BC L3 Quick Charge Station Status

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BCIT is not ready yet, depending on who is testing the system, it may be partially on, but I wouldn't count on it being available to the public just yet.
 
BCIT is not on Plugshare yet because it is not always operating, currently it is being tested. One of the chargers displays an error and main kiosk is also not available. Please do not put on Plugshare as it is still in testing. Do not rely on the charger being available.
 
New Eaton charging station in North Vancouver ...

West 1st just west of Lonsdale.

Curb side charging like Squamish station.
 
I drove by the new north van level three charger yesterday August 9. It was turned off- does anyone know when they are going to turn it on.
 
Has anyone heard of where the next batch of L3 stations are to be rolled out in BC? I understand there are still a dozen or so to be built during 2015 and 2016... the Plug-in BC website is pretty vague and suggests the possibility of completing an Interior loop. I know I'm dreaming, but I'm hoping that means over Hwy 3 to Cranbrook, then up the East Kootenay and back via Revelstoke to Kamloops.

I live in Nelson and I'm hoping only my 2015 service will be a multi-day adventure to get over to Kelowna and back for my LEAF!
 
the Victoria level charger in installed but not yet powered up. VEVA email from Victoria stated it is in the new Uptown mall
 
29 January, 2015
Saanich, BC, Canada

I was at Uptown, by coincidence a couple of days ago. I noted two Leafs parked in the charging bays, and a medly of people taking pictures of the charging station. I mosied over and learned that it was Uptown Management, Saanich Sustainability, BC Hydro, which paid for the infrastructure (and I understand it is not cheap), some techs from the installation company and a couple of Leaf owners milling around, trying to figure out what the problem is. It seems that it might be some computer glitches.

After, I was returning to my vehicle when one of the participants (all others had left) approached me and asked about my interest. Turns out that he is the Manager of the Uptown complex. He was very informative, hoping for a successful installation (they hope any day now, but even yesterday, no go) and I give my Kudos.

Just an extra tidbit. The Manager told me that the entire Uptown complex is serviced by just one power meter! (yes there are individual meters for individual businesses, etc.) but as an Electric Car owner, can you imagine the power flow?

Terrance VE7TBC
 
vwDavid said:
Certainly a loop would be great but it would also be really
Nice to have some proper L3 in Vancouver burnaby etc too.

I'd be curious if you could expand on that statement. I don't really understand the need for L3 in the area around Vancouver - the climate is so mild that range isn't impacted that badly and I never found myself driving over 100km in a day when I lived there. Admittedly, I was doing that driving without a Leaf.

I did fly to Vancouver to pick mine up in May and drove it home to Nelson, so I only was able to use one L3 charger (at the Surrey Museum). Having them further out the valley like Abbotsford and Hope would have helped me a lot more, because I arrived at the Surrey L3 with >70% charge, so I only really used it out of novelty.

With respect to a loop - Daybreak South (on CBC) did have an interview the other day with someone from BC Hydro on implementing the L3's - the guy only spoke about a charger they are trying to put in at West Kelowna, but it has given me a glimmer of hope anyways!
 
BCIT is still experimental, many defects still exist that can cause you serious problems if you are not part of the testing team.

it could leave your car unable to charge
or stuck to the charging station
or even destroy your battery.

I keep having to remove it from plugshare because people show up and then have problems with their vehicle because of the "experimental" chargers.
 
kcarmich said:
BCIT is still experimental, many defects still exist that can cause you serious problems if you are not part of the testing team.

it could leave your car unable to charge
or stuck to the charging station
or even destroy your battery.

I keep having to remove it from plugshare because people show up and then have problems with their vehicle because of the "experimental" chargers.

What is experimental about them? Are they a different brand of charger than what has been used so far in BC? Thank you for letting us know of the potential hazards!
 
achewt said:
kcarmich said:
BCIT is still experimental, many defects still exist that can cause you serious problems if you are not part of the testing team.

it could leave your car unable to charge
or stuck to the charging station
or even destroy your battery.

I keep having to remove it from plugshare because people show up and then have problems with their vehicle because of the "experimental" chargers.

What is experimental about them? Are they a different brand of charger than what has been used so far in BC? Thank you for letting us know of the potential hazards!

these are the only 2 Schneider DC chargers in Canada, and its power source isn't just plugged into the grid, this is a very complex setup with 250kw solar and 500kwh of battery, and big honking DC to DC and DC to AC inverter system, when the solar tries to connect to the grid or disconnect from the grid there is a power fluctuation that the chargers aren't able to deal with, and it may cause the entire charger to reboot or fault. Schneider is trying to resolve all our issues, but it isn't happening quickly.

they advised us to install a UPS upstream from the control circuits, and that failed because when the UPS kicked in then the charger rebooted because it saw the neutral was no longer the same potential as ground and it shutdown because there was a ground fault.

so we are having to change the electrical wiring to these chargers to deal with these types of issues, and it could have a real impact to drivers, and I dont want anybody's vehicle to be harmed while we are solving these issues.

this is why these "coming soon" posts in plugshare are very dangerous. just because something is powered up doesn't mean it is safe to use.
 
I see Abbotsford is now listed on PlugShare and appears to be relatively stable - I'm planning on coming over from Nelson in mid-June and will be happy to use that station along with the North Van station (or is the PNE one hooked up yet? It isn't on PlugShare) - then hop over to the Sunshine Coast and use the one at Sechelt.

I've only used a DCFC once, it was the Surrey Museum unit last May. I used the iOS Greenlots App successfully - do you regular users use an app, or did you order the RFID tag? I'm debating about spending the $10 on a tag.

Thanks all!
 
as we get ready to unleash the DC chargers at BCIT to the general public, I would like to take some time to show some people how to deal with these chargers to ensure they are able to deal with any issues that may happen at these stations, and hopefully they will be able to help other users as the site becomes more active.

if you would like to be part of this, please contact me and we can arrange some time to go over the potential issues, and how to resolve most of the issues.

Kelly
 
I posted a video to YouTube of a recent charge at the Penticton DCFC. I've used this unit a few times now and have had no problems. Interestingly, I haven't needed to use the Greenlots app to unlock it - you can simply start it using right away (as you'll see in the video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW5yGsaytS4
 
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