eVgo Unveils Houston's 1st 30 minutes Charging Site

[ht2]

http://www.globalenergywatch.com/news/1587/eVgo_Unveils_Houston_s_1st_Freedom_Station_30_minutes_Charging_Site.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The first Freedom Station is located at the H-E-B Buffalo Market at the intersection of Buffalo Speedway and Bissonnet Street. Three additional Freedom Station sites will open within the next two weeks at the Shops at Houston Center in downtown Houston, the Walgreens at 19710 Holzwarth Street and the Walgreens at 8942 West Sam Houston Parkway North. This is part of a network that will include 25 Freedom Stations around Houston by year-end and 25 more in 2012 with additional stations located on the grounds of retailers such as H-E-B, Best Buy, and others.

Each Freedom Station offers room for two cars to charge simultaneously. In addition to the 480-volt DC fast charger able to charge an EV at a rate of 160 miles of range per hour of charge, Freedom Station sites also offer a 240-volt Level 2 charger that can add up to 25 miles of range in an hour.

 

[adric22]

Well, it would be virtually impossible (or rather impractical) to attempt to drive my Leaf to Houston to make use of it. it is 237 miles from my home in Ft.Worth to the city limits of Houston. On the highway I could only expect to make it 70 miles per charge. I'd need to charge 3 or 4 times in order to make the trip. Of course, my Leaf doesn't even have the Chademo port, so I'm pretty much screwed as I'd need 32 hours of charging in order to make the trip.

But I do look forward to the day that EV ranges will double and charging times will halve. That would make a trip from Ft.Worth to Houston pretty easy to do with 1 or 2 quick charges along the way at 15 minutes each.

Truth be told, even 30-minute quick charges would be tolerable if the chargers existed along the highway. It would add about 2 hours to my commute, but certainly doable in a single day.

 

[shay]

I wonder how much use the evgo units will get when they costs 79 / month with a three year commitment.

 

[yoyofella]

great, even Houston, the heart of the Oil Industry, now have a DC charger.

Meanwhile, here in the Bay Area, the supposed capital of EV and green tech, still has ZERO...

 

[Herm]

I wonder how much use the evgo units will get when they costs 79 / month with a three year commitment.

do you get an EVSE installed in your garage for that kind of money?

 

[shay]

I wonder how much use the evgo units will get when they costs 79 / month with a three year commitment.

do you get an EVSE installed in your garage for that kind of money?

Yes for the three year term. You can read different opinions on evgo here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4249" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[ht2]

I wonder how much use the evgo units will get when they costs 79 / month with a three year commitment.

do you get an EVSE installed in your garage for that kind of money?

Yes for the three year term. You can read different opinions on evgo here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4249" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Let's say
EVSE + installation = $1500.
Electricity $0.11/kW

80x36= $2880 - $1500 = $1380 / 36 = $38.33 (Monthly charge with out EVSE)
$38.33 / $0.11 = 348kW
This plan you should minimize charge at home and maximize charge at Quick charge station.
Soon 4 DC quick charge stations in Houston and 46 more to come.
Do you quick charge more then 348kW monthly?

On the other hand, Walgreens is planning to charge $4/charge.
If you quick charge 10 times/month then break even.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1065723_walgreens-installs-dc-rapid-electric-car-chargers-where-practical" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[shay]

Let's say
EVSE + installation = $1500.
Electricity $0.11/kW

80x36= $2880 - $1500 = $1380 / 36 = $38.33 (Monthly charge with out EVSE)
$38.33 / $0.11 = 348kW
This plan you should minimize charge at home and maximize charge at Quick charge station.
Soon 4 DC quick charge stations in Houston and 46 more to come.
Do you quick charge more then 348kW monthly?

On the other hand, Walgreens is planning to charge $4/charge.
If you quick charge 10 times/month then break even.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1065723_walgreens-installs-dc-rapid-electric-car-chargers-where-practical" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ht2, it looks like your calculation is only valid for the first 3 years. After that you have to either renew with evgo, buy the installed EVSE from them, or obtain (or upgrade your level 1). You are only renting the EVSE from evgo.

 

[adric22]

great, even Houston, the heart of the Oil Industry, now have a DC charger.

Meanwhile, here in the Bay Area, the supposed capital of EV and green tech, still has ZERO...

Yes, ironic isn't it. What is even more surprising, is that our governor, Rick Perry, is actually a supporter of this. Here's a recent video with several important figures from around here talking about the future of charging stations in Texas. Rick Perry starts around 3:30 or so:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SPZpaiVhno[/youtube]

But I'll agree.. I'll never buy anything from EVGO because I will not pay a huge monthly fee for the off-chance I MIGHT use one of their stations.

 

[ht2]

ht2, it looks like your calculation is only valid for the first 3 years. After that you have to either renew with evgo, buy the installed EVSE from them, or obtain (or upgrade your level 1). You are only renting the EVSE from evgo.

You are right. This is for 3 years Lease Leaf customer only.
Do you have information how eVgo will handle renew customer?

 

[shay]

Do you have information how eVgo will handle renew customer?

There was some comments about renewals in that thread I posted earlier.

 

[Pipcecil]

[/quote]
On the other hand, Walgreens is planning to charge $4/charge.
If you quick charge 10 times/month then break even.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1065723_walgreens-installs-dc-rapid-electric-car-chargers-where-practical" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/quote]

If you dig around you will find out Walgreens is NOT doing this in Texas, so there is no comparison to eVgo. I am assuming eVgo made a deal with walgreens for DFW and the Houston area (and probably all of texas).

At this current time even eVgo does not know how they will handle customers after 3 years (beyond what's in contracts). Will there be new evse tech? how much will the buyout be? will they offer a separate plan of only public charging? I am guessing they are waiting to see how things shape up in 2 1/2 years before laying down concrete terms and pricing. Nissan is doing the same for its batteries, the are betting that when someone finally has to replace a cell prices will have gone down, hence no word on battery cost replacement.

On the other hand, the DoE just announced that Texas got $500,000 for electrifying the "texas triangle" (DFW, Houston, Austin/San Antonio), which would hopefully place DC fast chargers that are either pay per use (or maybe free). That will definetely solve the traveling issue.

 

[eVgoNetwork]

Hello, fellow LEAF enthusiasts.

We’re excited by the interest in eVgo’s offering for LEAF owners and enthusiasts. eVgo is proud to have installed the only UL approved publicly available DC chargers in the country. We’re equally proud to have done this through private investment, without government grants.

Because we’re customer-oriented, we follow this forum to listen to the beliefs and knowledge of our customers and EV owners considering becoming a customer. We thought it might be a good idea to share our perspective with you.

1.Level 2 charging is ideal for the home or workplace where EVs will spend a significant amount of time parked.

2.EV drivers want the driving confidence that comes through the ability to conveniently add 50 miles of range to their EV in 15 minutes through a network of DC chargers. To receive this convenience, someone has to pay for it. It will be either users or taxpayers. We believe it should be users.

3.Our plans, especially the Complete Plan, offer EV drivers significant value. Customers choosing this plan fix their fueling costs for three years at $89 per month. That includes installation of a home EVSE, off-peak power consumption at home and unlimited network access.

4.Sometimes we see math that doesn’t quite fit with eVgo’s Complete Plan value proposition: we have not seen a $1,500 charger that is widely available (including permitting, taxes, delivery and installation). The option offered by Nissan is approximately $1,000 higher when you include all of the costs such as permitting, taxes, and delivery. All of these costs are before any tax credit that may be available.

5.We will have attractive offers for customers at the end of their initial service agreement. We expect technology to be significantly different three years from now, so it is not possible to commit to what these offers will be.

6.The cost of delivering a DC charge to an EV has very little to do with the cost of the kWh. This is a high fixed cost, low marginal cost business model.

7.The DC charger itself is expensive but is only a fraction of the total installation cost. Even with declines in hardware cost, the cost of installation, fixed utility demand charges, maintenance and real time monitoring is significant.

8.We find it may be unwise to speculate on the price of DC charging on a per-charge basis, until it is actually offered by someone entering the market.

We’d like to keep an open channel of communications with you. If you have any specific questions, feel free to email us at [email protected], call us at 1-877-455-3833 or visit our website eVgoNetwork.com. You can also find us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/evgonetwork" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false and Twitter (@evgonetwork or http://www.twitter.com/evgonetwork" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false

Thank you for listening!

David Knox,
Communications Director
eVgo

 

[yoyofella]

Hello, fellow LEAF enthusiasts.

....

David Knox,
Communications Director
eVgo

Hi David and eVgoNetwork, welcome to the Forum. I agree with most of your points, especially on the economics of quick DC charging. I hope eVgo or other private business will work out some business plan to make a privately funded quick DC charging network viable business model.

 

[gkalexdc]

I would like to chime in here. I ordered my LEAF, with the FAST CHG PORT, or QC, anticipating that somewhere, somehow, someone would provide the service for the QC, if I needed. it. I was very happy to find eVgo , and since I commute to my clinic in SPRING, TX round trip about 56 miles daily, and oft times take a side trip to another practice in channelview, its comforting to know I can get a FUTURE charge that is QUICK. Well, after finding out about eVgo, I joined, and they have lived up to all their claims. They can do this because they are investing in the future of the Electric Vehicle Revolution. I am a customer of Reliant energy. Reliant Energy has a parent company called NRG. They are Jersey based, I think. EvGo is owned and operated by NRG. From the plans they have made, this network is going to cost big money to install. I joined after I found out they have the wherewithall to accomplish their task.
That said, I was present at the opening of this SECOND IN THE NATION quick charge station. I have a quick charge eVgo key fob. I went to the QC station 2 days after, and went right up, activated it, and hooked up. So, the act of ordering the LEAF with the QC port not knowing that there would be someone to provide its SERVICE, has come to pass. This company is strong, and stepped up to the plate and delivered. This is the future people, and I joined eVgo because they are committed (sp) to making our EV world a possibility. So, if you are against the success of having infrastructure, DONT JOIN .If you are able, JOIN, have stations to pull up to, and enjoy the future unfolding, and feeling like you are a part of it. Thats how I feel.

 

[adric22]

Because we’re customer-oriented, we follow this forum to listen to the beliefs and knowledge of our customers and EV owners considering becoming a customer. We thought it might be a good idea to share our perspective with you.

What bothers me most about your business model is not my own needs as much as the perception of EVs in general. When people see a charging station and nobody ever using it, that sends a bad signal. When somebody asks me about the possibility of buying an EV and then ask about public charging, it is difficult to explain that there will be charging stations around that they will not be allowed to use because they don't pay $79 per month for the "possibility" of using that station. Being that most early EV drivers will only be interested in a public charging station for occasional use, it seems crazy to people when I try to explain that business model to them.

I think the monthly fee idea is actually a good idea, especially for customers who may live in an apartment or other places where they will not be able to own their own charger. But I'm still at a loss to understand why that is the only means being sold to potential customers who might want to use the stations.

Lets examine the following scenario. Lets say I have to drive across town for an unusual trip. I realize I'm not going to have enough power to make it home. So I look for a charging station. I find an EVGO station and pull up to it only to find that it is impossible for me to use it, even though I might be willing to pay as much as $10 or $15 to do so. In the end, I may have to call a tow-truck which might be cheaper than signing up for a montly plan just to use the charger one time.

 

[smkettner]

I would think pricing would be on a sliding scale. Say $10 for a walk up single charge. Booklet or card of ten charges for $60, 25 for $100. And of course the annual unlimited plan.

Installing the home unit would seem to me to be more oriented toward renters than owners.

Best of luck

 

[Herm]

Obviously eVgo wants you to sign up long term so they have a workable business model, but perhaps they should offer a pay-per-use with a fee of about $10 for the L3 charger, it would be a strong inducement to sign up for the plan and get L3 rights for free plus it would be a service to the ev community.

Perhaps eVgo can get a better deal with the installation labor and permitting since they have their own crews.

 

[davewill]

I just don't see how we can afford to have infrastructure that is inaccessible to most EV drivers this early in the build out. I'd be royally pissed I lived in Texas and was locked away from the only QC around just because I already bought my own EVSE.

 

[leafwing]

I just don't see how we can afford to have infrastructure that is inaccessible to most EV drivers this early in the build out. I'd be royally pissed I lived in Texas and was locked away from the only QC around just because I already bought my own EVSE.

This is exactly my though. eVgo has no plan for me. I have a home charging station. I have a Chargingpoint card to use it with level 2 charger for free in Dallas and McKinney when I need them while shopping. But I would love to be able to have access to a QC. Pay-per-use is an option, or some sort of plan. I do not think that I will need it that much. But who knows, I might drive longer trips if I knew that there is a QC on the road.