spike09
Well-known member
Heard back from the FPL rep responsible for the Pilot EV program. They will not be able to install a charger until I get a smart meter installed. The good news is I am on the waiting list. Apparently FPL has not ínstalled any smart meter for customers who net meter (sell back excess electricty to the grid). They are not rolling it out until the summer but I have been put on the top of the list to be the first one to get a smart meter since I have an EV. The bad news is the time frame she gave me was "sometime in March, April or May". This gives me time to decide what to do with my exsisting unit. Although donating it as a public charger would be great I now realize that might not be ideal since my unit does not have a wireless connection and therefore it would be dificult to know its status or reserve it. I must read up on how the West Coast handles EVSEs that are "out in the wild".I am waiting back to hear from FPL to see if I am approved. Taking up an offer for a free charger would be an easy decision if I did not already have one! I researched all the units before deciding on the AV EVSE. It is a reliable, compact and unobtrusive unit. It was also the only one with a 25ft cable. After having used it I really like the front panel LED design that make it very clear to see the charging status even from a distance.
From what I read in the forums, some people are still having problems with their Blink units even with the 2.0 software upgrade. I can not imagine having to double check every time just to make sure my car is charging! The fact is the complexity of adding networking, logging and timers to the EVSE unit itself is better suited for commercial installations. I don't know if I want to go through the hassle of replacing a perfectly good unit with one that I might not like as much. I have yet to find somewhere practical, that is between 40 to 80 miles away from my home, to install my existing unit. I guess I could hold on to my existing unit until I am sure my new unit is worth keeping.