Gilroy Outlets = two L2 ChargePro EVSE

[earther]

mxp brought to my attention that there might be some EVSE installed at the Gilroy Outlets; I live nearby and swung by after work to take a look and sure enough, there they were (I'd swear they weren't there when I was there last month!)

They are on the side of the Sony outlet (bright blue lights, you can't miss em) and were put up as part of a mall network by 350green (http://350green.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false They use the ChargePro model EVSE and allegedly one pays via a SemaCharge Pass card (http://www.semacharge.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false. I can confirm that both stations work just fine with the Leaf as of this writing. I'm not sure that their payment infrastructure is active yet however: it let me plug into my Leaf without requesting any id and despite a dollar counter on the LCD display, it never ticked up at all as I charged (I only did it for a few seconds, as I didn't want to inadvertently shoplift electrons). The display also flashed an 800 number to call (800-663-5633) and despite the website claiming "call us! we're here 24/7/365!" I just got a recorded message saying their hours ended at 5pm, lol!

The two parking spots really seem ideal for EVs: away from the bulk of the lot since it's on the side not the front, and yet adjacent to the walkway curb for the handicapped. Also, there was large green signage on a post indicating the presence of the L2 station but no further signage regarding parking restrictions (so no legal fears about towing from evse sharing).

 

[KeiJidosha]

mxp brought to my attention that there might be some EVSE installed at the Gilroy Outlets...

...The display also flashed an 800 number to call (800-663-5633) and despite the website claiming "call us! we're here 24/7/365!" I just got a recorded message saying their hours ended at 5pm, lol!...

Gilroy is an important charging location between LA and SF for <100 mile EVs. These chargers fill the gap left by Costco’s charger removal, and the Outlet Mall has more to do with lodging nearby. I tried to order a card but web site is not working. Will call during business hours. Thanks for the tip.

 

[planet4ever]

Amazing! The side of the Sony outlet is one of four specific locations I suggested to the General Manager of the Outlets in an email on August 15.

For anyone not familiar with the area, take the Leavesley Rd. exit east from US 101 at the north end of Gilroy. Coming from the north, make a left onto Leavesley and go one block under the freeway to the first traffic signal, turning left onto San Ysidro Ave. Coming from the south, go straight across Leavesley and you will be on San Ysidro. Either way, turn right into the parking lot just past the Gilroy Inn motel and you will see the SONY sign near the top of the building across the lot to your left.

There must be more than 100 factory outlet stores to shop in, there and across Leavesley to the south. In-N-Out Burger is only a few steps away, behind the motel. Erik's Delicafe is tucked in the northeast corner of that block of outlets. Denny's, Ginger Cafe, and Fresh Choice are on the other side of San Ysidro. Applebees is a short block south of Leavesley, and a block further down is Home Town Buffet. Back on the west side of the freeway, still only 2 blocks from the charging stations, are Chevy's and the Black Bear Diner. There are a couple of other well-known hamburger drive-throughs, but why would anyone go to them with In-N-Out even closer?

Ray

 

[mxp]

Thanks Earther, for the excellent report !
I will definitely check it out sometime soon.

 

[oakwcj]

The Semacharge website is up today. I did a search for stations within 200 miles of San Francisco:


Walgreens - Daly City, CA#5365 (5.1)
6100 Mission Street , Daly City, CA 94014
Distance :5.12
Walgreens - Oakland, CA #11706 (9.3)
301 East 18th Street , Oakland, CA 94606
Distance :9.3
Walgreens - Hayward, CA #2401 (19.0)
21463 Foothill Blvd , Hayward, CA 94541
Distance :19.03
Napa Premium Outlets (36.5)
629 Factory Stores Drive , Napa, CA 94558
Distance :36.55
Santa Rosa Plaza (48.8)
1071 Santa Rosa Plaza , Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Distance :48.78
Walgreens - Santa Rosa, CA #3297 (51.1)
3093 Marlow Rd , Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Distance :51.06
Gilroy Premium Outlets (69.9)
681 Leavesley Road , Gilroy, CA 95020
Distance :69.9


At the moment, they are all free. If you want to sign up for an RFID card which can be used at pay stations, there is an immediate $20 charge to your credit card, $10 of which is non-refundable. I think I'll sign up for a card which can only be used at free locations for now.

 

[oakwcj]

I found that there is, in fact, no option to sign up for a card that can be used only at free stations, so I gave Semacharge a call. I was told, as Earther reported, that you don't need a card at free stations. The nice person I spoke to said their website just went up last month and that she would speak to the web designer about correcting the information.

 

[GRA]

mxp brought to my attention that there might be some EVSE installed at the Gilroy Outlets...

...The display also flashed an 800 number to call (800-663-5633) and despite the website claiming "call us! we're here 24/7/365!" I just got a recorded message saying their hours ended at 5pm, lol!...

Gilroy is an important charging location between LA and SF for <100 mile EVs. These chargers fill the gap left by Costco’s charger removal, and the Outlet Mall has more to do with lodging nearby. I tried to order a card but web site is not working. Will call during business hours. Thanks for the tip.

My thanks to Planet4Ever for pointing me to this thread.

Gilroy is even more important for those traveling between the Bay Area and Monterey/Carmel - Leavesley Road is about 40 miles from downtown Monterey (I frequently eat at the Hometown Buffet on the way back from Monterey), and 60 miles from my place. BTW, the Tesla EVSE at the Salinas Rabobank has been changed to a J1772, and presumably the rest of Tesla's network down 101 has been changed likewise, so you can charge at those as well. I'm not sure of the details re payment/access.

It seems a bit odd that Walgreen's is mixing EVSE networks; there are two Walgreen's in Hayward, one uses Chargepoint and the other Semacharge.

Now all we need are some J1772s actually _in_ Monterey/Carmel at useful locations

 

[oakwcj]

mxp brought to my attention that there might be some EVSE installed at the Gilroy Outlets...

...The display also flashed an 800 number to call (800-663-5633) and despite the website claiming "call us! we're here 24/7/365!" I just got a recorded message saying their hours ended at 5pm, lol!...

Gilroy is an important charging location between LA and SF for <100 mile EVs. These chargers fill the gap left by Costco’s charger removal, and the Outlet Mall has more to do with lodging nearby. I tried to order a card but web site is not working. Will call during business hours. Thanks for the tip.

My thanks to Planet4Ever for pointing me to this thread.

Gilroy is even more important for those traveling between the Bay Area and Monterey/Carmel - Leavesley Road is about 40 miles from downtown Monterey (I frequently eat at the Hometown Buffet on the way back from Monterey), and 60 miles from my place. BTW, the Tesla EVSE at the Salinas Rabobank has been changed to a J1772, and presumably the rest of Tesla's network down 101 has been changed likewise, so you can charge at those as well. I'm not sure of the details re payment/access.

It seems a bit odd that Walgreen's is mixing EVSE networks; there are two Walgreen's in Hayward, one uses Chargepoint and the other Semacharge.

Now all we need are some J1772s actually _in_ Monterey/Carmel at useful locations

The Blink map shows one on 8th Avenue in Carmel, although it also says that it's offline. Do you have any information on that one?

 

[MaryC]

[/quote]The Blink map shows one on 8th Avenue in Carmel, although it also says that it's offline. Do you have any information on that one?[/quote]

I was at this parking lot last month, at that time it appeared to be working but was ICE'd. I was driving my ICE car so did not need to use it. This spot has no signage to designate it for EV's only so even if it is online you probably could not park in this spot. Too bad because it is close to Carmel shops.

 

[GRA]

The Blink map shows one on 8th Avenue in Carmel, although it also says that it's offline. Do you have any information on that one?

I was at this parking lot last month, at that time it appeared to be working but was ICE'd. I was driving my ICE car so did not need to use it. This spot has no signage to designate it for EV's only so even if it is online you probably could not park in this spot. Too bad because it is close to Carmel shops.

Where I want to see EVSEs is near to the beaches in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel (I'm a scuba diver). In Monterey there are three or four obvious locations for charging stations in city-owned lots, which are not only near the beaches but also near Cannery Row, the Aquarium, wharfs for whale-watching/dive/fishing boats, and downtown tourist areas. There is supposedly an L1 charger in one city lot downtown, but that doesn't do me any good.

 

[planet4ever]

The Blink map shows one on 8th Avenue in Carmel, although it also says that it's offline. Do you have any information on that one?

I was at this parking lot last month, at that time it appeared to be working but was ICE'd. I was driving my ICE car so did not need to use it. This spot has no signage to designate it for EV's only so even if it is online you probably could not park in this spot. Too bad because it is close to Carmel shops.

Where I want to see EVSEs is near to the beaches in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel (I'm a scuba diver). In Monterey there are three or four obvious locations for charging stations in city-owned lots, which are not only near the beaches but also near Cannery Row, the Aquarium, wharfs for whale-watching/dive/fishing boats, and downtown tourist areas. There is supposedly an L1 charger in one city lot downtown, but that doesn't do me any good.

Fixed your quotes for you, GRA and MaryC.

Yes, I'd love to see convenient charging in all of those locations. My wife and I enjoy going to Fishermans Wharf, Cannery Row, and Carmel. We window shop, maybe buy a few trinkets, and get a great seafood meal. But those places are 50 to 55 miles away from our home -- a bit too far for a LEAF round trip. Two hours of charging while we enjoy ourselves, though, would make it a delightful no sweat day.

Actually, back on topic, the new Gilroy Outlet charging stations do make this trip (just) possible. It's about 84-85 miles round trip from there to Fishermans Wharf or Cannery Row. (More like 90 miles to Carmel.) So the way things are now we would need to add some factory outlet shopping at each end of the trip.

Ray

 

[GRA]

Where I want to see EVSEs is near to the beaches in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel (I'm a scuba diver). In Monterey there are three or four obvious locations for charging stations in city-owned lots, which are not only near the beaches but also near Cannery Row, the Aquarium, wharfs for whale-watching/dive/fishing boats, and downtown tourist areas. There is supposedly an L1 charger in one city lot downtown, but that doesn't do me any good.

Yes, I'd love to see convenient charging in all of those locations. My wife and I enjoy going to Fishermans Wharf, Cannery Row, and Carmel. We window shop, maybe buy a few trinkets, and get a great seafood meal. But those places are 50 to 55 miles away from our home -- a bit too far for a LEAF round trip. Two hours of charging while we enjoy ourselves, though, would make it a delightful no sweat day.

Actually, back on topic, the new Gilroy Outlet charging stations do make this trip (just) possible. It's about 84-85 miles round trip from there to Fishermans Wharf or Cannery Row. (More like 90 miles to Carmel.) So the way things are now we would need to add some factory outlet shopping at each end of the trip.

Ray

Thanks for the quote fix. For you, the L1 Charger in the West Custom House garage on Tyler between Franklin and Del Monte would work pretty well for Fisherman's Wharf and downtown. It's about a 15 minute walk to the south end of Cannery Row, and maybe another 10 minutes to the aquarium. Unfortunately, schlepping ~ 270 lbs of scuba tanks and other dive gear on foot from the parking garage to the Coast Guard Breakwater parking lot isn't an option, nor is leaving my spare tanks, clothing and gear at the Breakwater lot unattended while I'm diving an option. Stuff does occasionally 'walk away' if not locked in a car.

 

[hill]

The Semacharge website is up today. I did a search for stations within 200 miles of San Francisco:


Walgreens - Daly City, CA#5365 (5.1)
6100 Mission Street , Daly City, CA 94014
Distance :5.12
Walgreens - Oakland, CA #11706 (9.3)
301 East 18th Street , Oakland, CA 94606
Distance :9.3
Walgreens - Hayward, CA #2401 (19.0)
21463 Foothill Blvd , Hayward, CA 94541
Distance :19.03
Napa Premium Outlets (36.5)
629 Factory Stores Drive , Napa, CA 94558
Distance :36.55
Santa Rosa Plaza (48.8)
1071 Santa Rosa Plaza , Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Distance :48.78
Walgreens - Santa Rosa, CA #3297 (51.1)
3093 Marlow Rd , Santa Rosa, CA 95403
Distance :51.06
Gilroy Premium Outlets (69.9)
681 Leavesley Road , Gilroy, CA 95020
Distance :69.9
...........................................snip

I checked within 200 miles of O.C. which would pretty much cover all of San Diego, L.A. and Ventura counties . . . . . . . . . . with all that landscape, there's just one - 30 miles away ... out in Ontario. Oh well
:?