Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[ultrarnr]

I wouldn't expect Shell to ever put DCFC in their gas stations ever. Shell bought out Greenlots and then shut down their systems claiming they weren't going to upgrade the cell modems to 4G. It leaves a lot of areas in NC, and TN without any kind of DCFC. If oil companies want to slow EV adoption they just have to buy out Electrify America and then shut down all of the chargers.

[Crissa]

Or maybe Shell wants them at their stations instead of off in the boonies.

It's a terrible business decision, though.

-Crissa

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Maybe some company should market businesses and destinations the way the Michelin Guide (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelin_Guide) did. Which was to sell tires.

[DonTom]

I like the idea of multiple CCS chargers close to each other. If one doesn't work you have other options close by. Last time I took my Eva to get inspected I tried a EA station and couldn't get any to work. So I had to charge on L2 for awhile to reach another CCS charger. Sure would have been nice to have other CCS chargers close by.

I could see three close together, but near the summit on I-80 there are so many CCS chargers close together I have no idea what the count is. Almost every exit has a couple. No need to worry about a  CCS charger or two not working up there.

But I understand your point very well. Today, I charged at a Wal*Mart in or near Sacramento. I only saw one charger and nobody was using it, but the screen said "CCS NOT available" . But the CHAdeMO side said it was working. I rode around the parking lot and discovered they had two more chargers there and the first one I tried worked perfectly. But I had to use the advice I got from somebody here in this forum (I cannot now remember who that was). With some Electrify America Chargers, it is very important to NOT follow the instructions to "plug in first".  You use the Electrify America application to turn the charger  on (via internet) BEFORE connecting and then all is fine.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[DonTom]

I wouldn't expect Shell to ever put DCFC in their gas stations ever. Shell bought out Greenlots and then shut down their systems claiming they weren't going to upgrade the cell modems to 4G. It leaves a lot of areas in NC, and TN without any kind of DCFC. If oil companies want to slow EV adoption they just have to buy out Electrify America and then shut down all of the chargers.

Up near the Summit on I-80, there are two Shell Gas Stations with several chargers each.  Four CCS chargers at Nyack Road Shell at Emigrant Gap and Two CCS charger at the Shell Gas Station at KingVale (Soda Springs). They also do CHAdeMO.

All these fast chargers are EV-GO, none are GreenLots.

BTW, you can see my Energica charging at the KingVale Station. I have used the other at Nyack Road also, but it looks like I forgot to check-in and post photos. But I see a check in from "17_Energica Eva" on 30, June 2020. That was NOT me, so I wonder who it was.

I guess someday I will have to go up there and charge. It's my new hobby to post info and photos of my bikes on Plugshare!

But lately, I have been taking Hwy 20 to get back to Reno, so I come out well past Nyack Road to get back on I-80. I-80 gets too boring after countless trips to Reno and back.

I am headed back to Reno in the morning. On Hwy 20, unless I change my mind just to go to Nyack Road for taking photos and checking in there!

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Crissa]

Man, going over I-80 on a motorcycle x-x sounds so terrible.

-Crissa

[DonTom]

Man, going over I-80 on a motorcycle x-x sounds so terrible.-Crissa

I've taken Hwy 20 so many times lately, I am now considering taking I-80 tomorrow and stopping to charge at the Nyack Road Shell just so I can check-in and take photos of my Energica charging  for PlugShare. I have charged there so many times in the last year, that it really surprises me that I never bothered to check-in and post the photos. So I will do it tomorrow.

I will also check to see if the new chargers at the Cisco Grove Chevron Station are now activated. There, I have a check-in, and photos of my Zero SR, charging from the old J-1772 at 6.4 KW.  Also photos of the two new DC chargers and the new J-1772 charge station. So now there are two J-1772s at Cisco Grove. One old  Clipper Creek and the other new one is ChargePoint. But all the ChargePoints had no power the other day when I was there last, so they have not (then)  been activated. They have only been there for around a week. Perhaps they are now activated.

 All the new stuff there is Chargepoint, including the two new CCS and CHAdeMO as shown here in my photos. You have to look for the J-1772's (green)  there to see my photos, as PlugShare has no idea the DC fast chargers (should  be orange) there exist.

They also recently moved the CCS chargers by the Save-Mart, so I want to check that out as well. I just now rechecked. It looks like they added chargers there , were not moved. But added to the front of the Save-Mart where the old ones were hidden behind the store.  I will have to check that out tomorrow as well.

Again, grouped together where not really needed. 

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[DonTom]

Here is what I did and discovered today. On the way back from Auburn, I took as many side roads as possible next to I-80. I am getting to know the side roads very well and how to avoid most of I-80, yet staying close to it.  Such as Placer Hills Road, Rainbow Road, Big Bend, Donner Pass Road and many more.

So first I go to the Nyack Road and charge and get my photos for PlugShare (which I will post later tonight). Then, to Cisco Grove Chevron. The new Fast CCS-CHAdeMO and new J-1772 are not yet activated.

From there, I went to Truckee. They did NOT move the  EV-GO CCS Chargers behind the SaveMart. They are still there and still in operation.

But they added four new machines, all Electrify America, with eight  possible charge stations. Seven are CCS, one is CHAdeMO. These are at the CVS store right next to the SaveMart.

More chargers at another useless location where they are not needed. I have charged behind the Save Mart many times. I have NEVER seen anybody else use either one of them, and now there are seven more CCS charge stations there.  What is going on with I-80 between Truckee and the western foothills?

It's what I would like to see east and north of Reno. I cannot go far in either of those directions.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[Richard230]

Perhaps those charging stations were funded by government grants and their locations selected and approved by government regulators - like the H2 station that I keep complaining about? 

[DonTom]

Perhaps those charging stations were funded by government grants and their locations selected and approved by government regulators - like the H2 station that I keep complaining about? 

Yeah, I thought of that also, and such probably explains why CA is getting so many in areas where they are not at all needed.

In fact, in all trips to Auburn and back, I have yet to see anybody else at any of the CCS chargers at the same time as me. Not even one  other being used at the same time, so far.

Such grants are fine, if they add in "must be located at least 30 miles from all other chargers of the same type" or something like that.

Lately, I have been making two ten minute or so charging stops, each way. That takes less time than only one stop as the charge rate drops closer to a full charge. Each fast charge costs me less than $2.00. When I notice the charge rate drops below ten KW or so, I disconnect, unless I think I need every drop of added range. Not a problem in that area!

When I am charging, this type of stuff gets sent to my email (this is the final receipt):

Assistance: 1-833-632-2778

07/08/2020 03:18:41 PM

Save Mart 627 - Truckee, CA

11399 Deerfield Drive.

Truckee, California 96161
Charger #100027-01

Connector #2

Total paid: $1.82

Session ID: 283732

Transaction ID: NA

Charging pricing: $0.00 + $0.18/minute (pre-tax)

Charging cost: $1.82

Discount: $ 0.00

Idling: $0.00 ($0.40/min)

Sales tax (0%): $ 0.00

End state of charge: 90%

Energy delivered: 3.4 kWh

Max charging rate: 25.68 kW

Charging time: 00:10:06

Grace period: 00:17 min

Paid idle time: 00:00

-Don-  Reno, NV

[Crissa]

Since it's a spot that gets snow and have big swings in traffic, maybe they're building up for peak holiday usage?

When it's snowing, an EV wants to huddle in at a charging station.

-Crissa

[DonTom]

Since it's a spot that gets snow and have big swings in traffic, maybe they're building up for peak holiday usage?

When it's snowing, an EV wants to huddle in at a charging station.

-Crissa

I've wondered if those chargers get more use in the winter when I never use them, which could explain the very large number of CCS chargers a few miles west of  Donner Summit to Truckee, CA.

But I also saw on Plugshare where the snow was so deep they could not even get to the chargers in Kingvale. Look at Dec 3 check-in at Kingvale for an example, also Jan 18 and other dates. And look at some of the photos.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[ultrarnr]

Whether or not a charger location is useful or not depends on your state of charge!

[DonTom]

Whether or not a charger location is useful or not depends on your state of charge!

But with that many charge stations around the I-80 summit, it has to be one's own fault if to let the SOC get that low.

It looks like they now  have another  new charger location in Truckee, CA  that I will have to check out. At 10069 Church Ave. All ChargePoint, both CCS and J-1772. The first check-in there was just yesterday. It opened on July 9.

As if they didn't already have more than enough CCS & J-1772 in Truckee. They now have EV-Go, Electrify America, ChargePoint and Green Lots in Truckee.

I just wish they would add them like that where they are really needed.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[ultrarnr]

I don't think it is a question of installing them where they are really needed. That can be debated for decades. The question is can money be made by installing chargers at a certain location. We have all seen four-way intersections with a gas station on each corner. Does that intersection really need gas stations on each corner? No. Can money be made by having a gas station on each corner? Yes. I think this is the logic that is being followed with charging stations in the areas you describe. Also it is easy to say right now given the number of EVs on the road that a charging station isn't needed at a certain location. But as the number of EVs on the roads grow so will the need to have more charging stations. If charging station owners get ahead of the demand for charging it will help EV adoption.