Leafs Over Texas!

[SeattleBlueLeaf]

What do y'all (sorry trying to fit in here) think of the unique model they are selling of "all you can eat" charging? They have three plans and one of them even includes all charging (home and away), access to their public Quick chargers and J1772 chargers for $89/month. - https://www.evgonetwork.com/Charging_Plans/.

I'd love to hear thoughts on this as this is a different model than I have seen elsewhere. Personally, I think this might be a option. I'm not a big fan of the networks that allow the property owner to determine whatever price point they like.

Thoughts?

 

[ecoobsessive]

eVgo has installed the first of 70 DFW charging stations at the Walgreens at Belt Line/Montfort.

"NRG plans to install a total of 70 Freedom Stations in Dallas/Fort Worth and 50 in Houston by the end of 2012, with half in place by this summer. NRG also plans to electrify the Interstate 45 corridor connecting them in 2012."

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2011/04/governor_rick_perry_to_get_a_c.php

San Antonio's newspaper has an article comparing electric cars - Volt, Leaf, Tesla, Smart, Focus - in today's Business Section. Also says that Gunn Nissan in SA will deliver 2 Leaf this month.

AND, get this: says that NRG installed the first quick charge/480 volt in the Dallas area on Friday. Someone in Dallas please confirm that it is really L3 and get us all the details on the quick charge!

 

[dash]

I will definitely check out the charging station tomorrow. It's pretty close to my house. I'll let you know what I find! I did notice it didn't come up on my near charging stations map today while I was out.

Also, I got my windows tinted today and it looks pretty good. It's dark outside now but I will take a shot tomorrow. I went to Alta Mere in Plano and got the Wincos film. 92% IR heat rejection will definitely help in these Texas summers.

 

[dash]

I stopped by the charging unit at Beltline/Montfort in Addison. It appears to be non operational (although I did notice a huge switch in the off position which could have something to do with that. ) I couldn't even take the plug out of the unit, it's like it was locked (and pretty sure it was since I didn't have a FOB). Not sure what the point of having a huge press release/event and then taking it offline is all about. Kind of disappointing but great to see a QC here in Dallas... and a busy area at that.

Here are a few photos and you can see the full album here: https://picasaweb.google.com/116911028717376031476/EVSE

 

[jhm614]

Dang it! I had no idea that would actually be QC stations in DFW -- so I didn't order the 480 port. Hoisted on my own cynical petard.

 

[ecoobsessive]

Thanks Dash for checking that out. Sorry it wasn't working. So, are there 2 QC stations, or is one of them L2 (one looks smaller, but it just may be the perspective/angle of the photos.) I was wondering if you had to have already signed up with eVgo to be able to use it.

 

[dash]

It was a little bit weird. The smaller "stand" if you will, actually just had an area to swipe your key fob/instructions (https://picasaweb.google.com/116911028717376031476/EVSE#5593980880811175474) but then it was like you had to drive around to the opposite side to use the actual quick charger (where there was another area to swipe your FOB (that screen was off)).

Also, it looks like it had a "cover" if you will based on the website video: https://www.evgonetwork.com/eVgo_North_Texas_Launch/

That certainly was not there when I saw it. I did notice that Governor Perry was not actually AT the station to hold the press event... maybe because it wasn't finished? I still don't see the whole point in having this huge press event/product launch if it's not going to be online from that point forward...

It also appears you have to be apart of the EVGO Network to actually use the QC unit. Which is also a huge disappointment (at this point in time) if you're trying to grow EV adoption...

 

[dash]

So I finally took pictures of Deb (it's what we named our Leaf) after she got a bath! I wanted to wait to post them until after I got the windows tinted. There's two other ones here: https://picasaweb.google.com/116911028717376031476/LEAF?feat=directlink

 

[Stanton]

If they are ONLY going to offer "subscription" charging services/options, then I won't be a user. You can't expect people to regularly use charge stations outside their home; it has to be a "spot use" kind of thing. Otherwise it kind of destroys the idea of not having to charge your car all the time, right?

 

[dash]

I could not agree more. This is the second public charging station I've tried to access and been denied because I don't pay a subscription fee. I also tried to access the EVSE at the Whole Foods in Fairview (near Allen, just north of Plano), which was run by ChargePoint. I called the number on the unit and they are going to send me a key fob for "free if I provided my mailing address." I did so I expect something in the mail this week or next.

As far as I could tell on the evgo website and the QC station in Addison, you had to pay to become a member. I bought a Blink for my home and am certainly not going to pay a monthly fee to use these stations when they will be opportunistic at best. ESPECIALLY at the price point they are wanting. They're absolutely insane! I can see a $5/mo fee but I can't justify much more than that when I will be primarily charging at home.

I haven't been to the L2 installation down at the Half Price Books in Dallas, but I am curious to see if I need a fob to access that as well. Maybe I'll check that out next.

 

[Stanton]

BTW, who is going to enter these charging stations into the "PlugShare" App? Seems like they would want to "get the word" out on locations.

 

[adric22]

As far as I could tell on the evgo website and the QC station in Addison, you had to pay to become a member. I bought a Blink for my home and am certainly not going to pay a monthly fee to use these stations when they will be opportunistic at best. ESPECIALLY at the price point they are wanting. They're absolutely insane! I can see a $5/mo fee but I can't justify much more than that when I will be primarily charging at home.
.

Yes, I'm thinking the future of charging stations is sort of unknown. But my own personal theory is that people are not going to pay to charge their car except in desperate situations. Hence, not enough money to make a charging station proftiable. However, I expect places like grocery stores, shopping malls, movie theaters and the like to be offered as a convenience to their customers. Much like Wi-Fi is offered in many places for similar reasons. After all, the operating costs of a charging station is minimal. Only the up-front installation is expensive.

I also expect half of the J1772 compatible vehicles on the roads in coming years to be plug-in hybrids. I suspect an owner of a chevy volt is not going to pay $5 to charge up his car when he can use $1 of gasoline to get him back home and recharge at home. If the owner were that adamant about not using any gasoline at all costs, then he probably wouldn't be driving a volt and would instead be driving a pure EV.

 

[LonghornLeaf]

I think the Better Place model of buying miles at say $0.06 is a great idea, but a $50-100/month subscription regardless of whether a I use it or not is useless. Especially for those of us who can 1) do math, 2) plan ahead and 3) are not willing to shell out this much a month for a network we may or may not use.

I suspect we'll see a lot of failures by companies who are this dumb in their pricing.

I did pay for the QC port, because I do expect someone to be smart enough to install a system and come up with a reasonable pricing model that I will pay to use in Hillsboro, Waco, Temple so I can use the Leaf on DFW to Austin trips. (Pay attention Cracker Barrell in Waco!)

No movement on my 4/15 date for nearly two weeks now
Anyone get a 7 day email recently?

 

[dallasmay]

am certainly not going to pay a monthly fee to use these stations when they will be opportunistic at best. ESPECIALLY at the price point they are wanting.

You should really have done the math before hand, it's actually a really good deal if you haven't already purchased your home charger.

($2000 for home charger installation) + (24 kWh/100 miles)*(12000 miles/year)*($0.15/kWh)*3years
= $3300

vs.

($90/month)*(3 years) + free fast charging when you need it= $3240

 

[LonghornLeaf]

1) And in year 4 and beyond you are still paying for the charger.
2) $0.15 is a bit above market

Sure some people might go for that deal, but I think many of us are interested enough in having control over our own home setup, versus bringing a 3rd party into the mix.

 

[davewill]

am certainly not going to pay a monthly fee to use these stations when they will be opportunistic at best. ESPECIALLY at the price point they are wanting.

You should really have done the math before hand, it's actually a really good deal if you haven't already purchased your home charger.

($2000 for home charger installation) + (24 kWh/100 miles)*(12000 miles/year)*($0.15/kWh)*3years
= $3300

vs.

($90/month)*(3 years) + free fast charging when you need it= $3240

And if they were going to pay for the install of a home charger and for the juice used at home on top of providing opportunity charging, then it would be a good deal.

 

[dallasmay]

Well, there are a couple of different ways to think about buying a charger. In 3 years, you may still be paying that $90, but you also might be able to upgrade your charger for free. Will the charger get more bells and whistles as time goes by like every other electronic device on the market? I don't know, but I wouldn't bet against it.

Plus, I'm not even sure if it's correct that you have to keep paying. What are they going to do? Come rip the 3 year old charger out of your wall? Not likely. Most likely it will continue to work even after you stop paying for the service. But you will loose the fast charging infrastructure, and in DFW, that's a big loss. I imagine it will be more like a home security system, it continues to work fine, but you lose the services.

And on top of that, who said that EVgo will still be charging $90/month in 3 years? By that time they might have instituted a cheaper fast charging only plan like everyone wants.

 

[dallasmay]

And if they were going to pay for the install of a home charger and for the juice used at home on top of providing opportunity charging, then it would be a good deal.

That is the $90 "Smart Choice" plan.

From their website:

COMPLETE
$89 - includes
home EV electricity
Plan Includes:
Installation of your home charging dock and equipment
Three-year service agreement
Unlimited charging at eVgo network stations
Unlimited charging at home charging dock with no additional electricity cost during non-peak hours

https://www.evgonetwork.com/Charging_Plans/

ps. I'm not really trying to be an advertisement for them, but I really do think that it's a good plan.

 

[LonghornLeaf]

Well, there are a couple of different ways to think about buying a charger. In 3 years, you may still be paying that $90, but you also might be able to upgrade your charger for free. Will the charger get more bells and whistles as time goes by like every other electronic device on the market? I don't know, but I wouldn't bet against it..

I just meant that in your example, the cost of the charger is 61% of the cost in the years 1-3. You'll still be paying that in years 4-6, unless $90 drops to $35.45 in years 4-6 (which I don't think it will.)

Yes, you might get an upgrade "for free" like a new cellphone when you agree to another 2 years of service.

Yes, chargers will improve with time. I don't want a 3rd party deciding when it's time.

 

[dallasmay]

The closest their website seems to get to explaining what happens to the charger after three years seems to be this line from the FAQ page:

Q: Can I renew my plan subscription after three years?
A: Yes. We'll send reminders beginning six months before your three-year period nears its end. We anticipate being able to reduce the monthly costs when you commit to another three years, but we don’t have exact numbers now. You can also opt to change your plan at that point.

So that's great. They will let you continue to pay them more money. *Whew, I was worried.* And it looks like they do expect their prices to decrease after you have paid off your charger.

And, here is another good reason to go with the company:
Q: Who will service my home charging dock?
A: Only professional, licensed electricians selected by NRG EV Services are authorized to service your home charging dock. All service calls for your home charging dock are guaranteed a response within 24 hours. A convenient toll-free number is available to you anytime should you have any questions or concerns. Call 877-498-3833.

That's a good part of the deal too. If something goes wrong with the charger in that 3 years, you have have a good service warrantee.