Broken Public Chargers

[JeffRay]

Hey all,

Starting a new topic as a working charging infrastructure is needed to match more EV cars on the road. Some random observations to kick it off. Please feel free to add your observations and comments.

1. Broken public chargers. Reported by FordAnglia that the Chargepoint chargers at his local Target have been out of action and no one seems to be in a hurry to fix them despite repeated requests. Similar happened at my local Whole Foods with their two Chargepoint chargers. Neither has been working for a few weeks now. Requests lodged with Chargepoint and Whole Foods. It seems in this case it is Whole Foods dragging its feet as the Chargepoint rep suggested they control things at this location, including hiding the chargers from being listed on the apps.

2. UK initiatives. Saw a video on YouTube about a company installing public chargers on streets. The novelty here is they retract when not in use as the sidewalks are narrow. Not clear how EV charging is given priority to park and get access to these ports. These seemed to be paid ports.

3. Lots of bike shares in NYC but zero municipal EV charging. If they exist at local airports, I have not found them either.

4. Work place chargers. At some office parks, there are commercial pay chargers so good. At my incubator, which is state run, no chargers but landlord allows me to plug into the outdoor wall outlet to top up or park overnight to charge up. At prior location, that landlord actually charged me a monthly flat rate and allowed me to put up an EV parking sign.

5. Charging at highway rest stops. Since I mainly drive my ICE wagon, I normally do not look for charging stations. However, have begun to see Tesla and other chargers here and there in the parking lot of otherwise rest stops with gas pumps. Problem at one location was non EV drivers parking in EV charging spots since parking was at a premium. Not a big problem as they leave after pit stop. Also, alas, both non-Tesla chargers were posted as Out of Order.

 

[Heima]

They finally fixed it in the Chargepoint and Plugshare Apps. The four chargers at Zanker Recycling were listed as free and often in use. But when I went to that location, there were spiderwebs all over the charging handles, and the reader would not recognize my card. In fact, the display said that the chargers were offline. Yet, the next day, the apps said that the charger was in use. I drove down there again, and nothing, nobody. Still spiderwebs and offline. I called up a phone number that was posted in the display, and spoke with the owner of the chargers. He said that they were turned off months ago. He apologized, but said that the chargers were out of service.

The next day, I see in the app that someone had used the charger while I was standing there. It was then I realized, that the Chargepoint and Plugshare apps were reporting for a charger, that was not located where indicated on the map. There were physical chargers at the map location, but the information about that location was coming from somewhere else.

So who is to say that this is not presently happening with other charging locations?

 

[FordAnglia]

Jeff, Thanks for starting this thread.

My first thought about EV vehicles is "Battery Technology". I don't think drive-train efficiency will keep pace with battery chemistry. Better batteries will soon give EVs a similar range to ICE vehicles.

Now that I have an EV (and took the deep plunge from ICE to 100% EV) my second thought is "Charging an EV". Telsa and a few others have pushed the energy flow upwards (now routinely past 100kWh) and charging times downward (nearly full charge in 30 minutes)

Which brings me to "Public EV Charging".
There was a time at the dawn of the horseless carriage when fuel had to be obtained from Chemist (Pharmacy) shops, and in huge containers. Filling Stations (Gas Stations) came along later. In modern times they're self-serve*, pay at the pump, often with snack shops and bathrooms thrown in.
(* Assuming you don't live in New Jersey or Oregon States)

Here's my third factor. "Renewable Energy" (AKA "going green", "saving the planet", "reducing your carbon footprint") Unfortunately there's quite a few virtual-signalers jumping on the bandwagon, and without a lot of sanity checking. I know these Snowflakes are fragile, so I'll tread lightly.

Many good-intended programs have sprung up, especially in boom times, and where progressives and techies try to share the same space.
The positive is that we have abundant and visible alternative energy systems here in California. I marvel at the wind farms on the Altamont pass (East of Silicon Valley, near Livermore), and the now ubiquitous covered parking with solar panels at many local high schools, government buildings, and even on residential rooftops.

I suspect that bragging about newly installed EV charging (and other visible alternative energy programs) in one thing, but maintaining and expanding them is quite another. Pity.

As a practical matter, if by some unfortunate political misstep, California was pushed back to, say, life on the farm in the late 1800s, and we stopped all CO2 emissions**, it would amount to perhaps a one-percent global savings.
(** Methane from cattle flatulence will still be a problem for us meat-eaters)

Meanwhile, China, is still opening a new COAL fired electric generating plant every month or less, and that will simply do us all in. Third world developing countries are contributing to global CO2 emissions, and toxic pollution. They envy the American lifestyle, which has come at a very high ecological price. Not to mention China fouling the jet stream as it passes over California. I well remember being able to stare at the mid-afternoon sun in Nanjing, China, recently. While trying not to cough from their outdoor pollution.

Recall the Chinese Curse (often miss-attributed, and said with irony); "May you live in interesting times"!

Peter,

 

[bananapeal]

pretty sure cow flatulence wouldn't be a problem if farmers actually cared for their lands like we think they should. we learned in school all cows eat grass and grow into adults finding out that practically none do.

if pastureland is maintained properly, it acts as a carbon sink! the cow poop builds the soil for healthy grasses which build roots and food for the cow and the whole system makes a cycle of soil preservation. you till the land and destroy this and make dust bowl. there's a ted talk on the subject. restore great herds of bovines and the great planes can store carbon like planting trees. till the ground for corn and feed from a bucket? this is the 25% of greenhouse emissions from agriculture.

google the ted talk is very optimistic. i'd write "ted talk pasture" and it's the first result allen savoy. thanks for reading. all the grass beef at the super market is from australia, even if it says angus, buy grass beef from a local farmer instead directly.

..,.oh this is a car forum ... carry on...

 

[JeffRay]

Chuckle and tears in the same thread. My my.