alozzy
Well-known member
In British Columbia (BC) where I live, we have a utilities commission (BCUC) that essentially makes it impossible for private enterprises to resell electric power. As a consequence, all of the DC fast charging stations charge by the minute or by the hour.
I find it really annoying that a newer EV owner can charge at a 100 kW rate, while my LEAF charges at a much lower rate and then drops even lower as my 24 kWh tops off, yet we both pay the same amount ($0.21 per minute is typical). In winter, I pay even more as the LEAF charges even slower...
For example, on a recent DC fast charge session, I charged my LEAF for 26 minutes, received 9.6 kWh of energy, and paid $5.58 - so, about $0.60 per kWh!
A newer EV owner could receive 5 times that amount of energy in the same amount of time (if they were able to sustain 100 kW average rate). Thanks to the BC utility commission, I can't pay for the units of energy I actually received.
It's little wonder that those newer EV owners sit and charge for more than an hour, as they are getting a much better deal (closer to $0.12/kWh, which is very reasonable).
I'm curious if this injustice is unique to BC (or other Canadian provinces with monopolized electric power generation), or if it's also common across US states.
I find it really annoying that a newer EV owner can charge at a 100 kW rate, while my LEAF charges at a much lower rate and then drops even lower as my 24 kWh tops off, yet we both pay the same amount ($0.21 per minute is typical). In winter, I pay even more as the LEAF charges even slower...
For example, on a recent DC fast charge session, I charged my LEAF for 26 minutes, received 9.6 kWh of energy, and paid $5.58 - so, about $0.60 per kWh!
A newer EV owner could receive 5 times that amount of energy in the same amount of time (if they were able to sustain 100 kW average rate). Thanks to the BC utility commission, I can't pay for the units of energy I actually received.
It's little wonder that those newer EV owners sit and charge for more than an hour, as they are getting a much better deal (closer to $0.12/kWh, which is very reasonable).
I'm curious if this injustice is unique to BC (or other Canadian provinces with monopolized electric power generation), or if it's also common across US states.