging to prevent top charging a car. Most EVs can get enough range in 30 minutes to get to another charger. They may also have an agreement with the utility company to only pull so much energy from the grid for a certain amount of time. Charging the parking fee helps to get people to unplug their car helping the site host with the agreement.
I can't speak to the reliability of their DC fast chargers but my experience has been with Chargepoint's level 2 chargers. Many of them are broken for long periods of time. I called Chargepoint about one of them that I used frequently. They said the owner (in this case the municipality) is responsible for the maintenance. If the owners both government and private don't monitor and have the chargers repaired when needed, it's a big problem. A better business model is to have Chargepoint own and maintain them. They have to be like vending machines that turn a profit so there is incentive to make sure they are working. But I don't think there is any profit being made with level 2 chargers. Would be a good topic for a video.
In Norway you don't get the government funding if you install only one charger. Two is the minimum. Smart! I hate places with only one charger. No redundancy, and that's not a good situation.
TLDW: basically they sell charging as a service and have a fantastic sales team
Charge Point sales team....please, please, please come to Minnesota. Our charging infrastructure is so far behind a state like Colorado. For a progressive, outdoorsie state like Minnesota, its just such a shame how far behind we are.
love that you did this for your own video lmao.
ChargePoint is a horrible business model for site operators. They charge a lot for crappy Level 2 AC chargers. Look at how much the state of Maine paid for their level 2 chargers:
www.maine.gov/future/sites/maine.gov.dafs.bbm.procurementservices/files/inline-files/2020%20MA%2018P%20200730-004%20Web%20Doc.pdf
The ongoing costs are insane too. Contrast that with Tesla that only charges $595 for a NACS/CCS wall connector. For the cost of a ChargePoint charger, you can maintain a Tesla Wall Connector and offer every car that comes by free charging while still spending less than what ChargePoint wants.
I work for a fairly large company that can afford to install a bunch of level 2 chargers in our parking lots. It is very apparent, that the service contracts are *VERY* expensive -- the company essentially have been asking people to be vigilant about "sharing" and "careful" the use of the chargers. Invariably there are carelssess people or network/configurations/hardwore issues occur, as the number of working dispensers dwindles.
I watched but def appreciate the summary
I've used many chargepoint stations across the country. As you say, they aren't super fast. But I've never encountered one that didn't work. And that's honestly more important to me than speed. I'd rather plan on being at the station an extra 10 minutes with the assurance that it will work, than risk going to a high power station from Francis or somebody like that, and then it not work.
We have about 8 of those exact units in the video spread around my work and about half of them work. I think they're heavily neglected since they're only open to employees. Has really colored my view of those units though.
When I first tried to use ChargePoint, I had to go to 4 locations before I could find one that actually worked. The connector is finicky and there is a small piece that is easily damaged that will keep the charger from engaging. When I finally did locate a unit that was not broken, it worked fine and the app was friendly enough. Is it fast, yes faster than my level 2 at home, but not 250kw fast like the Gen 3 Tesla Superchargers. Say what you want, this is not a reliable "backbone", no way I would feel comfortable on the road having to rely on this network to get me charged and from point A to point B. Tesla supercharger network, now there is a backbone!
@@davidbondiwell stated mate. I thought the term backbone sounded a bit like an AD. Everyone raves about the ease, reliability and simplicity of Tesla charging, but ChargePoint? I’m calling BS here.
If they're not broken, completely kaput, then they work great. There are a lot that are in that completely-broken condition. But I'm hoping for the best for CP.
I've tried to use some locally several times. My success rate is 0%. I've never gotten one to work.
I took the $500 of Evgo credit w/ my Chevy Bolt EV, and it can be used on ChargePoint chargers. I drove from Arkansas to northern Minnesota and back, twice, using almost entirely ChargePoint chargers. Never touched EA, only used 1 Evgo charger. ChargePoint chargers were extremely reliable, and while some had lower speeds like 62Kw, that didn't cause a problem for my Bolt's top speed of 55.
In the 3+ years of owning an EV, I've used EA once and it worked fine, but ChargePoint has been my proven champion.
Alyssa, you're a genius! First, you flip sides to get the beautiful Fall foliage in the background, then you add an important fact to the discussion, than you push in when the truck goes by to get better sound. MVP of the Out Of Spec team!
Thank goodness for ChargePoint -- often the only oasis in the midst of the many CCS "charging deserts" here in the Midwest. ChargePoint units have often meant the difference between success and failure for a number of trips we've taken in Iowa/southeastern Minnesota/southwestern Wisconsin. 60 kW in a pinch -- heck yes, I'll take it, and be glad to have it.
Imagine having the head start of Electrify America with billions invested and completely fumbling the ball as badly as they have. Glad to see someone in the CCS world is actually performing.
Its such an absurd situation, if the EA stations had actually been reliable and durable they would have eventually been money printers for VW group. It's just laziness, they buy a charger from whoever the fuck manufacturer, slap a logo on it, install the charger, pocket the subsidy money, move on. Whereas had they actually had a hand in designing reliable charging units and keeping them maintained, they could have actually made real revenue in the long-run. Instead, they've left heaps of money sitting on the table, and completely lost customer faith at the same time.
I agree, I love these chargers, and the 40 minutes (or less if they are paired) it takes to charge my EV6 from 20% - 80% is perfect to run into a cafe and hit the restroom on a road trip, but the problem is they are always installed in sets of one or two. You have just a single person in front of you and that 40 minutes goes to an hour and a half. I would love to see larger installs with 4 or 6 of these.
That's the "Beauty" or "Downfall" of this. The property owner may not jump at all if the deal was 4 or 6 minimum. Potentially leaving a gap in coverage. Unfortunately using "Better than nuthin'" for a marketing campaign isn't a good idea.
Especially when you don’t have an 800v car. It’s INFURIATING when these are the only option on major corridors, because when their installed in sets of 2 and their both used you drop to 30kw per car and it takes almost 2 hours to charge
Charge point is slower but they always seem to work. I'll lake 62.5 kw versus broken any day.
💯
They are the only major charging provider that allows owners to own the cabinets. Together with having a network and payment infrastructure, and a new optional service plan, makes them the only option for people who want to provide charging and own the revenue.
It's in their interest to keep the things up and running. As opposed to maybe the charger company having to pay a fee to pop chargers on someone's property. If the property owner gets paid whether they work or not, the property owner doesn't really care if they work or not. Having skin in the game focuses the mind of the entity that has the unit.
I’m a big fan of ChargePoint. I had a leaf and now have a Kona so the 62kw limit isn’t much of a limit to me and they AWAYS work. Have never had a failed session. CP is the only network that ever delivered the 50kW my leaf could take.
I just completed a road trip to Oregon which relied on Chargepoint chargers in the town I was staying in. The chargers worked great and 50 kW was just about the right speed for walking to one of the many restaurants within a couple blocks of the charger and eating dinner.
However, as the number of EVs increases, the amount of charging capacity is going to have to vastly increase with it. This site had 4 chargers, which would have been pretty good 2-3 years ago, but is likely to be woefully inadequate 2-3 years from now, due to increasing numbers of EVs on the road. We also need lots more overnight level 2 charging at hotels and AirBnb's, as the general lack of it puts a lot of pressure on the limited supply of DC chargers, especially if the appeal of eating dinner while charging results in everybody staying at the town trying to hit the same DC chargers at the same time.
Great comment. I just did a 700 mile road trip on the Eastern Seaboard. I generally was able to use EA 350 fast chargers and get to 85% in about 12-15 minutes. Had some slow 50kw charges in Quebec, but that was offset by incredibly low prices and restaurants close by. It took an hour to go up to 80%. You are correct, Level2 at hotel/motel is awesome. I am running some numbers on the microeconomics; Level2 is the place where hotels and small businesses can make some profit. Low cost of install (under $5k-$10k for a charger) and charging the same price per KW delivered as the fast chargers means that small businesses can actually profit from this. It's not perfect, but being able to add 11Kw per hour makes a big difference when you spend a couple hours walking around a downtown area, at a restaurant, or inside a mall.
ChargePoint 125kW saved my hide traveling through Columbia, SC when the EA station was down last week. Most consistent power delivery of any DC charger I’ve ever used.
They recently opened some DC fast chargers at a grocery store I frequent (ideal location imho) and the charger states that it can do 150kW at 1000V, which surprised me as usually you see 150kW chargers getting limited to 500V. So I had to test it out and yes, my Ioniq 6 was able to charge at 150kW at that charger :) . It's nice to see more and more DC chargers popping up everywhere and nice that more and more support 1000V
Here in south east Pennsylvania, we have many ChargePoint locations. They seem to be the popular choice among local municipalities just starting out with installing EV chargers. Some even offer free charging. As a Leaf owner, I appreciate that the ChargePoint DC chargers around here usually have a CHAdeMO connector. But the most important factor to me is that they are reliable and easy to use, including the app.
Recently ran in to a pair of them that were off line and unavailable. Which was really bad as I I waist the middle of no where. Found a level 2 and charged for 2 hours to get 40 miles down the road to the next DC charger. The units that were off line were that way for 2 weeks. I tried calling Customer service, after an hour of music on hold, I gave up. They didn't answer my emails either
Chargepoint needs to install the 50kW chargers all throughout grocery store parking lots around the country tbh
We invest in Chargepoint and can’t understand why its stock valuation has gone down around 30% in the last quarter, given your glowing endorsement!
Salida CO has a bunch of FREE ChargePoint L2 chargers, located all over the town. That's a great way to get tourists to stick around for a few hours. Some free Rivian L2 chargers at the downtown Safeway, too.
The ChargePoint units in Missouri are really an exception to this story about how great they are. Not sure if it’s ChargePoint, Ameren (the elec utility provider that has their name all over the chargers), or the site owners… but they were all derated (unannounced) this summer to 30kW, literally all of them in eastern MO. And we have no idea why or if that will happen again moving forward.
Totally agree. Ameren Missouri runs these and derates them constantly. Ameren must be run by a bunch of anti-ev luddites. They took the fed handouts and ran. Crooks.
I would assume that's the fault of the stations' owner (Ameren?). ChargePoint themselves would have no reason I can imagine to force the owner/operator to de-rate them. It was probably done to "support the grid" while people were heavily using AC in the summer.
Charge point in BC Canada is amazing. Stage 2 is slow slow but the DC fast chargers always work and do about 60 kw. More than enough for me
@@gotamdPeak demand fees are expensive. That is the only reason to derate them like that. (It is thousands extra per month, every month.)
@@fitybux4664But the utility owns the stations, they don’t bill themselves their own service.
Enabling businesses of any type to offer EV charging for EV drivers everywhere 🙂
Thanks Chargepoint! Every time I use one at a hotel it just works.
Yes, but I have had so many bad experiences at Chargepoint stations because business do not maintain them. This is a huge problem with your business model.
Tesla has installed 27 new 250 kW Supercharger stations just in the month of October in the US. Locations have 8-20 stalls. This has been pretty much the standard install rate in 2023 with 2024 and beyond anticipated to go at a faster pace. Chargepoint while a great addition will have a hard time keeping up especially with the tight software integration advantage Tesla has. To state in the headline Chargepoint will be the EV backbone is a stretch.
I used one recently, it was located nearby a super-busy Supercharger along I-25 in Southern Colorado and I'm so glad I have a CCS adapter. Saved me a 30+ min wait for a not much higher kWh rate!
Still with Tesla stock, investors can never be sure what will happen next, bearish periods ultimately establish a new set of stocks to buy and watch while setting the stage for a robust new uptrend. I have been reading articles of people that grossed profits up to $250k during this crash, what are the best stocks to buy now or put on a watchlist?
I enjoy challenging my investing mindset with the thoughts of others superior to mine, our thinking is definitely similar.
I agree, that's the more reason I prefer my day to day investment decisions being guided by an advisor, seeing that their entire skillset is built around going long and short at the same time both employing risk for its asymmetrical upside and laying off risk as a hedge against the inevitable downward turns, coupled with the exclusive information/analysis they have, it's near impossible to not out-perform, been using my advisor for over 2years+ and I've netted over 2.8million.
Smart, If i wanted to do the same with my retirement funds too, how do i get started trading?
how do I go about it the right way. I’d love to use similar terms as yours.
I've had majority of my holdings in ETFs, tech stocks and I've had 45% increase in my portfolio, especially with Nvidia P/E (price to earnings ratio) adding few others, personally, coach Jennifer Lea Jenson take good care of my holdings.
Awesome video! detail explanations about the nice features.
As a Tesla driver, I have used their L2 chargers many places - especially in parking garages to charge up while I'm doing something else. In particular, the South Gondola parking structure in Breckenridge. Since moving to Colorado, I am considering getting a CCS adaptor so I can use their L3 chargers since they are in several small towns throughout Colorado.
Thank You for All that you are doing for our Planet Earth.... Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste.. 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮ ❤
Hi Kyle, great video! I'm the local ChargePoint rep in Colorado, and wanted to let you know we can now replace those plug clips with a better engineered clip without the need to replace the head unit. It's very cheap (less than $20 dollars) and takes about 5 mins to replace. Cheers!
I love seeing replies, coming directly from ChargePoint agents answering concerns. The recent change in leader ship can only help they were in charge and got us into this situation. I’m rooting for ChargePoint. I’m in construction and I see them everywhere.
I don’t quick charge my LEAF very often here in California but it’s the ChargePoint units that are easy and work.
Chargpoint needs to add boost logic to their CPE250 cables pronto! They would be much more useful at 300 amps and the cable is plenty capable of that power level.
I used a 62kW version one of these for the first time last week in Burlington Washington. Worked great on my first try, just a bit slow for my ID.4 topping out at 61kW.
Charge Point DC chargers all over in Michigan mitten. They always work! It’s rare when they don’t, although the closest ones to me in Owosso, Michigan are turned off - been this way for weeks. They are the perfect charge speed to have near restaurants, shopping centers, or grocery stores.
12:37 Yeah, that is a quick Kyle Connor video. Good information though
Thanks Kyle. 😊
Side note, this is a perfect illustration of why driver-side charge ports are bad. With any curbside charger, the cable needs to be pulled across the front of the vehicle, and the wand is sticking out into traffic. Should it get clipped by a passing car, then both the car and the charging hardware will suffer expensive damage. (Rivian's angled port at least minimizes the exposure as compared to a perpendicular port, but it's still a bad location.)
The could just park in the opposite direction.. no?
@@89five3five It is illegal in many countries to park against the direction of traffic
Curbside charging is not practical, and owning an EV is bound to be a disappointment if you do not first own a garage to L2 charge it and keep it warm. Driver’s side charge ports are located with DCFC in mind, and are more convenient in inclement weather.
A solution? Dual charge ports! The cost would probably be $100s, but as a percentage of EV price, most would find it a very acceptable increase for the value. Or, make it a factory-installed option.
@@89five3five For curbside charging? No, not in the USA. (Unless you want an expensive ticket, and possibly a moving violation if a cop catches you in the act of driving the wrong way to pull up to the charger.)
@@carsonassociates3263 Dual charge ports would be great! Or maybe a center-located charge port like on the Leaf, but that may limit some design elements of the car.
we' ve LOVE Chargepoint simply by the reasons you mention: NUMEROUS LOCATIONS and available with many more cities/utilities/regions, and businesses... so many new DUAL Chargers popping up all over our area... and we are very RURAL. Love it.
They put one of these (60 kW) in Gardiner, MT and it's great. Did the Beartooth Highway twice this summer in my M3P. Just need one in Red Lodge now. I also used these this summer up in Whitefish with zero issues. Not bad at all
Also, it was de-rated to 30 kW last time I went there. I filed a support ticket and they fixed it within a week
I charged at the Lvl 2 stations in Red Lodge while we ate and shopped around for a few hours. Was enough to get back to Canyon Village and plug in at the hotel. But, they need a lot more charging stalls there for such a big hotel. The 4 they have there wasn't enough between other EVs and being ICE'd.
With Yellowstone area being so popular, I'm surprised there aren't as much public charging options. Might have to do with the heavy anti-EV stance the governer has...
Red Lodge could use a few DCFC stalls for beartooth, and there definitely needs to be more DCFC/SC options in the Wind River Reservation area, and in Jackson.
I stopped at a LVL 2 station between casper and jackson to charge for 1.5 hours. It was an hour faster than going all the way around the state, but would have saved a ton of time if there was even a 50kW station somewhere in the reservation area.
I’ve been wanted to drive portland to red lodge in m VW. Still a weird hole through Bozeman that boggles my mind. EA might be building a location there. Montana is one of the trickiest states right now
There's an EA at Target it Bozeman they just built. Hasn't gone on line yet but I think it's supposed to any day now@@ben3989
@@ben3989Bozeman has two Tesla Supercharger lots, but it is strange that even their Walmart doesn’t have any charging. The way things are going, it could be the third Supercharger lot, but Bozeman overall needs more chargers along Main Street.
Thanks for being the face of EV charging and EV cars! You are my teacher! I learn so much from you! I will try to pass it on!
Nothing beats superchargers, theyre seamless and so easy to use and are extremely rare to find one broken.
you got that right brother. No one can touch them. And I really can't understand why.
@@TechTab00because they care, and have the resources to make them great.
I don't trust chargers like chargepoint to not fall into a state of disrepair. I hope that's not the case.
@@TechTab00 Tesla owns the stations. ChargePoint does not own the stations after sold to a site, just the network communications on the back side. If a site owner doesn't maintain the station, there is little CP can do about it. If a driver calls in a support issue, CP will work with the site owner to see what options are available with their warranty or contract if a repair is even possible. Since Tesla owns the stations, they have teams that will go out and mark stations needed for replacement and can schedule and replace the parts quickly, having mainly to only answer to themselves for the service.
Also Tesla only (mostly right now anyway) needs to work with Tesla. So developing the protocol for communications between the station and your own small range of vehicles is quite a bit easier to develop and test than being an open standard that has to support a wide range of vehicles like a Leaf all the way up to a metro bus or even a EV boat. It is also reported that Tesla chargers with the Magic adapter having communication issues with non-Tesla vehicles, so Tesla isn't quite as universally reliable as you think.
The cables of a Tesla charger are also smaller and easier to manage because they don't actually fully meet specifications. Sure enough the EU model Superchargers use different thicker cables that are certified, but in the US, the cables are as small as electrically they can make them for their cars with such a charging curve on a "small" battery. If a Tesla charger was charging for instance a very low SOC Hummer at full speed up to 100%, it will thermally throttle or damage itself because of the high current for long amounts of time. CP stations are built for buses to charge their 400-600kwh battery packs at up to 200KW in the current EXPP product. The cables are also shorter because Tesla can count on the charging port to be a consistent distance away from the station because it makes the car, too. This lets them get away making thinner cables because they are shorter and don't have to be shielded as well. Making a more universal station required beefier and more complicated cables.
And you still need the app for that. There are also reports of new Superchargers with the credit card reader installed so you don't need the app that are also having issues starting the charge sessions because of protocol issues.
CHARGE POINT IS THE CLOSEST TO TESLA CHARGING - I love charge point WE NEED MORE
But ChargePoint’s software engineering team needs to do a better job of listening more to station owners on software enhancements. One of many examples: a station owner can set pricing and overstay fees, but it’s fairly basic and there are no advanced options such as the ability to disable the overstay fee overnight at multifamily properties so residents can charge overnight and not have to move their car at 3am to avoid the overstay fee. I think we may need to push for more competition in the marketplace and have grant funding support this.
Am I missing something here? The Tesla chargers I use away from home are 250kw an hour. Why are these so slow? It would take so much longer on one of these?
If you have a Tesla, these aren’t really geared to you. However for everyone else these do work well…and typically pull rated charge. Very much like EA and a couple others that seem to be a crapshoot. Maybe 150kWh+….maybe 3kWh. When traveling, these are always on the plan A, B, C….and sometimes Z list.
If you have a Tesla, these aren’t really geared to you. However for everyone else these do work well…and typically pull rated charge. Very much unlike EA and a couple others that seem to be a crapshoot. Maybe 150kWh+….maybe 3kWh. When traveling, these are always on the plan A, B, C….and sometimes Z list.
These are local curbside charging units, they aren’t meant to be used by people who need to drive 800 miles in a day. Though, they probably are given how there aren’t enough working chargers. Carbondale in Colorado might just be a lunch stop along the way to skiing.
Our parking garage at work provided ChargePoint (L2) and for 5+ years (5 days a week) they were never broken.
I'm confused, you need that big transformer and the switch gear to power that one single 50kw charger?
They do usually work. The one is Seguin, TX was down for 8 months.
The 200kw ones in Estes Park are great in warm weather, awful in cold temps. I was in a Kia EV6 and got 170kw at 59% when it was 65F out and got 34kw at 30% on preconditioned battery when it was 36F out. On the same charger one day apart with no other vehicles charging!
What’s really cool is back in your live stream of the EV6 70 mile an hour range test you were pretty adamant that the CPE 250 was not good on the consumer side. I think that speaks volumes for ChargePoint and how they really started to up their game.❤
I haven't seen any Chargepoint DCFC units in Western Washington. I use their level 2 chargers at parks and parking lots in Bellingham at times with no issues.
A CHAdeMO to NACS retrofit would be impractical even using an adapter because the Leaf uses CAN buss communication instead of CCS protocols to negotiate DC fast charging sessions. Instead of trying to get CHAdeMO to work with NACS, Tesla should just open up all the older Version 2 150kw Superchargers up to CHAdeMO EVs with an adapter since they also use CAN buss communications to initiate DC fast charging sessions. This would require a very simple update to the CHAdeMO firmware along with ‘charge my non-Tesla’ access to version 2 Supercharger stations for those with a CHAdeMO to trident port adapter.
He's talking about completely replacing the cable on the stations. They already support CCS communication, and CCS communications can run over NACS physical connector (this is how the Tesla CCS adapter currently works, but only for Teslas that "support CCS"). Since all these ChargePoint stations with a CCS physical connector are already using that protocol for the communication, I assume it's probably just a software config on the charger.
@@gotamd Well, there’s a difference between the NACS standard and how older Version 2 Tesla superchargers work. Originally the supercharger network protocols were modeled on the only other DC fast charging standard in the market at the time, which was CHAdeMO. The CHAdeMO plug was big and ugly, but the underlying CAN buss protocol was simple and easy to implement. Tesla came up with their own svelte plug but decided to use the existing CAN buss protocols instead of developing a whole new DC fast charging protocol. All Tesla EVs can charge on CHAdeMO stations with a simple adapter. Newer Tesla EVs can charge on both CAN buss systems as well as CCS protocol systems. CHAdeMO EVs can only charge on CAN buss protocol chargers. CHAdeMO EVs don’t speak CCS. If ChargePoint and other DCFC operators remove the CHAdeMO plugs in favor of NACS plugs, CHAdeMO EVs won’t be able to use them even with an adapter, because the NACS standard doesn’t retain the CAN buss protocols and instead uses CCS protocols exclusively. That would be disastrous for Leaf owners. That’s why I suggested that Tesla open up their older non-NACS superchargers to the Leaf community with an adapter.
Chargepoint has been one of the most reliable charging networks for me since 2020 as a CCS user. Only recently has Electrify America improved enough to make me choose them mainly because of improved speed.
My alma mater (UM Ann Arbor) is installing 400 level 2 Chargepoint chargers atriums campus. They’re charging $1 per hour, though I think there will be a 4 hour limit.
Kyle, thank you. I don’t have an EV. But do want one in the future! I love this kind of information!
Sorry but Charge Point is the worst around here. Too expensive, and most are broken. I avoid them as much as possible. I am in Florida. Especially all the 25kw ones that they set up but are no longer working. Most of them are at dealerships. Very crappy support as well.
Why don't they have binding contracts?
ChaegePoint is in a partnership with Volvo and Starbucks to equip 15 stores along the Denver/Salt Lake City/Boise/Seattle corridor, providing a 4x62kW station roughly every 100-130 miles. Three of five planned for Colorado [Grand Junction (online), Glenwood Springs (online), Silverthorne (no progress), Idaho Springs (no progress,
Broomfield (online)] are now online. Have you visited any?
I am watching this video while charging at a CPE 250 at a Starbucks. It would be Kyle's favorite, it's even right off the highway.
My experience with ChargePoint in Colorado is great. If they're not damaged or broken. And there are a lot in this condition. I have charged my Model Y in Fairplay, Co and Conifer, Co and they do good. I charged at Conifer today and it was excellent, but 3 of the 4 cables at the two units were broken off the arm they hang on and were on the ground, including the one I successfully charged on. I have a lot of hope for ChargePoint.
The additional time-based charges not only encourage drivers to unplug when they are done, but also encourage people to not charge up to 100% which is a good thing. So I think the time-based charges are fine if the power-based charges and not also high. This does, however, mean that cars that charge slowly are penalized.
just finished up installing 3 express 250s. nice products. hopefully I can sell and install more of them
I’ve used ChargePoint numerous times and they’ve been great. Absolutely agree more reliable than EA.
Most of them in Chattanooga (level 2) have 1 stall with 2 connections and most have at least one broken almost all the time. Either won’t start charge or handle latch broken.
Wait a minute...I grew up in Leadville, Colorado. Great little town. Thanks for the shout out.
Leadville 100, iconic!!
In Westchester County NY the only place I've seen these level three ChargePoint charging stations is at a Cadillac dealership and they all say unavailable. I've had problems with the ChargePoint app at its level two charging stations, some of which don't work. Right now the big plus of EV is charging at home. I hate gas stations. Eventually public charging stations will improve and spread. Lower EV prices will drive that.
For me in CA they work great. Just use my phone wave it around and it activates the charger. Fairly seamless.
ChargePoint has a lot of experience, with the best AC charging infrastructure literally everywhere. All they gotta do is upgrade their AC locations to DC (at least every 20 miles)
This sounds like an AD to me. Just a few short weeks ago, he and his dad were raving about Tesla superchargers. I’m smelling BS here ( and a sponsor too)….
Here in SC and south NC I usually end up using ChargePoint and honestly between the dealers and municipalities using CP machines/network it’s has the best coverage and options for charging. Way better than Electrify America which is unfortunate because I still get free charging at EA for another year on my Ioniq 5. Not yet had any problems with CP chargers being down which I have at EA.
It’s worth mentioning that there are too many Charge Point L2 and even CCS post that are offline LITERALLY because no one will swap the $10 cellular model card from a 2G to a 4G part.
There is also a “new” 3 year old charge point near me that is powered but won’t activate a session because the property owner paid for the install but doesn’t pay the $8 service fee so it just show an offline message on the screen. Insane
In Quebec, they install and provide the DC charger for free. Only give the land and space they need. The only catch is that they keep the profit, but they maintain everything-ideas to bring more traffic to your business.
they provide 50 100 120 180 kw units depending on the traffic in your area and power availability
from their website all Flo units. I never went to one and it didn’t work.
Fast-Charge Station
The cost of purchasing and installing this type of charging station is now assumed entirely by Hydro-Québec. However, you can participate to the deployment by allocating a piece of land and this will bring new customers to your business.
I hope this helps their stock!!
If getting 50kw is successful then EA is doing a great job too.
Was at EA this week. Tried 2, the others were full. Best I got was 30kWh. RAN charger down the highway topped out at 213kWh. It’s not the vehicle, it’s the charger.
@@ChucksRover yeah we know.
It’s the successful part EA struggles with. Their equipment is often non functional or you can’t start a charge because of network issues.
Remove brand labeling if not in charge of unit maintenance OR if the client lets maintenance lapse!
Thank you. Very educational.
Chris, Bight your tongue on taking out the Chademo's. Nissan drivers don't have an adaptor to shift to any other standard. On the other hand Lectron does make a CCS1 to Tesla (NACS) adaptor. So take out the CCS1 and install an NACS instead.
ChargePoint is the most common CCS option in SW Colorado. Some were recently upgraded to 200 kw units. Those had some initial downtime in the couple of months after installation but they now seem to be working well.
love the information, loving the excitement, drive on :)
The combination of NEVI and other funding schemes, and the weak position of Electrify America, I think we're the the verge of seeing an rapid expansion of other entrants into the arena. If ChargePoint and get some higher powered versions out in numbers that'd be nice.
Here in VA, MD and PA area, these are popping up at Dealerships.
the only charge points ive seen are level 2, ive never seen a level 3. are they just in colorado?
Hey Kyle, can you do a follow up on ChargePoint, specifically regarding the lawsuit between Harley-Davidson and ChargePoint?
If you haven’t heard, ChargePoint installed a network of fast-DC chargers at the Harley-Davidson dealerships when Harley came out with their electric motorcycle Livewire),but then ChargePoint completely dropped the ball. The entire network is down; electric motorcyclists are out of luck…
As a (Leaf) Plus, they usually have Chademo!!!
Kyle, not sure if you have addressed mitigation options for DC systems to handle areas prone to flooding, snow impacts, etc. Your thoughts
Looking near my house in Maryland and my parent's house on long Island, the only charge points are 6.7kW. 😢
Ever heard of the TESLA SUPERCHARGER network?
It was great using the CP DCFC while we were in Pagosa Springs for our Honeymoon
I'm definitely more likely to use one of these now with Kyle's recommendations!
Yes charge point is ALWAYS BEEN GOOD TO ME
I typically use a ChargePoint to get just enough charge to reach the next 150-350 kWh stations.
Anyone know what the monthly maintenance fee is? Curious...
I considered a 11kW CP to share at our 52 unit condominium. But, the cost to buy it and annual service program was awful expensive. There are at least a half dozen other brands with billing capability priced 75% lower.
As a CP user, their reliability is excellent. However, most level 2 installations only deliver 6kW using 30A @ 208V causing a very slow charge.
While living in an apartment, my parking space had a CP charger only delivering 195V. My Tesla frequently rejected that low voltage assuming a defective extension cord. CP service refused to fix it because they hid behind the operator who was clueless on technical issues.
I like the NACS, but I haven't seen V2X and cables seem really short for DC fast charging applications... Kia is already teaming up with Wallbox for V2X.
How good does those charges work with the rolling blackouts...
I finally went and got my first EV earlier this year, in Hawaii ChargePoint level 2 seems to be the major supplier in the areas I have been driving. The point in your video when you explain that if the enduser has not kept up the monthly maintenance package then the units are not repaired now seems to make sense why so many are defective. I can't tell you the number of locations I have pulled into to charge while shopping or dining out with broken (jammed) tabs on the J-1772 connectors. it is so frustrating. I wish they would install some of those DC fast charging stations, my local mall has two level two chargers for what must be at least 1,000 car parking lot!
I'll be in Colorado soon in my Tesla. I'm looking for reasonable prices.
In my area non Tesla superchargers I have found are running twice as much as to use.
The CP Express units are the official charger of the VW Mitigation Trust money that was distributed to states. They're still installing them in TN. It's nice to have more chargers that are generally reliable, but it's kind of silly to still be installing 62.5 kW units on highway corridors in late 2023.
It just shows you how bad electrify America was done and lack of maintenance support/reliability and location, even now our local in buffalo has been more offline than running over the past 6 months it can’t be just a parts supply issue,
Site hosts charge a parking fee while charging to prevent top charging a car. Most EVs can get enough range in 30 minutes to get to another charger. They may also have an agreement with the utility company to only pull so much energy from the grid for a certain amount of time. Charging the parking fee helps to get people to unplug their car helping the site host with the agreement.
Chargepoint’s Stock price is in the crapper.
Off topic, hope you have someone read this. Would like a new 23 lfp Mach E 70mph range test. Would be great to know how the new battery pack does.
Are you going through Redstone and over kebler pass to create butte? That is a scenic drive.
I can't speak to the reliability of their DC fast chargers but my experience has been with Chargepoint's level 2 chargers. Many of them are broken for long periods of time. I called Chargepoint about one of them that I used frequently. They said the owner (in this case the municipality) is responsible for the maintenance. If the owners both government and private don't monitor and have the chargers repaired when needed, it's a big problem. A better business model is to have Chargepoint own and maintain them. They have to be like vending machines that turn a profit so there is incentive to make sure they are working. But I don't think there is any profit being made with level 2 chargers. Would be a good topic for a video.
In Norway you don't get the government funding if you install only one charger. Two is the minimum. Smart! I hate places with only one charger. No redundancy, and that's not a good situation.