When Blink DC Fast charging is free?

[carolle]

I registered Blink membership, and it's interesting that currently DC fast charging is just free. Is this a sort of promotion period? When will it be terminated? Then, what'd be the cost for the fast charging?


Just a quick note: My LEAF's GPS doesn't show properly DC fast charging station.

In particular, the following station doesn't existing in GPS:

Applied Materials - Building 12
3225 Oakmead Village Drive
Santa Clara, CA 95051 US

Of course, I've updated in the GPS. So, I have to just rely on Blink's website... Not that good.

 

[FairwoodRed]

Blink’s Quick Charging is free for now. They are planning on charging for charging, but they’ve been planning on that for the last year or so. Nobody knows when it will end, but there are credible rumors that it could be “soon”. Frustratingly, Blink has said nothing about what the fees will be when they do begin charging.

The charging stations listed in the LEAF’s GPS are updated from time to time, but not as fast as I would like. The good news is that when you use a charger that is not in the GPS, your LEAF will automatically add it to your personal list of available chargers.

I agree that I don’t like BlinkMap on their website or app. Instead, I use Recargo, which is updated by the users, so it can be as accurate as we want to make it. Others prefer plugshare, but I am stuck thinking of plugshare as a tool for sharing homeowner EVSE’s.

 

[philipscoggins]

Just a note on Blink membership levels, they keep extending the premium membership as free, so if you just signed up as a regular member go upgrade it so you will only pay $1/hr for Level 2 chargers. You should probably downgrade your membership on Dec 31st as they keep saying that on Jan 1 of next year we're going to start charging for premium membership, but they haven't yet.

Philip

(I'm in TN and plugshare seems more accurate that recargo for my area)

 

[mbender]

I only recently joined Blink to get the card. Before that I always called to get a guest code, and every time I spoke to anyone there, I encouraged them to keep Fast Charging free for as long as possible -- i.e., to subsidize/pay for it all through advertising and partnerships, along the "internet" model. I believe they will attract many more users this way (can you imagine the drop-off in numbers if Facebook, Google, Yahoo or Hotmail etc. charged even $1 per month?). I realize it's a little bit of an apples-to-apple trees comparison, but it's possible that they see this as well and that's why they haven't started "charging for charging" yet. So if and when you ever talk to a Blink rep, mention this and encourage them to pass it along to management, and hopefully it will continue 'indefinitely'!

 

[bruce27513]

I talked to Blink about a McDonalds in Cary, NC that charges for L2. Found out that the comercial location that installed the EVSE, in this case L2 can set up the unit so that when you swipe your card they absorb the charging fee. I suggested that to the McD on Kildaire Farm RD & Ten-Ten RD, since the same people own the one north or Cary Parkway on Kildare Farm RD (ChargePoint, L1 and L2) and they do not charge for those.

 

[ttweed]

I talked to Blink about a McDonalds in Cary, NC that charges for L2. Found out that the comercial location that installed the EVSE, in this case L2 can set up the unit so that when you swipe your card they absorb the charging fee. I suggested that to the McD on Kildaire Farm RD & Ten-Ten RD, since the same people own the one north or Cary Parkway on Kildare Farm RD (ChargePoint, L1 and L2) and they do not charge for those.

It's great when a business is willing to provide free electricity for EVs, and we got a year of free charging from Blink already at all their stations, but I do not begrudge a vendor who decides to make a nominal charge when I hook up my car to their charging station. Some businesses who install them and give away the electricity may still profit by attracting more business, but we wouldn't expect free gas anywhere, and should not expect free juice. We need to encourage the installation of more and more convenient places to charge everywhere, and allowing Blink and the vendor to make a little off each charge is fine with me, as long as they don't go crazy with it and charge more than gas would cost me.

TT

 

[greengate]

I talked to Blink about a McDonalds in Cary, NC that charges for L2. Found out that the comercial location that installed the EVSE, in this case L2 can set up the unit so that when you swipe your card they absorb the charging fee. I suggested that to the McD on Kildaire Farm RD & Ten-Ten RD, since the same people own the one north or Cary Parkway on Kildare Farm RD (ChargePoint, L1 and L2) and they do not charge for those.

It's great when a business is willing to provide free electricity for EVs, and we got a year of free charging from Blink already at all their stations, but I do not begrudge a vendor who decides to make a nominal charge when I hook up my car to their charging station. Some businesses who install them and give away the electricity may still profit by attracting more business, but we wouldn't expect free gas anywhere, and should not expect free juice. We need to encourage the installation of more and more convenient places to charge everywhere, and allowing Blink and the vendor to make a little off each charge is fine with me, as long as they don't go crazy with it and charge more than gas would cost me.

TT

I view it as a gift and that leaves me feeling equally generous.

(Causing me to do really crazy things; Like paying for the toll of the car behind me, or for coffee for the next two people at the coffee shop, or smiling at the checkout person, or perhaps worse of all, it leaves me in a constant state of looking for ways to "give back," for having done this for most of my life I find myself in a constant state of abundance and happiness!!)

The reverse is greed...bottom line as measured in dollars and cents...all of which create a sensation of emptiness as opposed to fullness. Bad for the environment, the planet and all things living there in.

I choose happiness. Especially when it is so easy to accumulate via "random acts of kindness." So when I see someone offering a free charge I express my appreciation for their intensions and state of consciousness, which leaves me "recharged and happy."

 

[ElectricVehicle]

An email sent to Blink card holders (I presume) with the new DC Fast Charger rates:

As of June 10, we’ll be adding Blink DC Fast Chargers to our membership plans. All Blink members will be able to fast charge at an introductory rate of just $5 per session. Guests may also charge for $8 per fast charge.

 

[timhebb]

If Blink QC transitions today from free to $5 as the email advised, I probably enjoyed the last free charging session at the downtown Los Angeles Linear City location on Mateo St.

I plugged in there at about 9:30pm last night and charged to 80% at no cost. I was worried when I drove up that all their QC stations might be coordinated to east coast time, already past midnight and thus June 10th. But the display said the cost would be $0 for the session.

Sayonara, free Blink QC charging - we hardly knew ye! Fortunately, there's an even closer QC station (for me) at the Downtown Nissan dealership. But their hours are more restricted, and charging requires interfacing with a sales associate to swipe the access fob. Still, things have improved considerably from six months ago. Hope to have considerably more QC locations available in the next six months.

 

[mbender]

I plugged in there at about 9:30pm last night and charged to 80% at no cost. I was worried when I drove up that all their QC stations might be coordinated to east coast time, already past midnight and thus June 10th.

I was using one in the Bay area at about the same time and had the exact same concern ;-) ...

But the display said the cost would be $0 for the session.

And fortunately the same result, too!

 

[KillaWhat]

Just think.... Someday you can tell your grandkids about when DCQC was free.... :ugeek:

 

[sfsolar]

It's June 22 and I just used a Blink
DCQC to charge to 100%. Still there is no indication of a fee anywhere. Does anyone know whether I will get charged for this session?