Colorado Electric Vehicle Fast-Charging Corridors

GRA said:

Some of the state-financed sites have also been moved, e.g. Conifer is now apparently going to be in Indian Hills, while the state site which was to be in Silverton has apparently been split into two, at Ouray and Purgatory Resort instead. I thought Silverton was a good choice, located in between high passes both north and south of it, but the new sites are spaced better and on both north and south sides of the group of three passes. This splitting into two may be why the total # of state sites increased from 33 to 34.

One indication that the site is possibly state-financed is that they all have (at least) two CCS/CHAdeMO chargers, and IIRC the sites had to have the necessary electrical capacity to double the number of chargers if/when needed.

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I agree that Silverton would be a better location than Ouray plus Purgatory. Ouray is too close to Montrose (35 miles) and Purgatory is too close to Durango (27 miles). I suppose, however, that the close distances make for additional redundancy since if one site is full or down one could continue to the next.

Tiny Ouray, population about 900, would certainly like having a DCFC site, being a major tourist town (had a crazy busy summer). Of course, if these sites are as silly expensive as the Montrose one is, they won't get used much.

The Montrose station still has stall 2 Available and stall 1 as Unavailable, despite the ChargePoint map showing both active. I wonder if, when someone plugs-in to 2, then 1 goes active? Can't figure out what's going on.

dgpcolorado said:

I agree that Silverton would be a better location than Ouray plus Purgatory. Ouray is too close to Montrose (35 miles) and Purgatory is too close to Durango (27 miles). I suppose, however, that the close distances make for additional redundancy since if one site is full or down one could continue to the next. )

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That's my thinking, given the current hit- or-miss nature of site reliability/activation.

Tiny Ouray, population about 900, would certainly like having a DCFC site, being a major tourist town (had a crazy busy summer). Of course, if these sites are as silly expensive as the Montrose one is, they won't get used much.

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If a (locally supported?) site can be justified for Meeker, which AFAIN is just a road junction with no tourist interest, then Ouray certainly should rate a site.

The Montrose station still has stall 2 Available and stall 1 as Unavailable, despite the ChargePoint map showing both active. I wonder if, when someone plugs-in to 2, then 1 goes active? Can't figure out what's going on.

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Montrose is expensive, but pity the poor soul who has to charge on-peak in Buena Vista!

A ChargePoint CCS/Chademo station is reported to be planned for the Kum & Go in Craig, on US 40, adjacent to the eight stall Tesla Supercharger Station nearing completion there. According to the construction crew working on the Supercharger Station.

A four stall ChargePoint CCS/Chademo Station is nearing completion in Rifle, at a Kum & Go south of I-70. Awaiting the installation of a transformer as of a week ago. Pictures on Plugshare.

Both Chargepoint stalls in Montrose CO are now on and "Available."

Which payment system/network do they use?

Colorado fast-charging corridors are just chargepoint.
I had some problem with roaming with them for example the EvGo Nissan credit using that RFID card or app but I had no problem at sites like Eagle (which is crazy cheap BTW). I used up my credit and it's been more than a year anyway so I have little reason to roam any more.
I went to Telluride/Ouray area twice last summer and the second time Salida was available which helped desipite the price it cut my distance going via Delta. Having Montrose will sure help. Beyond that I did l2 like camping at ridgway state park (camp outlet) or at the park in Ridgway and the parking garage in Mountain Village for the lift or whatever. I would also like Silverton. I am OK with Ouray and Telluride with only l2 as they are more of a destination or a place you visit than a pass through area and we have Montrose. Still the more the merrier for redundancy. l2 when you are just trying to get somewhere is no fun. EvGo is just not that useful for road trips. Delta BTW is EVConnect but it is not part of the state program. I've seen EA in Frisco and Grand Junction crap out, Frisco a couple times that I noticed. Out here mainly you need Chargepoint and EA but I also carry EvGo and EVConnect. Especially out in some of these rural areas like Salida (where I was one of the first to use) people come talk to you wanting to know about EVs.

The City Council in Ouray has approved a deal to allow four DCFC stalls in the NW corner of the Hot Springs Pool parking lot for a token $1/year. The Chargepoint stalls are to be installed by a Kansas outfit called "EV Build LLC" and "should be ready to go by the end of June."

The cost mentioned was a very high 25¢/kWh plus 25¢/minute; if that ends up being the case, it is hard to see it getting much use. EV Build will collect the revenue and Chargepoint will get 10%. The idea that these stations should have reasonable pricing, to encourage EV use, seems not to have occurred to the people responsible for installing them. Or, perhaps, people on road trips won't care about the price, since it might be a small part of the overall trip cost.

[To put the cost in perspective, Tesla charges a flat 27¢/kWh for the Montrose Superchargers (plus a stiff idle fee for cars that have finished charging and haven't been moved) and the local residential electric rate* in Ouray is 13.5¢/kWh.]

FWIW.


* The three phase demand rate is $47.25/month + 7.09¢/kWh + $17/kW demand charge (based on the maximum draw in any fifteen minute period in a month). This is likely the tariff that would be used for the DCFC station.

The Chargepoint DCFC Station in Rifle CO has opened. Four stalls at a reasonable 27¢/min, with a $5/hr idle fee after a grace period of 30 minutes. I wish more of them would use this fee structure.

dgpcolorado said:

The Chargepoint DCFC Station in Rifle CO has opened. Four stalls at a reasonable 27¢/min, with a $5/hr idle fee after a grace period of 30 minutes. I wish more of them would use this fee structure.

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We need lots of competition to make that happen. Still, you could be paying 43¢ (EV Connect) or 49¢/kWh ((Blink) for L2, which is what the two L2 sites within walking distance of my place charge.

GRA said:

dgpcolorado said:

The Chargepoint DCFC Station in Rifle CO has opened. Four stalls at a reasonable 27¢/min, with a $5/hr idle fee after a grace period of 30 minutes. I wish more of them would use this fee structure.

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We need lots of competition to make that happen. Still, you could be paying 43¢ (EV Connect) or 49¢/kWh ((Blink) for L2, which is what the two L2 sites within walking distance of my place charge.

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Even that might be better than the 20¢/kWh plus 25¢/minute fee structure of so many around here. Given how slow those units are and how slowly many cars charge as they fill, that time fee gets pretty expensive.

Are the prices so high because the stations are little used and the hardware needs to be paid for? Or because they can get it since there are so few options for DCFC? If the latter, perhaps prices will come down to something reasonable as competition increases, as you say.

That station in Rifle is at a Kum and Go convenience store. They have the right idea: pull in customers with reasonable charging prices and let them buy something from the store, much as they do with the gas pumps.

This isn't DCFC but might be of interest because of the location of the Level 2 charge stations:

All state parks in Colorado will get electric vehicle charging stations in deal with EV maker Rivian

The downside of having a small number of Level 2 (J1772) charge stations at each park is that they will likely be in use for a long time and may not be available when needed.

I prefer to reserve campsites with RV pedestals at parks that have camping. That way I know that my campsite will be there waiting for me when I arrive. Over the last couple of years I have camped at seven different Colorado State Parks (and three Arizona State Parks just last week). I plan to visit an eighth next month: Yampa River State Park near Hayden. I always travel with my "Mobile Connector" as well as 14-50 and TT-30 adapters, for use at campground RV pedestals. I've also camped in my Model S at state parks in Utah, Oregon, Wyoming, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa and Missouri. I prefer state parks to commercial RV parks because the campsites tend to be nicer and more spacious.

I had heard this but I wonder do you know what happens to the chargepoints in state parks like Staunton, Cherry Creek, and Chatfield?

I too camp and charge at RV pedestals. I have not yet run into a full l2 at a state park or even places like the Mountain Village parking garage for the lift, Ridgway park (the town park not the state park though I have charged while camping at that state park). This also applies to DCFC with just a couple ports like Delta or Chargepoints around the state. I am sure it will be a problem soon with the increasing number of EVs but so far I have always got a charge where I needed it. Has this happened to you yet?

salyavin said:

I had heard this but I wonder do you know what happens to the chargepoints in state parks like Staunton, Cherry Creek, and Chatfield?

I too camp and charge at RV pedestals. I have not yet run into a full l2 at a state park or even places like the Mountain Village parking garage for the lift, Ridgway park (the town park not the state park though I have charged while camping at that state park). This also applies to DCFC with just a couple ports like Delta or Chargepoints around the state. I am sure it will be a problem soon with the increasing number of EVs but so far I have always got a charge where I needed it. Has this happened to you yet?

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I have occasionally come across full L2 installations, for example, all four 7 kW sites in Montrose (Centennial Plaza and the hospital) as well as both in Ridgway, although it is still rare.

Since my L2 charging is mostly discretionary it isn't usually a concern. However, add more EVs, plus knowledge that all parks have L2 charge sites, and I can see all the charge positions being taken in the future. One advantage to Chargepoint installations is that their website shows which ones are available before you get there. Will Rivian do something similar at the state park L2s? If so, it would help.

Before the recent DCFC chargers in Montrose and a few others I depended on l2 in Ridgway and other locations (Mountain Village too nearby) to be able to get to where I was going. Even this time last year that was the case. Salida, Montrose and others opening really opened things up. These last 12 months of DCFC installs have really helped inside Colorado. Had to limp on l2 like that lizard park at Great Sand Dunes too. Salida helps. It's amazing to watch the change.

I agree that it would be nice if Rivian's L2 chargers were in an app that showed status. Ridgway was I forgot the brand but basically like a home charger so no way to know in advance.

salyavin said:

Before the recent DCFC chargers in Montrose and a few others I depended on l2 in Ridgway and other locations (Mountain Village too nearby) to be able to get to where I was going. Even this time last year that was the case. Salida, Montrose and others opening really opened things up. These last 12 months of DCFC installs have really helped inside Colorado. Had to limp on l2 like that lizard park at Great Sand Dunes too. Salida helps. It's amazing to watch the change.

I agree that it would be nice if Rivian's L2 chargers were in an app that showed status. Ridgway was I forgot the brand but basically like a home charger so no way to know in advance.

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The Ridgway L2 public charge station is a pair of AeroVironment EVSEs that run at 8 kW, for those cars that can take that. Saw a LEAF there early yesterday morning.

Most of the other L2 installations in the area, other than Tesla Destination Charging, tend to be 7 kW; the ones in Montrose at Centennial Plaza and the Hospital, for example. The ones at the Montrose Rec Center are a painfully slow 4 kW.

Those free Level 2 public charge station installations were 80% supported by state grants. The state grant fund, in turn, was paid for by the extra $50 annual registration fee charged to plug-in cars — $30 to roads and $20 to support charging infrastructure.

With the increasing numbers of DCFC locations, those old L2 public charge stations will be left for local charging and road trips will be supported by DCFC, assuming that one is willing to pay the often high cost.

For now I will (and have) paid it, the l2 and RV plug method takes too much time unless I am staying in the area. I don't care for the high price, it will put off potential EV drivers as it costs a lot more than gas, they don't think about how much they save by charging at home for 90% of their daily driving. Of course if someone else ever builds a cheaper charger in the area no one will use these chargers, we are still in early days. I am just happy how much easier it has become to travel in an EV over the last 2 years.

salyavin said:

For now I will (and have) paid it, the l2 and RV plug method takes too much time unless I am staying in the area. I don't care for the high price, it will put off potential EV drivers as it costs a lot more than gas, they don't think about how much they save by charging at home for 90% of their daily driving. Of course if someone else ever builds a cheaper charger in the area no one will use these chargers, we are still in early days. I am just happy how much easier it has become to travel in an EV over the last 2 years.

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Yes! Road-tripping in a Tesla has been routine for years but with the increasing coverage of these new CCS/Chademo DCFC stations, it is now possible for many other kinds of EVs to do road trips.

I do wish that more of these new DCFC stations would use pricing like the one at the Rifle CO Kum & Go store: 27¢/kWh with no time charge. That's reasonable.

Construction has begun on a possible Chargepoint DCFC station at the Kum & Go in Craig CO, adjacent to the existing Tesla Supercharger Station.

The construction pictures posted in the TMC Craig thread show an equipment packing slip with an El Paso TX address that is the location of Schneider Electric. I don't know if Schneider Electric (a longtime maker of EVSEs, although my information is that they have left the L2 charging business) is a supplier of DCFC equipment for Chargepoint, although it appears likely. Perhaps someone here knows?

^^^ Googling "Chargepoint Schneider" brought up a news release from May 5, 2014, titled:

Schneider Electric and ChargePoint Partner to Launch New EVlink™ Cloud Connected Charging Stations with Comprehensive Services

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I can't provide a link for some reason.