Free Charging at EVgo networks for National Drive Electric Week in the US starting tomorrow

"Starting tomorrow, more than 100 cities across the U.S. will take part in the sixth annual National Drive Electric Week.

Scheduled for September 10 through 18, the event is composed of numerous local gatherings that celebrate and promote electric cars.

The EVgo charging network plans to join in on the festivities in a big way.

t will offer free electric-car charging to members throughout National Drive Electric Week.

Anyone with a valid EVgo charging card can plug in gratis at any of the network's roughly 1,000 charging sites, which cover over 50 metropolitan markets, EVgo claims.

That tally includes about 700 sites that offer DC fast charging, including charging stations compatible with both the CHAdeMO standard and the Combined Charging Standard (CCS)."

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1106011_free-charging-for-electric-car-owners-at-evgo-network-for-national-drive-electric-week

Did anyone participate in this and was it worthwhile?

I used it to get a free charge card (waive the $5 fee they normally charge) and then put it in my glove box with all the other charge cards I don't use (but I have it for emergencies, which was the point).

I live in the SF bay area and there are LOTS of EVSEs and fast chargers available. EVgo is one of the more expensive networks for casual use. I generally charge at home, overnight. There are quite a few other (not EVgo) DCFCs within 10 miles of my house, and the closest EVgo FC is about 6-7 miles away, and I didn't happen to drive close to one that week.

So it wasn't convenient for me, personally (I'm not a spendthrift, but I'm not so cheap that I'm going to drive 15+ miles roundtrip for $2.50 worth of electricity).

No SparkE I guess you wouldn't

So I need to look into different brand types of charging stations...does anyone have a favourite n why is it your favourite. I'm from Canada but US info is useful as well. I get get a list going of what I should look for

sam said:

So I need to look into different brand types of charging stations...does anyone have a favourite n why is it your favourite. I'm from Canada but US info is useful as well. I get get a list going of what I should look for

Click to expand...

Are you talking about a EVSE for home use? Or which companies offer the best charging network(s)?

SparkE said:

sam said:

So I need to look into different brand types of charging stations...does anyone have a favourite n why is it your favourite. I'm from Canada but US info is useful as well. I get get a list going of what I should look for

Click to expand...

Are you talking about a EVSE for home use? Or which companies offer the best charging network(s)?

Click to expand...

Best charging networks and what makes them better

The best network for ME may not be the best network for YOU. For example, I bet a number of people think that Circuit Electrique is absolutely super convenient. But I don't live in Quebec, so it's useless for me. Also, I do most of my charging overnight in my garage - so my preferences might not match those of somebody who didn't have their own place to charge and thus used public stations more.

What I did to find the most convenient EV charging networks was to get the PlugShare smartphone app, type in my zip code , and looked at what was available where I lived and drove. I set the options to show me J1772 & CCS, then looked at the map, network by network. I discovered that the most convenient networks for ME were mostly : ChargePoint & EVgo and to a lesser extent : Blink & SemaCharge So I got (free!) cards for all 4 (and got an account for GreenLots, which I access via an app on the phone). I've only used my ChargePoint card - never had the need to use one of the others.

I found the ChargePoint network to have the most stations near where I live and go - it might be different for you. ChargePoint is really a network - they generally don't own the stations - and the actual owners set the pricing.

I found EVgo & Blink to be rather expensive. In CA, EVgo appears to have the largest network of DCFCs. If I traveled much with my electric, I'd probably use EVgo on the trips. If I lived in an appt which didn't have a charging spot AND drove a lot, EVgo would be more attractive (the monthly 'subscription fee' would be a much smaller % of the monthly electricity cost).