COSTCO not planning EV chargers upgrade...unless we request

[davewill]

Right behind the hot dog stand on the main building, behind the car chargers (that are always filled with ICE's):

Well, I may need a new adapter, then. BTW, am I the only one who thinks that asking for a NEMA outlet instead of J1772 is more likely to muddy the waters than get results? I thought one of the points to having a standard was to inspire confidence in businesses that the choice to install J1772 was safe and unlikely to change again. If we go around saying we'd rather have something else, I expect Costco to just say, "forget it, they don't even know what they want".

My email stuck to asking for J1772, and noting how popular the LEAF is turning out to be.

 

[thankyouOB]

But seriously guys, are you really going to expend all this energy to get Costco to convert chargers so you can add 2 or 3 kWh during a trip to the store?
Another 10 miles? You sound just plain silly.

Expend what energy, an email? Besides the point is to have charging at Costco, and the mall, and the theater, and the doctor's office, and....you get the idea. When charging is available all over the place range issues become moot.

there is a real difference between having chargers at the movies and Costco.
At the movies, you can fill up your battery because you actually stay there for several hours.
Only the insane stay at Costco for more than an hour.

 

[JCBNJB]

I agree, Dave. I'd charge at Costco for the hour and a half that it takes me to shop there, since it would allow me more flexibility with respect to what other errands I do. It would be a great thing for them to be out front on this!

I had a very helpful conversation with the Asst GM, Dean, at the Costco in Carmel Mountain about 4 weeks ago. We talked about the J1772, the Leafs, and I told him that San Diego was part of the pilot on the EV Project with the free chargers, etc. He took the time to understand what I was talking about (even took a few notes) and then told me he would follow-up with Corporate to let them know we had some demand here.

He then followed up a couple of days later by email letting me know that the corporate folks were looking into it, and they were trying to figure out how to manage some of the details (can they get a unit that gives a discount to Exec members, etc, can they / do they want to try to limit it to Costco members - the way the gas pumps are set up, etc etc) It sounded like a discussion was happening, with no short-term time frame in sight.

So, I'd say it may be worth it to email Costco corporate directly, but also visit with the individual store managers when you shop. If the managers all realize that we're in there shopping (and we say hello every time we're in) they will realize that they really do have a fair amount of members with EVs and they too can help explain the demand to the decision-makers.

Last time I was there about a week ago there were two other Leafs in the lot!

 

[pii100]

Count me as a crazy leaf owning Costco shopper. I'll send an email and drop a comment card asking for some J1772 chargers here in Austin.

 

[JCBNJB]

Only the insane stay at Costco for more than an hour.

I guess that makes me insane… or just a working parent who has to manage to keep the kitchen stocked for my own kids, and the little league teams, and the school events, and on and on…. :lol:

 

[thankyouOB]

Only the insane stay at Costco for more than an hour.

I guess that makes me insane… or just a working parent who has to manage to keep the kitchen stocked for my own kids, and the little league teams, and the school events, and on and on…. :lol:

dont say "just" a working parent;
that is a real achievement.
that makes two of us.

 

[KeiJidosha]

My nearest Costco (Laguna Niguel, I believe) had all 3 EV spaces marked "for tire dept. use only" (or similar wording), with nothing parked there.

Nothing appeared functional.

There are two Costco stores in Laguna Niguel;

27972 Cabot Road is the older site. They had construction going on when I was there in June. I could not tell if there was power to the Avcon as the handle is damaged and I could not get it to connect in my adapter.

27220 Heather Ridge worked well, but is frequently ICE'd as it is right next to Automotive. They will move the cars if requested.

 

[Jimmydreams]

No, I am not a crazy person.

But seriously guys, are you really going to expend all this energy to get Costco to convert chargers so you can add 2 or 3 kWh during a trip to the store?
Another 10 miles? You sound just plain silly.

I leave work and drive straight home. I arrive with 10 miles remaining. Not much of a buffer, so I can't go anywhere else.

Or:

I leave work, drive to Costco (on the way home), charge for an hour while I shop, leave Costco with 25 miles range. Suddenly, the 'need' to go straight home isn't as great.....I have the range to maybe visit a friend for dinner, etc.

Or:

I ask Costco to upgrade but I never bother to use the charger. ThankyouOB is driving by in his Leaf and finds himself accidently on "Low Battery" warning, but happens to be in front of the Costco that I "expended all that energy" to have updated. He gets a much needed charge, even though he isn't a Costco member and saves a tow.

---------------

What's "silly" is passing up the opportunity to charge even a small amount. Asking Costco to update their charges isn't a lot of energy at all. The benefits are for everyone with an EV.

I assume, then, that you're not "silly" and never refill your ICE until the empty light is blinking?

 

[KeiJidosha]

I agree, Dave. I'd charge at Costco for the hour and a half that it takes me to shop there, since it would allow me more flexibility with respect to what other errands I do. It would be a great thing for them to be out front on this!

I had a very helpful conversation with the Asst GM, Dean, at the Costco in Carmel Mountain about 4 weeks ago. We talked about the J1772, the Leafs, and I told him that San Diego was part of the pilot on the EV Project with the free chargers, etc. He took the time to understand what I was talking about (even took a few notes) and then told me he would follow-up with Corporate to let them know we had some demand here.

He then followed up a couple of days later by email letting me know that the corporate folks were looking into it, and they were trying to figure out how to manage some of the details (can they get a unit that gives a discount to Exec members, etc, can they / do they want to try to limit it to Costco members - the way the gas pumps are set up, etc etc) It sounded like a discussion was happening, with no short-term time frame in sight.

So, I'd say it may be worth it to email Costco corporate directly, but also visit with the individual store managers when you shop. If the managers all realize that we're in there shopping (and we say hello every time we're in) they will realize that they really do have a fair amount of members with EVs and they too can help explain the demand to the decision-makers.

Last time I was there about a week ago there were two other Leafs in the lot!

Coulomb can do this,

http://www.coulombtech.com/solutions-retailers.php

but Costco would miss the opportunity to introduce new customers to it's stores.

 

[senordaley]

I agree that a continuous effort needs to be pushed toward Costco...

Having said that, I know that they must be aware that many Leaf
owners are people with purchasing power. Not to say that some are not,
but given the reality of the purchasers via many auto exec's and surveys,
it should be obvious that it is well within their business model to afford
the opportunity to their many members who are acclimated to be Costco
members.

I have already emailed corporate to suggest the installation at a new
Costco being constructed in North Dallas Frisco location to consider
adding this option during construction, and not as an after thought..

Additional communications toward those who would frequent that
particular Costco location could prove worthwhile... So, I intend
to communicate with other Texas Leaf owners who can send in their
two cents worth and hopefully convince the powers to be that their
is growing interest in the up to date interest and future upgrades,
or at least, proactive approach to cater to the future needs of their
customers.

I did NOT receive an email response regarding my inquiry regarding
fast (level 2 or 3) charger installation, but given that I could shop
more at a Whole Foods that has this option (level 2) at their store
would attract me more as a consumer knowing that the option
is there might make more of a difference in the future shopping
habits of myself as well as other EV owners going forward...

Hopefully, we as a tight knit community can help shape the forward
momentum of how businesses can make sound business decisions
at the forefront of continued business growth and less
"reactive" decisions that might cost more in the short term to install
appropriate charging stations.

Just my 2 cents. I am a diehard Costco member, and I hope that these
inquiries and posts make a difference for positive relationships
that will eventually extend to my children as well as myself.

 

[JPVLeaf]

Our local Costco (Tustin II) had a roof full of solar panels recently installed by REC Solar.
This site would be a natural for a couple of J1772's. Opportunity charging is a good thing.

http://tinyurl.com/6d2x7ar

 

[thankyouOB]

jmmydreams persuaded me with his thoughtful post.
that said, i still get the willies if i stay at costco for more than 45 minutes or so. it used to be longer cause i would buy gas too, first.
coffee, tp, tp, chicken, alcohol in various forms, a tv once, drugs, blades, fruit, sliced turkey, juice, tissues, tea, meat, party items, cooked food,
and a hot dog when i was out of work, now i go on the way by from work at night. there is a nissan dealer right there, but it never pays to plug in cause i can get home with my charge plus 20 miles.

and thanks j'dreams;
civil discourse works.

 

[OilFreedom]

I shop at Costco too and try to avoid the "aisle-blocking-traffic-jam-inducing-free-food-sample-feeding-frenzie-shopping-times" as much as possible. Even so, sometimes I am trapped into 30-60 minute visits. Then there's also the tire service now and again. That's enough time for some good level 2 opportunity charging if one has driven a longer distance. Many Costcos are located near other stores, so we don't necessarily have to shop just at Costco while charging.

For me, it's actually less about Costco specifically and more about the need to get a strong and plentiful network of chargers deployed. This will encourage and support more EV ownership. Costco seems open to at least considering being a player in this, and if Costco becomes a strong supporter, others will follow. I plan to encourage Costco through all three channels:

• - Friendly discussions with store managers
  - Leave written feedback in the stores using the suggestion boxes (usually near the exists)
  - Send e-mails to the various contacts points

Talking points:

• - Costco can attract and keep more customers in a demographic wholesalers probably like (http://www.allcarselectric.com/news/1049202_just-who-is-a-typical-2011-nissan-leaf-buyer-we-find-out)
  - Mention/borrow some good points from the GE advertisement (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4575)
  - Use J1772 standard
  - Consider limiting charging to Costco members (executive level?) -- just as buying gas at Costco is limited to members. This makes membership that much more attractive. Plus, Costco has a car buying program! Why not buy your EV through Costco and charge it there too while shopping! (I know that may not be the best way to buy a Leaf right now, but I'm thinking ahead for all EVs.)
  - Add signage for EV ONLY to the charging spots (no ICEing)
  - Suggest green credential benefits for Costco

Other ideas?

 

[EVDRIVER]

It's easy to be there for an hour sometimes, with a 6.6kw charger the LEAF would get 6.6kwh approx or 1/4 full charge, another stop like that and 1/2 of the pack is charged with more for the weekend day without waiting to charge at home during the day. If there is one thing that burns me about the LEAF is the pathetic charger, that the thing in the car not on the wall Because of the small charger, wine country is not feasible, Santa Cruise is just out of reach, etc. In fact with 6.6 I could do 100% of my bay area driving in the LEAF and not need L3 which will likely never be available to gen 1 LEAF owners.

As to COSTCO chargers and AVCON upgrade money there is more to that story, I will try and get the facts as I was distracted when I heard about it. The people implementing the charging infrastructure in CA are really doing a good job of screwing it up. If you want to motivate COSTCO tell them what you spend there each year and that since you now have a LEAF and may need charging when shopping and if it is not available you may need to shop elsewhere. Also tell them COSTCO members may need to charge when buying tires as many seem to be able to pop multiple tires on their cars

 

[Blackhouse]

My wife and I love Costco. There are two in perfect locations on our way home that could be used if I'm running low on juice and I need a short charge to make it home while I pick up some stuff.

 

[Herm]

If there is one thing that burns me about the LEAF is the pathetic charger, that the thing in the car not on the wall Because of the small charger, wine country is not feasible, Santa Cruise is just out of reach, etc.

Just paying for stuff takes at least 30 minutes with the long lines, I dont see how you could get out in under one hour... and the cheap lunch is the best part

Do you think Nissan intentionally made the size of the charger small to limit mileage?.. and thus prolong battery life?

 

[Electric4Me]

Or:

I ask Costco to upgrade but I never bother to use the charger. ThankyouOB is driving by in his Leaf and finds himself accidently on "Low Battery" warning, but happens to be in front of the Costco that I "expended all that energy" to have updated. He gets a much needed charge, even though he isn't a Costco member and saves a tow.

And maybe while he's there with time to kill he asks the Member Services desk for a one day membership pass and discovers that he likes the place and wants to join. Win-win for all!

 

[rawhog]

.

 

[LKK]

Whenever I encounter a commercial establishment with old chargers I always send then an email suggesting they upgrade to the J1772 standard. I sent one to Costco in Carlsbad and they responded saying they would look into it. The best response I received was from the City of Anaheim. I noticed they had older chargers in the Convention Center parking lot, so I sent an email. Had a response almost immdiately thanking me for alerting them, and then the next day I got another email from someone at the City hall saying the will include plans to upgrade these chargers in the future planning.

 

[LEAFfan]

L3 will likely never be available to gen 1 LEAF owners

I strongly disagree and I'm surprised that you would say this. The EV Project is under contract to install DC fast chargers. The latest I've heard is 3rd-4th Q 2011, but they WILL definitely be installed.