EV charging solution for rural and semi-rural areas

[Wavebender]

In a dream last night I saw a solution to the problem of the lack of EV charging stations in rural and semi-rural areas: private charging stations. People could install roadside government-subsidized stations on their land and list their service on EVSE.gov as well as on Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze. Apple and Android users download a free smartphone app with current listings, port compatibilities, and charging levels these stations support. Landowners could set their own prices and compete with each other for customers, letting the market set the going rate.

They have the land to do it and they get a revenue stream while providing a clean, hands-off service to their community and to travelers from nearby interstates and highways. It would be less likely to work in urban and suburban areas due to the lack of parking space as well as zoning laws, but there will be exceptions to this in many locales. Multi-acre properties on the edge of town could easily find the space needed.

Customers have nothing to do while charging, so sell them something while they wait. Since power for refrigeration is right there at your EVSE, put a produce or meat stand next to your station and make even more money. Hell, serve coffee and donuts. In cannabis-legal states, sell them your dank farm-to-car buds too!

Thoughts?

 

[LeftieBiker]

Rural folks tend to be Republicans, and thus tend to be anti-EV. Human nature being what it is, overcoming the initial hurdle of ideological opposition would be difficult. Still, people do like to make money, and to get stuff for free - as long as it isn't "welfare" anyway. The first step would be identifying those areas where this service is needed, meaning lots of EVs and relatively few charging stations.

 

[Wavebender]

Rural folks tend to be Republicans, and thus tend to be anti-EV. Human nature being what it is, overcoming the initial hurdle of ideological opposition would be difficult. Still, people do like to make money, and to get stuff for free - as long as it isn't "welfare" anyway. The first step would be identifying those areas where this service is needed, meaning lots of EVs and relatively few charging stations.

Nampa ID, our town just outside of Boise, has a total of two Level II charging stations, both at car dealerships. Nampa is the second fastest growing city in the USA right now. I see EVs every day, including ours. This is the ideal place to start.

Government “welfare” put men on the moon and built the interstate highway system. I doubt even the most conservative citizen has a problem with either of those projects.

 

[knightmb]

Government “welfare” put men on the moon and built the interstate highway system. I doubt even the most conservative citizen has a problem with either of those projects.

You haven't met the new generation of conservatives I see. But without getting too political, something like this was started back in the early 2010's where you had a L1/L2 connection hooked to a meter that you could feed change (quarters, dimes, etc.) into and it would start a simple timer to give you 1, 2, etc hours of charging on that port. Today, I guess one could couple that service with some type of smart phone app for automatic turn on/ off of the service?

Oh to add to this, remember how plugshare lets you put up your EVSE on a map for others to use? I still have mine on there, but my area has a lot of charging infrastructure now, it's not necessary to use a neighbors L1/L2 connection anymore. Those were the days....

 

[Wavebender]

You haven't met the new generation of conservatives I see. But without getting too political, something like this was started back in the early 2010's where you had a L1/L2 connection hooked to a meter that you could feed change (quarters, dimes, etc.) into and it would start a simple timer to give you 1, 2, etc hours of charging on that port. Today, I guess one could couple that service with some type of smart phone app for automatic turn on/ off of the service?

Trust me, I have. I live in Idaho, one of the reddest states in the nation. My daughter is about to marry one. In fact, I just got home from giving him a lift home (he lives across the street) from the high school where he is doing his student teaching. We discussed my idea and he loved it.

It is most definitely not a political thing I’m pitching. It’s about environmental quality and community service with a strong economic incentive for multi-acre landowners. What’s not to love?

 

[LeftieBiker]

It is most definitely not a political thing I’m pitching. It’s about environmental quality and community service with a strong economic incentive for multi-acre landowners. What’s not to love?

To those who are ideologically opposed (usually because of politicians and media outlets who use anger to acquire more power and/or money) to EVs, it doesn't matter what the benefits are. See "universal healthcare" for more on that.

 

[Wavebender]

It is most definitely not a political thing I’m pitching. It’s about environmental quality and community service with a strong economic incentive for multi-acre landowners. What’s not to love?

To those who are ideologically opposed (usually because of politicians and media outlets who use anger to acquire more power and/or money) to EVs, it doesn't matter what the benefits are. See "universal healthcare" for more on that.

I hear you. But fortune favors the bold, right?

 

[knightmb]

I'm all for the moral support. Heck, the technology to do it isn't really that hard to do. The upfront cost to build it is where a lot of people, regardless of political sway, will probably get in the way. To really make it work, you'll need something similar to a portable QC station. Basically, a simple dual ChaDeMo + CCS would work fine, powered by a large battery bank (say 100 kWH) and then some source to feed it to trickle charge the battery (solar, wind, power from the grid, etc.) So at least you won't need an expensive grid hook up. It would still be expensive though and because of the cost of the batteries and the QC station itself, it will take a long time to payback if it's sitting in a rural area where it's used maybe a couple of times a week.

I hear you. But fortune favors the bold, right?

 

[jlv]

People could install roadside government-subsidized stations on their land and list their service on EVSE.gov
...
Customers have nothing to do while charging, so sell them something while they wait.

If people are installing a Level 2 charging station, then the car is going to be there for hours in order to get a useful amount of charge. I'm not sure what you can sell them to make it worth anyone's while. A hotel/motel is a far better choice.

What circumstances do you think this is useful for?

PlugShare started as a way for people to share their home charging stations others. In 8 years of driving EVs, I've used a person's home charging station exactly once, just last year. And I gave them $10 for $5 worth of electricity (they didn't want anything). But it saved me a 25 minute stop at a SuperCharger on the way home several days later - and the SuperCharger stop would have been free.

 

[OldManCan]

If people are installing a Level 2 charging station, then the car is going to be there for hours in order to get a useful amount of charge. I'm not sure what you can sell them to make it worth anyone's while. A hotel/motel is a far better choice.

Hotels offering L2 charge will invariably become a large selling point as EV ramp up continues. I find that certain hotels already offer this and I'm sure the numbers will pick up. I hope the travel booking sites (Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak etc) can soon add a search filter on this point so we can find & select a hotel based on whether or not they offer EV charging. I would also love to be able to reserve an L2 plug along with my room booking so I can count on it being available for me at checkin or while I sleep overnight.

 

[jlv]

I hope the travel booking sites (Booking.com, Expedia, Kayak etc) can soon add a search filter on this point so we can find & select a hotel based on whether or not they offer EV charging.

I've been selecting hotels based upon them offering EV charging for years using PlugShare.

 

[OldManCan]

I've selecting hotels based upon them offering EV charging for years using PlugShare.

New EV user here so I'm like a kid in a candy store! I realized PlugShare will help me with this chore but it will be much better when the actual booking sites get in on the action as this will influence more investment by the hotel chains (hopeful thinking...).

 

[rogersleaf]

In a dream last night I saw a solution to the problem of the lack of EV charging stations in rural and semi-rural areas: private charging stations. People could install roadside government-subsidized stations on their land and list their service on EVSE.gov as well as on Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze. Apple and Android users download a free smartphone app with current listings, port compatibilities, and charging levels these stations support. Landowners could set their own prices and compete with each other for customers, letting the market set the going rate.

They have the land to do it and they get a revenue stream while providing a clean, hands-off service to their community and to travelers from nearby interstates and highways. It would be less likely to work in urban and suburban areas due to the lack of parking space as well as zoning laws, but there will be exceptions to this in many locales. Multi-acre properties on the edge of town could easily find the space needed.

Customers have nothing to do while charging, so sell them something while they wait. Since power for refrigeration is right there at your EVSE, put a produce or meat stand next to your station and make even more money. Hell, serve coffee and donuts. In cannabis-legal states, sell them your dank farm-to-car buds too!

Thoughts?

Personally see the upfront cost, return on investment, and grant bureaucracy as more of a constraint than land or property owners to host stations. Recently did some research into this for my 2nd/part-time employer (a commercial tour bus company) that is interested in hosting a project. He has 480v power and a decent location roughly a 1/2 mile off an Ohio turnpike exit in an area without any L3's. Getting L2 stuff is not difficult and has minimal expense. The problem becomes anything L3 is crazy expensive with whatever limited grant funding available in the area being totally controlled by government agencies with entirely different priorities, and definitely not toward private property in rural/suburban areas. In fact, my primary employer is one of those government agencies that has been sitting on VW dieselgate funding for several years without installing anything (as in nothing, nadda, not even an L2 for employees). My private bus company employer eventually gave up on L3 and will likely install a private non-networked L2 with a service disconnect locked up inside his bus garage that is mostly for employees. Thus far I'm the only employee with an EV, but others are looking closely at my LEAF and the owner is thinking about an F150 Lightning. Thus far with this 40 KWh LEAF, I've used my portable cord a couple times in almost 3 years at their garage (and only due to my own home charging screwups) so installing permanent L2's is a low priority concern.