ChargePoint
Well-known member
What are the features you'd add to an EV charging station?
Station features?
- Thread starter ChargePoint
- Start date
Help Support Chevy Bolt EV Forum:
BarfOMatic
Well-known member
Sorry, but that is a pretty silly question. It is like asking - "what do you want you eat" on a forum. The answer is obviously : "it depends".
Charging station WHERE? (home? restaurant? Hotel? Gas station? ...? )
What speed of charging station? (80 kW? 50 kW? 25 kW? 4 kW?)
Because WHERE and HOW FAST majorly influences the answer(s). I don't value features the same at the hotel overnight as I would when stopping in the middle of a road trip to add 100 miles quickly.
Well, OK, I want one feature all the time - FREE : free equipment and free electricity.
The above post smells a lot of "lets get people talking about my company any way I can".
Charging station WHERE? (home? restaurant? Hotel? Gas station? ...? )
What speed of charging station? (80 kW? 50 kW? 25 kW? 4 kW?)
Because WHERE and HOW FAST majorly influences the answer(s). I don't value features the same at the hotel overnight as I would when stopping in the middle of a road trip to add 100 miles quickly.
Well, OK, I want one feature all the time - FREE : free equipment and free electricity.
The above post smells a lot of "lets get people talking about my company any way I can".
SparkEVPilot
Well-known member
ChargePoint said:
My favorite location would have a minimum of 4 DCFC quick chargers, 2 or more L2 EVSE stations and a mini-mart where I can use the restroom and get something to eat and/or drink. It is even better if the site is solar powered with solar storage capacity sufficient to provide most power for the chargers / EVSEs.
LeftieBiker
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2017
- Messages
- 793
EVGo has done something stupid with their SAE/Chademo DCFC stations by not including L-2 charging at them. Every commercial charging station should have at least one L-2 charging cable.
winterescape
Well-known member
When traveling:
For home EVSE “features” for me it came down to cost. The Chargepoint home EVSE is the sharpest looking unit on the market, IMHO, but the cost, even with discounts and sales, was more than the competition. The connectivity feature it offers is nice, but if you have a Bolt it is provide with the Chevy App, and it is redundant. Also, it is only 32A instead of 40A.
For home:
- Availability
DC fast charge (150kW or better)
Robust reliable functionality
Location near typical “travel plaza” type services, food, restrooms
For home EVSE “features” for me it came down to cost. The Chargepoint home EVSE is the sharpest looking unit on the market, IMHO, but the cost, even with discounts and sales, was more than the competition. The connectivity feature it offers is nice, but if you have a Bolt it is provide with the Chevy App, and it is redundant. Also, it is only 32A instead of 40A.
For home:
- Lower cost
40A
Always have at LEAST two stations at every location.
I don’t understand why the failure rate is so high, but around California I find about 1 in 10 chargers to be inoperable when I arrive. And I mainly search for Chargepoint.
Could you imagine 10% of all gas stations being out-of-order at any given time?
I don’t understand why the failure rate is so high, but around California I find about 1 in 10 chargers to be inoperable when I arrive. And I mainly search for Chargepoint.
Could you imagine 10% of all gas stations being out-of-order at any given time?
ChargePoint
Well-known member
BarfOMatic said:
Hi there! There are no restrictions with the question - simply anything or idea you'd like to share! I kept it simple as to not restrict ideas, thinking outside the box, and even big "dream" wish lists for stations. Thanks for sharing yours with us!
- RochelleI'd be happy to report this to our team as well, if you don't mind sending me a private message with the station locations!winterescape said:
SparkE
Well-known member
gpsman said:
If you were driving in 1978, you wouldn't have to imagine it - you would have experienced it.
SeanNelson
Well-known member
...and line-ups at the ones that were open...SparkE said:
SmokingRubber
Well-known member
How about a local map popup with a YOU-ARE-HERE pin. Highlight ALL the local services (not just the ones that advertise with you). Offer to buy me a free cup of coffee at a nearby coffee shop? I bet that local coffee shop would front the coffee coupon just to get more patrons.
Example: I used the Chargepoint L3 charger Saturday evening in Beulton CA (maybe butchered that spelling). After starting the charge I walked around the building trying different doors looking for the entrance to the bar or directions to the lounge. The charger is located in the back parking lot of a Marriot hotel. I didn't know what I'd find in the lobby or what amenities were available, or even which door to go in! A few suggestions or assistance killing 60 minutes would have been appreciated.
Example: I used the Chargepoint L3 charger Saturday evening in Beulton CA (maybe butchered that spelling). After starting the charge I walked around the building trying different doors looking for the entrance to the bar or directions to the lounge. The charger is located in the back parking lot of a Marriot hotel. I didn't know what I'd find in the lobby or what amenities were available, or even which door to go in! A few suggestions or assistance killing 60 minutes would have been appreciated.
BarfOMatic
Well-known member
SmokingRubber said:
This is a FANTASTIC idea. Although, if you have a smart-phone, what you ask for is (sort of) already available in google maps (except the free coupon part).
Pigwich
Well-known member
Here's what I want at a charging area -
A park, with at least a few benches, trees, a little playground, even a crappy swing set, a place for the dog to pee, coffee, a sandwich, a restroom, that sort of thing. A way to comfortably kill 45 minutes NOT on your phone, and to give you and your passengers a break.
The fast charger in Palm Desert comes to mind, along with the one at the food co-op in Sacramento. They have a little cafeteria there that's great.
Every AirBnB with a driveway should have a level 2 EVSE, or as a sad second, a 110V outlet near the parking area.
Destination chargers at national parks wherever it's possible.
A bunch of 20 kw CCS stations at the grocery store. In Joshua tree. Or everywhere.
10 kw units at the movies.
15A level 2 at the commuter train stations.
110v chargers at long term parking at the airport.
Restaurants. I would never set foot in a McDonald's unless I was actually dying. Or if it was the one in Banning, CA because they have a 50kw charger.
Little resort towns. Put them around fast chargers. (Obviously the other way around on all my points) idylwild, pioneer town, Mammoth, Sonora, etc.
A park, with at least a few benches, trees, a little playground, even a crappy swing set, a place for the dog to pee, coffee, a sandwich, a restroom, that sort of thing. A way to comfortably kill 45 minutes NOT on your phone, and to give you and your passengers a break.
The fast charger in Palm Desert comes to mind, along with the one at the food co-op in Sacramento. They have a little cafeteria there that's great.
Every AirBnB with a driveway should have a level 2 EVSE, or as a sad second, a 110V outlet near the parking area.
Destination chargers at national parks wherever it's possible.
A bunch of 20 kw CCS stations at the grocery store. In Joshua tree. Or everywhere.
10 kw units at the movies.
15A level 2 at the commuter train stations.
110v chargers at long term parking at the airport.
Restaurants. I would never set foot in a McDonald's unless I was actually dying. Or if it was the one in Banning, CA because they have a 50kw charger.
Little resort towns. Put them around fast chargers. (Obviously the other way around on all my points) idylwild, pioneer town, Mammoth, Sonora, etc.
ChargePoint
Well-known member
SmokingRubber said:
So almost like the "nearby" feature of Google maps app that lets you see everything around you based on your current location, then combine that with something like Facebook's offers for all of those businesses in the area?
SmokingRubber
Well-known member
What's it going to take to get the L3 charger at Cool Hand Luke's in Paso Robles California fixed? It's been down for at least 6 months! It might be working for some vehicles, but definitely does NOT work on the Chevy Bolt. Is there a hotline someone has failed to call? Who has the juice over there to get the ball rolling? I know it's about 3 hours from your office so sending someone out isn't a top priority, but it's the lone L3 outlet in a 50 mile radius (okay theres an ev go in San Luis Obispo).
Can you submit a ticket? Who do I call to get this fixed? It's frankly ridiculous it's been out of order for so long. Please drag a new 100kwh charger down there and upgrade the entire central coast wine region.
The NUMBER ONE feature I expect from a charger is: it's got to work!
Can you submit a ticket? Who do I call to get this fixed? It's frankly ridiculous it's been out of order for so long. Please drag a new 100kwh charger down there and upgrade the entire central coast wine region.
The NUMBER ONE feature I expect from a charger is: it's got to work!
SmokingRubber
Well-known member
ChargePoint said:
I'm not super familiar with google's near bye feature, but it sounds promising. I'm sure google would do most of the legwork in identifying the points of interest, then Chargepoint could overlay any offers or special directions available to travelers? The kiosk could print me a receipt that says; If you'd like to stroll over to Mel's diner 200 ft west of your location, have a cup of coffee on your friends at Chargepoint while you wait. Your vehicle will be at 80% charge is 37 minutes. Try Alice's homemade apple pie while you're at Mel's.
ChargePoint
Well-known member
SmokingRubber said:
Our driver support team is available 24/7 to help you out via phone 1-888-758-4389, or you can reach them by sending a message here: https://na.chargepoint.com/guest/chargepoint_help Please keep in mind that maintenance/repairs are at the station owner’s discretion, however, our support and sales teams will happily work with the station owner to resolve the issue as soon as possible for drivers.
SmokingRubber
Well-known member
ChargePoint said:SmokingRubber said:
Our driver support team is available 24/7 to help you out via phone 1-888-758-4389, or you can reach them by sending a message here: https://na.chargepoint.com/guest/chargepoint_help Please keep in mind that maintenance/repairs are at the station owner’s discretion, however, our support and sales teams will happily work with the station owner to resolve the issue as soon as possible for drivers.
The support page you linked to doesn't work either. WHAT A JOKE! I filled in my information but the SUBMIT button stays grey and will not allow me to submit anything! FAIL. ... wait there's a small pulldown hidden on the top where you need to select a topic. Of course broken L3 charger is not an option, but oh well.
ChargePoint
Well-known member
SmokingRubber said:ChargePoint said:SmokingRubber said:
Our driver support team is available 24/7 to help you out via phone 1-888-758-4389, or you can reach them by sending a message here: https://na.chargepoint.com/guest/chargepoint_help Please keep in mind that maintenance/repairs are at the station owner’s discretion, however, our support and sales teams will happily work with the station owner to resolve the issue as soon as possible for drivers.
The support page you linked to doesn't work either. WHAT A JOKE! I filled in my information but the SUBMIT button stays grey and will not allow me to submit anything! FAIL. ... wait there's a small pulldown hidden on the top where you need to select a topic. Of course broken L3 charger is not an option, but oh well.
I'm not having any issue with the page - do you mind sending me screen-shots of the issue you're experiencing using the page via private message. It's our main channel for message support so your help here would be appreciated if you're unable to access it. I've tested it and the submit button allowed me to click it after all fields were completed and the category from the drop-down at the top of the page was selected. Happy to pick up the conversation there in private message as well, so we can keep on topic here on the thread. Thank you
ChargePoint
Well-known member
SmokingRubber said:
If you're having an issue with a station, I'd select "Station Use," or All Other Questions from the drop down - the most important thing is that we get your issue submitted so that our team can jump on it.
