Bay area Blink DCFC is on the map!!

[leafenvy]

The VW Blink DCFC Is finally on the map! Can someone who lives closer than me please drive over and confirm that it actually works? It is at 500 Clipper drive in Belmont. Thanks in advance.

 

[TEG]

Yes, I have used it and seen others using it as well.
You need a Blink card to activate it.

Some days when I tried, it was down, but the last couple were OK, so hopefully they have sorted out the initial problems it was having before. VW plans to cut off public access to their neighboring chargepoint J1772s soon, so the Blink QC will be the only public charge option there. (So only a useful site for cars with CHAdeMO sockets.)

By the way, if you use it, please plan on staying only a short time as you will recharge quickly. People used to parking their car all day at an L2 J1772 would be wasting this resource if they stay there for hours, already full.
This is more of a quick "pit stop" not a long term parking place.

There are two spots in front of the Blink, and two cables, but it will only recharge one of them at a time.
(It will automatically switch to the 2nd once the first is done.)

Also be aware this is in a busy parking lot with a lot of VW test vehicles driving in and out. Please be careful and courteous in their parking lot.

Thanks, VW & Ecotality for providing this!

 

[waitingforaleaf]

I have used it today and it is up and working finally. I actually called in to Blink twice before, since the unit had some issues with the RFID card reader not working. Looks like they finally fixed it the second time they came out (fingers crossed that it stays working).

Like TEG has already said, many thanks to VW for hosting this charger.

 

[waitingforaleaf]

Just checked the Blink map and it shows both a L2 Blink and the DC Fast Charger. As far as I know, the Blink L2 is not public and likely locked behind the gate. I'm not sure if the two Chargepoint L2s out in the front of the building have been restricted yet, but VW wants to move all public charging towards the DC fast charger. Just a heads up for the curious.

 

[TEG]

Yes, the Blink AC L2 is behind a locked gate, not available to the public.
VW is doing charging research there, so they seem to have "one of everything" for their own use.
They are intending to restrict the Chargepoint L2s next week, but may delay if anyone else reports problems with the Blink DC QC.

 

[grommet]

Finished charging at the Volkswagen ERL site in Belmont, CA.

Met another LEAF here. I swiped, selected 80%, plugged in hose #2 ... automatically started after LEAF at hose #1 finished. Nice design, and an extremely clean process.

Both LEAFs here set the CHAdeMO charge to 80%, and the end result was 8 bars on the LEAF dash... not the 10 bars you see when going to 80% via L1/L2. So there seems to be a discrepancy between what the on-board charger and Blink CHAdeMO thinks 80% is on the battery.

--Ron

 

[Boomer23]

Just a side question. Why is VW interested in having a CHAdeMO charger at all? Aren't they a partner in the competing SAE combined L2/L3 plug for their new US and Europe vehicles?

 

[surfingslovak]

Just a side question. Why is VW interested in having a CHAdeMO charger at all? Aren't they a partner in the competing SAE combined L2/L3 plug for their new US and Europe vehicles?

Fair question. We asked the same thing in our local Facebook group, and received the following response: "As a research lab we are always interested in new technologies and installing a fast charger will provide insight into how the technology is used, regardless of the standards."

 

[Boomer23]

Just a side question. Why is VW interested in having a CHAdeMO charger at all? Aren't they a partner in the competing SAE combined L2/L3 plug for their new US and Europe vehicles?

Fair question. We asked the same thing in our local Facebook group, and received the following response: "As a research lab we are always interested in new technologies and installing a fast charger will provide insight into how the technology is used, regardless of the standards."

Cool, thanks! Very cool that they are allowing public use, much as Mitsubishi is doing at their corporate HQ in So Cal.

 

[surfingslovak]

Cool, thanks! Very cool that they are allowing public use, much as Mitsubishi is doing at their corporate HQ in So Cal.

+1

Absolutely, the staff at the VW ERL has been fantastic to work with

 

[TEG]

Both LEAFs here set the CHAdeMO charge to 80%, and the end result was 8 bars on the LEAF dash... not the 10 bars you see when going to 80% via L1/L2. So there seems to be a discrepancy between what the on-board charger and Blink CHAdeMO thinks 80% is on the battery.

Yes, peculiar that. It seems that Blink's idea of 80% is not the same as the vehicle.

 

[TEG]

By the way, they just put in new signage today at VW ERL in front of the Blink QC.
"Parking while charging only."
They are trying hard to make it clear that no one should just park there, and leave the car all day.
They also did a nice job orienting the Blink so that the mid-day sun is behind it so it doesn't wash out the displays.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Both LEAFs here set the CHAdeMO charge to 80%, and the end result was 8 bars on the LEAF dash... not the 10 bars you see when going to 80% via L1/L2. So there seems to be a discrepancy between what the on-board charger and Blink CHAdeMO thinks 80% is on the battery.

Yes, peculiar that. It seems that Blink's idea of 80% is not the same as the vehicle.

All the data comes from the car. The car is reporting SOC to the Blink, and the dash fuel bars are not based on SOC.

 

[planet4ever]

Both LEAFs here set the CHAdeMO charge to 80%, and the end result was 8 bars on the LEAF dash... not the 10 bars you see when going to 80% via L1/L2. So there seems to be a discrepancy between what the on-board charger and Blink CHAdeMO thinks 80% is on the battery.

Yes, peculiar that. It seems that Blink's idea of 80% is not the same as the vehicle.

All the data comes from the car. The car is reporting SOC to the Blink, and the dash fuel bars are not based on SOC.

But the dash fuel bars are based (roughly) on SOC/max. So to have 8 bars at 80% SOC would imply that the maximum charge is greater than 100% SOC.

Actually, I would have expected that the charge is stopped by the BMS in the car, not by the Blink. Could the BMS perhaps have boosted the percentage it sent to the Blink because it anticipated having to limit charging due to heating?

Ray

 

[TEG]

But I have a charge timer in the car set for 80%. If I QC to what the Blink says is 80%, I get 8 bars. If I then immediately plug into a neighboring J1772 it starts charging again, and goes for a while eventually getting to 10 (of 12) bars.

So basically the car's 80% charge timer=10 bars, the Blink's 80% mode=8 bars.
I wonder if it could be doing some 80% of 80% mistake if you pick 80% on the Blink, and the car is also set to 80% max charge timer.

 

[edatoakrun]

But I have a charge timer in the car set for 80%. If I QC to what the Blink says is 80%, I get 8 bars. If I then immediately plug into a neighboring J1772 it starts charging again, and goes for a while eventually getting to 10 (of 12) bars.

So basically the car's 80% charge timer=10 bars, the Blink's 80% mode=8 bars.
I wonder if it could be doing some 80% of 80% mistake if you pick 80% on the Blink, and the car is also set to 80% max charge timer.

You might check the "time to charge at 120V" dash report next time.

Much more accurate than the "bars" for SOC, IMO. See the topic below:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=172985" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[grommet]

At least for this particular Blink DC Fast Charger, setting the target charge to 90% CHAdeMO SoC (somewhat hidden via "other" in the Blink's UI) instead of 80% gives you around 10 dash bars on the LEAF, which is much closer to the 80% you see via L1/L2.

FYI: I have two reports of nearly full LEAFs being plugged in to a Blink DC showing 10 bars on the dash: they displayed 88% and 93% SoC, respectively, on the DC charger.

In summary, it looks like picking 90% is your best bet here... assuming the "best practice" of not Quick Charging over 80% (if you are under 50%) is based on LEAF dash L1/L2 style 80%. ;-)

Oh the fun of being an early adopter...

--Ron

 

[TEG]

New sign at VW ERL Blink CHAdeMO:

 

[Spies]

New sign at VW ERL Blink CHAdeMO:

Nice!

 

[leafedbehind]

I charged to 90% at this station on Sunday, and got 10 bars (a solid ten -- took a few miles to get down to 9). I did hit the override in the car so my 80% setting wouldn't affect things.