Official EV Project / Ecotality / free charger thread

[walterbays]

Ouch - $25/mo? Even at 15c/kWh that's 166 kWh or about 7 full charges.

Unless you regularly need to use quick charge stations, it's just not worth it. I'd rather pay $5 to use a quick charge station if I needed to use it as it would rarely happen.

A lot of companies seem to be planning to sell EV drivers electricity for the equivalent of a gasoline price of $10 per gallon or more. Now I'd pay extra for my hotel or for my cup of coffee if it came with L2 charging. And I'd pay for emergency roadside assistance after the free period is up, and think $10 was cheap for someone to bring me a "gallon of gas." But I think everyone expecting they can get a steady subscription revenue stream for providing next to nothing has been watching the cell phone carriers for too long. It ain't gonna happen.

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

This is seriously going into the weeds.
Nobody is talking about paying Blink for electricity.

(It's up to the public site owners what they want to charge after the free period.)

I also expect a full zero Leaf owners to pay for ongoing Blink network subscriptions. Why would you? Pay Carwings if you want connectivity subscriptions.

 

[evnow]

I think this pay for subscription makes sense only if you can't charge at home - and need to charge at work. Or if you live in an aprtment and ecotality installs a commercial charger there that you use.

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

I think this pay for subscription makes sense only if you can't charge at home - and need to charge at work. Or if you live in an aprtment and ecotality installs a commercial charger there that you use.

It still doesn't make sense since it covers none of that.

I'm betting that it's just for your own home EVSE connectivity. After all, Blink has to pay for the monthly cellular service and data centers.

My guess is that if you DON'T PAY A DIME, you still get to use your own EVSE, and the public L2 chargers with your RFID card, at whatever rate the property owners establish. For $25/month you get exactly the same thing, only with data you can see on a web page.

 

[DaveEV]

I'm betting that it's just for your own home EVSE connectivity. After all, Blink has to pay for the monthly cellular service and data centers.

Blink uses wifi, not cellular like the LEAF.

 

[Randy]

At the San Diego Nissan event earlier this week, the CEO of ECO said that the Blnk has cellular capability but they would prefer to use wi-fi...Even the spec sheet lists cellular as an option under the communication systems on the second page below...

http://www.blinknetwork.com/media/kit/Blink%20L2%20Pedestal%20Charger.pdf

 

[garygid]

Is access to the San Diego network of (about 1400 L2 and 50 QC) charging stations restricted to those with RFID cards, and NOT public access?

If not part of the EVProject, how does one get an RFID access card, and how much does it cost, if anything?

Will the usage charges for these "stations" be available on-line?

I do not want to plan a San Diego trip and find myself at a QC station that is "restricted access" or costs $2 per kWh !!!

FYI: New CA "law" (PUC ruling?) allows non-PUs to sell electricity for EV charging.

 

[TRONZ]

FYI: New CA "law" (PUC ruling?) allows non-PUs to sell electricity for EV charging.

What does that mean? Anyone can sell power to EV's for whatever price they want?

 

[garygid]

Yep, I think so.

At least I have not seen any restrictions reported.

 

[sdbonez]

At the San Diego Nissan event earlier this week, the CEO of ECO said that the Blnk has cellular capability but they would prefer to use wi-fi...Even the spec sheet lists cellular as an option under the communication systems on the second page below...

http://www.blinknetwork.com/media/kit/Blink%20L2%20Pedestal%20Charger.pdf

..and rumors as well that they may make cellular primary vs. just fallback...

 

[wsbca]

Our interim Clipper Creek EVSE is going in today. The CC will be hardwired to a (new) junction box on the wall - the box will also have a plug receptacle. Then, when the Blink is installed it will be plugged in to that outlet with a short cord, rather than being flush mounted over a junction box. The feed should be able to come out of the gutter that is already in place from our solar install, so no new wall penetrations needed from the panel. It's not going to be elegant, but it will be clean enough I think, considering that our solar setup (inverter, cutoff, data logger, and gutter) already has exposed conduit.

 

[wsbca]

Our Clipper Creek interim EV Project charger is in - inspection hopefully tomorrow, then replacement with the Blink in...a month or so?

Here are some photos - the unit itself, with our PV infrastructure, and a gratuitous shot of our solar panels (which are not doing much today as it's pouring rain):

The Blink will be hung on the same studs as the CC, then plug in with a short cable to the junction box at the lower left, which will be refitted with a range-style outlet on its face at that time..

 

[sproqitman]

The Blink will be hung on the same studs as the CC, then plug in with a short cable to the junction box at the lower left, which will be refitted with a range-style outlet on its face at that time..

I'm in the same situation as you, with a temporary CC until the Blink gets here. My installer also put in a junction box, in case a plug/cord was needed to pass UL testing. Do you know if the plug/cord is going to be mandatory?

 

[DaveEV]

Here are some photos - the unit itself, with our PV infrastructure, and a gratuitous shot of our solar panels (which are not doing much today as it's pouring rain):

Nice clean install - your installers did a nice job.

 

[wsbca]

The Blink will be hung on the same studs as the CC, then plug in with a short cable to the junction box at the lower left, which will be refitted with a range-style outlet on its face at that time..

I'm in the same situation as you, with a temporary CC until the Blink gets here. My installer also put in a junction box, in case a plug/cord was needed to pass UL testing. Do you know if the plug/cord is going to be mandatory?

I think part of the reason that box is there in my case is to make it somehow easier to swap for the Blink (though I assume another inspection will be still be required), and this is basically the protocol this particular contractor has decided on, presumably in coordination with Ecotality.

Having said that, based on something my installer said about another site, there's a possibility the external cord w/plug is not mandatory. Some of the preliminary blink photos and the sample unit they had on display at the San Diego rollout made it look like all the wiring could be behind/within the unit - maybe a junction box under the unit footprint? But in this photo:

http://images.thecarconnection.com/sml/ecotality-blink-residential-charger_100330711_s.jpg

it looks like the supply cable does emerge from the unit, then just goes into the drywall, presumably then into a junction box to be hard wired? Then you've got drywall penetrations to deal with, and frankly that loose cable just going into drywall doesn't look too code-worthy (to my untrained eye).

This has all come together really quickly so there may be some flexibility in the protocol they have come up with - also you may be on to something with the cord/plug being part of what it took to get through the certification. I'm not too bothered by the prospect of the plug at this point.

I do still have concerns about the possible vampire load of the Blink - for which unplugging would be a sure cure, although that would violate the terms of the Project agreement where you agree to have it up and accessible over the network all the time.

 

[garygid]

Perhaps EVProject only needs your EVSE "up" for communication when it is being "used"?

 

[Jimmydreams]

An update on my permit fiasco:

Oceanside accepted the paperwork submitted by the contractor today, and hopefully will have a 1 or 2 day turnaround for the approved permit. We shall see. Install and final inspection are another matter..... :?

 

[derkraut]

An update on my permit fiasco:

Oceanside accepted the paperwork submitted by the contractor today, and hopefully will have a 1 or 2 day turnaround for the approved permit. We shall see. Install and final inspection are another matter..... :?

JimmyD---I feel your pain on the permit fiasco. Last year, I had a sun room built on the back of my house. The permit cost over $1300 and took 4 months for approval, because I live on a canyon, and had to have a "brush management plan" completed. Of course, the sunroom is all constructed with glass/aluminum/vinyl with absolutely no combustible materials. It even has a Ceramic floor. I sometimes think those people forget that they are working for us, the taxpayers.

At any rate, since I'm in the Ecotality ETEC project, I hope I won't have to go thru this nightmare with the charging dock? :x

 

[Jimmydreams]

At any rate, since I'm in the Ecotality ETEC project, I hope I won't have to go thru this nightmare with the charging dock? :x

From what I've been told, Oceanside is the ONLY municipality that is going to these extremes and it SEEMS to hinge mostly on the fact that I already have PV solar installed. All other cities seem to issue the permit over-the-counter.

There is one other person in Oceanside going through the same process. They also have solar. (shrug)

 

[wsbca]

Well - we failed inspection today, but only because the city guys and the contractor were here at different times. They inspected inside the garage though and I don't have to be present when they return to look at the guts of the panel with the contractor outside - hopefully that will happen tomorrow.

I was able to confirm with the contractor that the reason the Blinks will have a short cord and plug for the supply side is so they can be fully rated as a standalone "appliance", the implication as I understood it being that all you'd need is a legitimate (ie permitted, to code) 240V outlet in place in the future, the actual installation of the EVSE itself wouldn't necessarily need to be inspected. Don't take my word for that, of course.

Once the word that our install is complete gets from our contractor to Ecotality to Nissan, supposedly all we'll be waiting for is the call from our dealer.