L2 charging station at new San Bernadino 7-Eleven

This from the San Bernadino Press Enterprise:

San Bernardino's newest 7-Eleven store will be the chain's first to feature an electric car charging station, according to a statement. The grand opening is scheduled for Saturday.

The convenience store is at 3993 North Sierra Way. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and there will be a Nissan Leaf on hand to demonstrate an electric car charge-up.

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I don't have any more details as of right now. But if you're in SB, and are at a loose end on Saturday, you might want to turn up and show your support!

In any event, looks like a new place to get some L2 close by the 215/210 split!

I have some more information for you, and it's good stuff!

Initially there is going to be one Eaton Pow-R-Station L2 charger on it's own pedestal in the store's parking lot. Charging is going to be free for at least the near future.

Better news still is that future plans call for the addition of an Eaton L3 Quick Charger!

So at this point, we're definitely invited to attend the grand opening in whatever numbers we can muster in the IE, and that will be this Saturday, the 9th, between 11 am and 3 pm. Again, the address is 3993 N. Sierra Way, San Bernardino.

This is awesome news!!! That is very close to the base of the San Bernardino Mountains and is convenient for drivers heading up CA-18 to Lake Arrowhead. It's a little out of the way if you're heading to Running Springs or Big Bear, but not by too much. In any case, having more charging options near the mountains, particularly L3, is a wonderful thing.

Unfortunately, we have other commitments on Saturday. But there is a chance we might be able to make it there before 3 PM in our LEAF.

abasile said:

This is awesome news!!! That is very close to the base of the San Bernardino Mountains and is convenient for drivers heading up CA-18 to Lake Arrowhead.

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Having L3 at the base of the mountain there would be a godsend for me, what with being 60 miles away from SB to start with. It will make the mountains, with a parking-lot picnic stop featuring on 7-Eleven goodies, an easy decision!

mwalsh said:

Having L3 at the base of the mountain there would be a godsend for me, what with being 60 miles away from SB to start with. It will make the mountains, with a parking-lot picnic stop featuring on 7-Eleven goodies, an easy decision!

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I'm sure we can find something to buy at 7-Eleven, to show our support. However, it happens that there is a Thai restaurant really close by. While we have tried their food and it isn't the best we've had, it's not bad.

abasile said:

Unfortunately, we have other commitments on Saturday. But there is a chance we might be able to make it there before 3 PM in our LEAF.

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It would be awesome if at least one of us could shop up for a few minutes and say, "Hey, thanks for doing this. It's pretty cool of you!". I would drive out there myself, but they'd need to promise me the charger for the entire 4 hour period to guarantee that I'd get back to the OC!

mwalsh said:

I would drive out there myself, but they'd need to promise me the charger for the entire 4 hour period to guarantee that I'd get back to the OC!

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If you're not able to pick up enough charge at the 7-Eleven, you could always go to one of the Nissan dealers in the area, such as Fontana. That's if you can spare the time, of course.

mwalsh said:

So at this point, we're definitely invited to attend the grand opening in whatever numbers we can muster in the IE, and that will be this Saturday, the 9th, between 11 am and 3 pm. Again, the address is 3993 N. Sierra Way, San Bernardino.

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This is 30 miles from my house. Normally an easy drive, but tomorrow I will be returning from the Cerritos OC Breakfast Club by Noon or so, and I would need more time to replenish my tank before heading out again. I could make the trip this coming week, however.

Awesome! I'll go check it out tomorrow.

Don't forget the Starbucks down the street! Seriously +1 on having an L3 at the base of the 18. The 18 is our new preferred route to BB even though the 330 is re-opened. Our best friends live in BB so this would make regular visits to the lake MUCH cheaper. Exciting news!

Is this going to be Eco, CP or ???

TRONZ said:

Is this going to be Eco, CP or ???

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Glad you asked....I actually have some new information.

It was the developer/landlord of the project who was actually the driving force behind the installation - Los Angeles attorney, Jian Torkan, who is also a principal of real estate development firm ICO Group.

Torkan has created a new company called Recharge-N-Go to install charging stations and is presently focused on the Inland Empire, and he has plans to install three additional charging stations in San Bernardino, another in Riverside, and possibly one in Redlands.

The 7-Eleven station, as you know, will eventually feature the two chargers...one L2 and one L3. Charging will initially be free, while Recharge-N-Go monitors usage patterns to determine prices. So it appears that it's not something that 7-Eleven is directly involved with, and something that will eventually be monetized.

But, that said, a reasonable charge for convenient L3 is not something I'm at all opposed to.

mwalsh said:

But, that said, a reasonable charge for convenient L3 is not something I'm at all opposed to.

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I'm not opposed to any reasonable charge for charging regardless of the rate... Naturally, faster charging is worth more...

I stopped by here today. The cord on this unit is very short. Try to park on the west side of the island if it's available.

I arrived Sat PM at about 3:30PM. I first had to stop at home in Claremont for some more charge after returning from Cerritos HTB Breakfast Club meeting. I drove a total of 74 + 60 = 134 miles this day.

The official Grand Opening (for the 7-11 store itself) was over, so I missed out on the Laker Girls appearance. I talked to Peter, who is the EV consultant for 7-11. I was their first customer, not counting a Nissan dealer who had stopped in the day before. Peter confirmed what has been stated above. The mountings and wiring for the L3 are in place. No ETA for L3. The L2 is a J1772 Eaton, but it is not as nice as a ChargePoint (no text-messages or status to my cell-phone). It has a charge-card slot, but Peter said they would not charge for now or "any time soon."

http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_18435977

No tables or chairs in store, but there is a Burger King diagonally across the street, and a Thai place that abasile rates acceptable 100 yards west (it was closed for 1-week). Sitting in the Burger King sipping a shake, I could watch my car charging.

I arrived with just enough charge to get back to Fontana as a backup, but I needed 1.5 hrs to get home. After 1 hr 20 min, I returned to the car, only to find the EVSE had a fault and had cut-off early. I could not get it restarted, and now the charge-card box was asking for $ 3.00. It seemed possible it had been programmed for 1-hr maximum. I put in my credit card, but it rejected it. Peter was not there. I ended up stopping at Fontana on my way home to get the additional .5 hr of charge I needed.

Given the problems I had, I suggest you call before you count on using this charge point. Their number, which is not yet in any online directory or 411, is 909.475.8342. Peter probably was only there for that day, but you can ask for Gil.

This is an good charging location if you are heading up the mountain, but if you are heading further east, the AV charging at Metro Redlands Nissan may be a better choice, with several food options within walking distance. abasile reports they were friendly to him.