So the first time I charge my car in the downtown ATL office garage, on a ChargePoint Lvl-2 station, the cost came to $59 for 3 hrs charging [5 hrs hooked up to the charger]. Is this typical? I was expecting ~$1.80 per hour. I understand ChargePoint needs to make $ and they split it with the property owner... but this seems crazy. What the strategy for using public non-free stations.
$$$ first public charge station... ouch
- Thread starter cirrus
- Start date
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kubel
Well-known member
I think someone put a decimal in the wrong place.
Office garage owners be like:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pl03dzR524[/youtube]
EV owners be like:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCj0meJ1Uiw[/youtube]
Office garage owners be like:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pl03dzR524[/youtube]
EV owners be like:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCj0meJ1Uiw[/youtube]
Deleted member 770
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You'll need to inquire with Chargepoint. I know that a few places are charging pretty high fees for "connected but not charging" to discourage that behavior, but that's around $10.00 an hour, rounded up (assuming you were plugged in for 5:02 or so).
Please post what you find out - I think others would be curious as well. I presume this was a Level 2 charger, not Level 3, correct?
Please post what you find out - I think others would be curious as well. I presume this was a Level 2 charger, not Level 3, correct?
Randy
Well-known member
Check Plugshare.com for the pricing on the unit you used. I just looked in the downtown Atlanta section on the map and saw a few stations that jumped up to $20 per hour after 3 or 4 hours. I'm guessing that's what happened to you...
Travis
Well-known member
As far as a strategy... I would say don't use pay charging stations however I know that isn't always be possible. If I did use one that charged per hour I would set a timer on my phone to remind me to go unplug/move my car once its approaching 80% charged. I wouldn't charge it past 80% because the car is going to slow down the charging (battery limitation) and you are just going to get charged more. Remember they are charging per hour not kWh so topping off the battery would be VERY expensive.
That is why I never use public charging stations that require a fee unless I'm totally out of options.
Here in Tampa Walgreens charged $1.50 per kWh and no one ever charged there. After a bunch of nasty comments on Chargepoint/Plugshare they lowered the price to $0.75 per kWh. They still rarely get used. I would pay 75 cents per kWh if they had a L3 charger however I'm not going to sit and wait on a L2 charge and pay that.
If at all possible I stop at a friends house to charge. I always carry my modified EVSE and adapters. All of my friends have dryer/range/welder outlets that I use. The friend that didn't got one installed free (by me).
I know this goes against "modern technology" however I would rather have a machine that accepts bills/coins. I don't like the idea of surprise charges.
Just wait until next month. ChargePoint is going to charge you for ANOTHER $25 dollar fee because of how their wonky service works. Then you'll have a $25 dollar credit on your account until you use it up. Then if you use up that 25 bucks within 3 months they are going to charge you based on a 3 month average (which will include that 59 dollar charge). Be prepared to be really pissed at ChargePoint. That part of their service sucks.
EDIT: Here are the terms as they appear on the website. "Upon first use of a paid station, your credit card will be charged a $25 deposit which will be applied as a balance on your ChargePoint account. Each time you pay to use a station, the fees will be deducted from your ChargePoint account balance. When your account runs low, we will automatically charge your credit card $25 or the amount equivalent to three month's average use so your ChargePoint account always maintains a balance. If you only use free stations, your credit card will never be charged."
That is why I never use public charging stations that require a fee unless I'm totally out of options.
Here in Tampa Walgreens charged $1.50 per kWh and no one ever charged there. After a bunch of nasty comments on Chargepoint/Plugshare they lowered the price to $0.75 per kWh. They still rarely get used. I would pay 75 cents per kWh if they had a L3 charger however I'm not going to sit and wait on a L2 charge and pay that.
If at all possible I stop at a friends house to charge. I always carry my modified EVSE and adapters. All of my friends have dryer/range/welder outlets that I use. The friend that didn't got one installed free (by me).
I know this goes against "modern technology" however I would rather have a machine that accepts bills/coins. I don't like the idea of surprise charges.
Just wait until next month. ChargePoint is going to charge you for ANOTHER $25 dollar fee because of how their wonky service works. Then you'll have a $25 dollar credit on your account until you use it up. Then if you use up that 25 bucks within 3 months they are going to charge you based on a 3 month average (which will include that 59 dollar charge). Be prepared to be really pissed at ChargePoint. That part of their service sucks.
EDIT: Here are the terms as they appear on the website. "Upon first use of a paid station, your credit card will be charged a $25 deposit which will be applied as a balance on your ChargePoint account. Each time you pay to use a station, the fees will be deducted from your ChargePoint account balance. When your account runs low, we will automatically charge your credit card $25 or the amount equivalent to three month's average use so your ChargePoint account always maintains a balance. If you only use free stations, your credit card will never be charged."
