AV Subscriber Network

[Luft]

As of March 31st the Aerovironment charging network will no longer be free. I want to thank these guys for an extremely long no cost period.

They are offering two plans. A pay-as-you-go plan and a subscription. The per session rate will be $7.50 for a quick charge session or $4.00 for a level 2 session. The subscription plan will cost $20.00 per month for unlimited Access. What do you guys think of the plans that they offer?

I personally like the subscription plan even though I rarely use the QC stations. I rarely use my cell phone too but pay a lot more for the convenience. I figure a $20.00 bill each month to help support a charging network isn't bad.

 

[DarkStar]

I only use the AV DCQC units on a couple of annual trips that I take, so the $7.50 per session, while high, is reasonable enough for me. If I regularly took monthly trips (once or twice per month) to locations requiring the use of an AV DCQC unit, I would probably get the $20/month unlimited session subscription.

Personally, I think this is only temporary until they start charging per KWh. Car Charging/Blink will probably be the first to go to that model and everyone else will probably follow.

 

[ColumbiaRiverGorge]

Since almost all of my quick charging is done with AV I really like the idea of all the electrons my Leaf can eat for $20 a month. Many times I stop for five to twenty minutes & I would rather not pay $5 to $7.50 per charge for this. When I go to Portland I have to pay $5 or $10 for a couple of Blink QCs to get around & back to Hood River. I hope they start charging by k/Wh someday. Either way, I am still saving $3000 a year by avoiding the gas station from my sold Subaru, at least until I need a new battery.

 

[doug401]

I welcome the news, as I believe it is a necessary milestone for the movement. After living through the Blink nightmare, I am cheering for Aero's success in the delivery of electrons. Charge me... please... then open more sites with mulitple units. The golden era of empty free charge stations is past. I remember the first station in the state opening 2 years ago in Bellingham. I carefully planned a 2 day trip to test my virgin DC3 port. The rumor was that the station was live and usable 2 weeks prior to the official grand opening. When I arrived, it was ICED :twisted:

Repeat after me..."I am an Early Adopter", and "I will face challenges with that decision"

Free charging has also created a good problem... busy stations with waiting Leaf'ers. I used to enjoy some of the "meet and greet" with like minded drivers, but it's much more mainstream now. I wouldn't wait at a gas station, I don't want to wait at a charge station anymore. I'll pay to have that happen.

Now all I need is Williams to finish the Chademo upgrade for the Rav and I'll be in fat city