charging at dealer?

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jdunmyer

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 10, 2016
Messages
53
Do Chevy dealers have an EVSE available for L2 charging?

When I had a Nissan Leaf, I was under the impression that mos dealers had charging stations that were outside and available. The one at my dealer is in an unfenced area, and presumably usable 24/7. A local Cadillac dealer has an EVSE outside for their version of the Chevy Volt, dunno how they'd feel about me stopping by with my Bolt. :)
 
Probably best to contact said dealer in advance to inquire.

I was making a trip in my first Leaf that would make it a bit chancy on the return, but there was a Nissan dealer near my destination. Called and verified that they had a charging station and yes, I could use it. When I got there, it was turned 'off' inside, and the first salesperson I encountered acted like I was trying to steal something. Fortunately, the salesperson I had spoken with on the phone wandered over and set the situation right. Neither could recall if they had ever sold a Leaf at that dealership, even though it's just outside a college town full of the liberal tree-hugger types who tend to buy EVs. (Bowling Green, OH) Conversely, the Ann Arbor, MI Nissan dealer normally has 3-5 Leafs in stock. (home to UofM, of course)

At this point in the EV evolution, it seems like GM would require Chevy dealers to have a publicly-accessable EVSE that is free to use, or maybe a donation. Perhaps they don't really want to sell them out in flyover country.
 
jdunmyer said:
Do Chevy dealers have an EVSE available for L2 charging?
Of course every Chevy dealer selling Volts/Bolts must have chargers to "fuel up" their inventory as needed. Their policy on availability to their customers and other Chevy customers varies.

The AutoNation Chevy Dealer up in Valencia California has a DCFC available 24/7 and is the last northbound DCFC on Interstate 5 until someone finally gets around to firing one up on that essential stretch of hiway there!

I am told that during working hours, customers of that dealer may unplug non customer Chevy EVs. I only use it off hours; if at all, when I drive from Paso Robles to Los Angeles
 
most have L2, some have L3, albeit the slower 22kw version. I stopped at a dealer in Thousand Oaks on my long trip from San Jose to LA; and it was a nice experience to have access to the lounge to eat my lunch. I even had coffee and watched some TV while juicing up at L3.

But not all dealer has the L3
 
summit said:
most have L2, some have L3, albeit the slower 22kw version. I stopped at a dealer in Thousand Oaks on my long trip from San Jose to LA; and it was a nice experience to have access to the lounge to eat my lunch. I even had coffee and watched some TV while juicing up at L3.

But not all dealer has the L3

That's great to know. Thousand Oaks is on my route anytime I head to LA. I don't do it often, but it's very good to know.

FYI, the dealer in Burbank installed a L3 charger about 3 weeks ago. I drove my buddy there to buy a Bolt 2 weeks ago, but we didn't take my Bolt because I didn't know I could charge there. We hit the L3 charger in Buelton on the way back for his car.
 
summit said:
most have L2, some have L3, albeit the slower 22kw version. I stopped at a dealer in Thousand Oaks on my long trip from San Jose to LA; and it was a nice experience to have access to the lounge to eat my lunch. I even had coffee and watched some TV while juicing up at L3.

But not all dealer has the L3
How many times do you stop to charge on this trip?

I go from Santa Cruz to LA with one stop:

1) In Paso Robles, when I take the 1 to the 101 to the 46 to Interstate 5; or

2) In San Luis Obispo, when I take 1 to the 101 all the way.
 
We are in the 4th largest city in the nation, and no Chevy dealers here have DCFC. A few have L2.
 
The dealer I got mine from in BC has 2 L2 charger free to the public and as far as I know they don't discriminate, I saw a fiat plugged in there once. Last I checked they didn't have L3 but they seem eager to jump on the bandwagon. I'm not sure they're accessible after hours.
 
BoltEV said:
jdunmyer said:
Do Chevy dealers have an EVSE available for L2 charging?
Of course every Chevy dealer selling Volts/Bolts must have chargers to "fuel up" their inventory as needed. Their policy on availability to their customers and other Chevy customers varies.

I got my Bolt home from the dealer lot with about 10 miles of range to spare. This, after sitting on their 110V charger while we did the paperwork. The only charger they have is inside the service bay, plugged into a standard outlet. Not having a dedicated 220V L2 EVSE at home, I relied on 110V and the shiny new car sat in my garage for several days before I dared venture out, shameful.

Funny, but the manager walked by while we were finalizing paperwork and mentioned they always send new owners home with a full tank of gas, not so with EVs. He was trying to be funny, but it was actually quite sad.

GM will need to step it up, or put pressure on dealers. But, dealers stand to lose boatloads of service revenue selling EVs, so they are only motivated to get you in and out the door, little interest in serving you beyond that.

It seems reasonable that they would have at least L2 available for their customers. Ideally, CCS also. Perhaps a special arrangement for GM owners like Nissan has arranged with their No Charge to Charge program if charging at a Dealer location. A CCS unit in the service bay would make sense for topping off new sales, or even EVs in for service.

For new buyers, having a public charger available would also provide a valuable training opportunity. Being new to EV, my first experience with a public charger was a failure. Had the dealer had a CCS on site, they could have used it to demonstrate how to use public chargers, and topped me off before driving off. They could have also demonstrated the difference in charge speeds with L2 and CCS to help educate me. I am learning by surfing forums and web sites, but the majority of drivers know nothing about EV charging.

In the Denver - Colorado Springs area, there appear to be very few CCS locations, mainly Wal Mart (evGo). Most along the route are L2, with a few free L2 locations thanks to local governments promoting the concept. My 120 mile RT commute is no problem in normal weather conditions, but I can't help but wonder if the few extreme weather days might be pressing it. The dealer I bought from is about 20 miles from my home, right on the way to and from work. And there are numerous GM dealers along the route. On those rare days, a quick stop at a GM dealer to add 20 -30 miles might just be the ticket to getting home.

If GM is serious about the EV revolution, charging infrastructure will play a key role in reducing consumer anxiety about taking the plunge and they can help by equipping their dealer locations.
 
I had a similar scenario at purchase. I can understand the cars being shipped with a low charge to minimize risk but they should be plugged in at the Dealer once unloaded. I also believe it is a requirement that a Chevy dealer have a DCFC if they are to sell Bolts. These are mostly 25KWh units but still better than Level 2. Only problem is the dealer I purchased from had one - but it was "not yet installed". I chose a different dealer closer to home for service and found they do have a DCFC installed, however it is in the service bay.

At a minimum, there is no excuse for a dealer selling Bolt's not to have a Level 2 charger...
 
Remember tho that GM is not their dealerships.
GM can require dealerships that sell Volts to have L2 EVSEs. They can require dealerships that sell Bolts to have QCs.

But they can't require them to make them easily available to the public.

Most of the issues I've seen with charging at dealerships is dealer related, not GM.
The QC at my local dealership is in the repair bay. ;-( The L2s are out front, but in prime location, so frequently ICEd... ;-(

Some of these things will onlychange as dealers realize they "have" to be happy about EVs if they want to stay around..
IMHO.. ;-)

desiv
 
BoltEV said:
SmokingRubber said:
We hit the L3 charger in Buelton on the way back for his car.
Way back to where?

We picked up his Bolt in Burbank. Stopped in Buelton to charge, then made the final leg back to my place in Arroyo Grande CA. He charged at the hospital near my house for a couple hours then he bounced up the hill to his place in San Miguel CA (50+ miles). He probably could have made it from Burbank to Arroyo Grande in a single shot, but he still had to get to San Miguel. We wanted to stop and utilize a DC fast charger anyway.
 
The DCFC's available in San Luis Obispo, at the Marigold Center should have been a good stopping point.

You can "refill" your BoltEV in about 72 minutes there with multiple EVgo's available.
 
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