Blink acknowledges that I have left the EV Project

[evnow]

Yes, take a copy of your SD card. I had mine scramble twice during warranty which caused them to have to send someone out just to replace the SD card. If I had a disk image of it both times I could have just re-wrote it and saved the middle of the day trip home. Also, if they shut down features via a software push you can always go back.

How do you take a copy of the SD card ? Just copy the file structure ?

 

[DaveEV]

How do you take a copy of the SD card ? Just copy the file structure ?

On Linux, you'd do something like this:

# dd if=/dev/<device> of=Blink-EVSE.iso

On another OS, it would depend on the tools one has available...

 

[mendenmh]

How do you take a copy of the SD card ? Just copy the file structure ?

On Linux, you'd do something like this:

# dd if=/dev/<device> of=Blink-EVSE.iso

On another OS, it would depend on the tools one has available...

exactly the same on MacOSX, too.

 

[kovalb]

My agreement should expire in September. I hope I have the chance to re-up. I will gladly take a free one-year warranty extension and let them take data that will hopefully help the EV movement.

The Blink has given me no problems since the last software update (long time ago). Back when it was first installed they had to replace the SD card and install a powerline adapter because the wi-fi antenna was too weak. The new software took care of some spontaneous re-booting, which never really caused any issue for me.

I use the Blink's timer to start charging just after midnight on weekdays (I'm on my utility's time of use plan), and leave my LEAF's timer set to 80% 24/7. At work and on weekends I press the timer override button to get 100%. This works out great for me. I like having a smart charger with a timer built in and all the data access -- for free.

 

[evnow]

My agreement should expire in September. I hope I have the chance to re-up. I will gladly take a free one-year warranty extension and let them take data that will hopefully help the EV movement.

Given all the problems we have all had with Blink, they must have one of the poorest set of data. Sigh.

 

[jspearman]

I haven't had a moment's trouble with our home Blink unit, and only one issue in all the public charging I've done with them. In that instance there were two chargers, and one of them was acting odd and wouldn't read my card, while the other worked fine.

I'm really bummed about the issue they are potentially having with the RAV4 and Honda. I don't really want to spend $1235 for a new charger when I have one already installed in my garage, but I don't see much of a choice since I don't want to risk burning down my cars and house. Blink said they are working with Toyota on the problem, but that's not much reassurance in the present moment.

They said they would come out and dial down the unit for a fee, but I don't want to spend money I could put toward a new, more powerful, unit.

 

[evnow]

I'm really bummed about the issue they are potentially having with the RAV4 and Honda. I don't really want to spend $1235 for a new charger when I have one already installed in my garage, but I don't see much of a choice since I don't want to risk burning down my cars and house. Blink said they are working with Toyota on the problem, but that's not much reassurance in the present moment.

They said they would come out and dial down the unit for a fee, but I don't want to spend money I could put toward a new, more powerful, unit.

Check the thread on RAV4EV blink problem. You can either swap out the Blink charger's cable for one from Leviton ($130 or so) or even build your own Open EVSE.

 

[Rat]

I had a horrible time with the original install bid and performance, but that was mainly the electrician. Ecotality also screwed up my registration info, carrying two records of me with my EVSE installed in both No. and So. Calif. at the same time - same serial number. However, once the Blink was installed, it has performed nearly flawlessly, with only one service call. A board went out and and the Blink guy came out the next day and swapped it out in about 10 minutes. I reupped and I'm glad I did, though I do not use the energy usage info. I do start the car's heater remotely on cold mornings, but I think that's controlled just by Carwings and would work without the EVP contract as long as it's plugged in. I really don't see the downside to re-upping, even if you're dissatisfied with Ecotality. The warranty alone seems worth it and there's no fee.

 

[Lynza]

Hey folks,

I got my Blink in about December of 2011, a few months before I got my Leaf. We ended up having to move about 10 months later, and when I tried to contact Ecotality to ask about moving it, I got no answers and a "you might be outside the coverage area" speech, but no help.

So I ended up getting one of the portable plugin converter thingies - the one that comes with the car, but modded for 220.

That was almost 2 years ago, so... when do I "own" my Blink unit? Blink suddenly realized I'm not using it (we're renting our house where it lives, and they just turned it off entirely because they can't use it) and is now emailing me asking me to either give them $850 to own it, or they come and take it away without charging me for that service.

I'd honestly really like to have it where I actually live. But right now, $850 is too rich for my blood. A big part of moving was that my parents need help with bills and such, so we're not rolling in cash.

Can I tell them to PUAR and wait until it's mine? I got it free with the Ecotality deal, and I honestly have no idea where the paperwork's gone that explained the deal for it. I'm certain it's been more than 2 years that I've had it, though.

 

[TomT]

Or they will come out and replace the cable set with a new one, now crimped properly, if you have a problem. That is what they did on mine.

I'm really bummed about the issue they are potentially having with the RAV4 and Honda. I don't really want to spend $1235 for a new charger when I have one already installed in my garage, but I don't see much of a choice since I don't want to risk burning down my cars and house. Blink said they are working with Toyota on the problem, but that's not much reassurance in the present moment. They said they would come out and dial down the unit for a fee, but I don't want to spend money I could put toward a new, more powerful, unit.

Check the thread on RAV4EV blink problem. You can either swap out the Blink charger's cable for one from Leviton ($130 or so) or even build your own Open EVSE.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

similar boat. in December, I was invited to extend the contract for a year and I declined. I was then sent a "sorry to see you go" letter in January. I disconnected the EVSE from the internet and started getting emails saying there was a problem with the data collection. I wrote back saying the unit was now mine. they called me and refuted that claim. then, about a week ago I got a registered letter demanding I either cough up $850 or let them take the charging station back, the letter stated that if I did nothing, I would be charged all related fees to the install and the EV project, etc. I called them back and went at it with them. I got a guy on the phone who was willing to work with me. I forwarded the notice to him stating that the unit was now mine and he later sent me another email, reconfirming that my obligation with Ecotality and the EV project had ended and the charger was now mine.

It appears to me that Ecotality is trying to double dip. they got public funding for the chargers in the first place, the deal was that we get them in the end, now they are trying to get them back. It's hard to say a single positive thing about the company!

Lynza, I would push back and see what happens. talk to someone there. guessing you did not extend your contract in december, which btw, had fine print that reversed ownership back to Ecotality if you signed it without having them remove it... your contract should be over as of December 31st 2012.

Hey folks,

I got my Blink in about December of 2011, a few months before I got my Leaf. We ended up having to move about 10 months later, and when I tried to contact Ecotality to ask about moving it, I got no answers and a "you might be outside the coverage area" speech, but no help.

So I ended up getting one of the portable plugin converter thingies - the one that comes with the car, but modded for 220.

That was almost 2 years ago, so... when do I "own" my Blink unit? Blink suddenly realized I'm not using it (we're renting our house where it lives, and they just turned it off entirely because they can't use it) and is now emailing me asking me to either give them $850 to own it, or they come and take it away without charging me for that service.

I'd honestly really like to have it where I actually live. But right now, $850 is too rich for my blood. A big part of moving was that my parents need help with bills and such, so we're not rolling in cash.

Can I tell them to PUAR and wait until it's mine? I got it free with the Ecotality deal, and I honestly have no idea where the paperwork's gone that explained the deal for it. I'm certain it's been more than 2 years that I've had it, though.

 

[davewill]

Lynza, I would push back and see what happens. talk to someone there. guessing you did not extend your contract in december, which btw, had fine print that reversed ownership back to Ecotality if you signed it without having them remove it... your contract should be over as of December 31st 2012.

I don't think so. By the time Lynza purchased, they were writing end dates in 2013.

Hey folks,

I got my Blink in about December of 2011, a few months before I got my Leaf. We ended up having to move about 10 months later, and when I tried to contact Ecotality to ask about moving it, I got no answers and a "you might be outside the coverage area" speech, but no help.

So I ended up getting one of the portable plugin converter thingies - the one that comes with the car, but modded for 220.

That was almost 2 years ago, so... when do I "own" my Blink unit? Blink suddenly realized I'm not using it (we're renting our house where it lives, and they just turned it off entirely because they can't use it) and is now emailing me asking me to either give them $850 to own it, or they come and take it away without charging me for that service.

I'd honestly really like to have it where I actually live. But right now, $850 is too rich for my blood. A big part of moving was that my parents need help with bills and such, so we're not rolling in cash.

Can I tell them to PUAR and wait until it's mine? I got it free with the Ecotality deal, and I honestly have no idea where the paperwork's gone that explained the deal for it. I'm certain it's been more than 2 years that I've had it, though.

Dec 2011 to now is only 15 months. 15 months is not "almost 2 years" and it's certainly not "more than 2 years". By the Dec 2011 time you bought, I'm pretty sure the end of program date had moved well into 2013, not Dec 2012 like the earlier folks. You haven't been using it, as you agreed to, why shouldn't they take it back?

I moved as well. They told me that I had to take care of any new install expenses, and I did so. If you want to keep it, you'll need to get it turned back on, communicating with Blink, and use it to charge the car. You can probably do the first two just by talking to your tenants. If you can get it plugged in at the new place, and connected to the internet, and charging your car at least occasionally, they'll likely never bother to check on whether you moved out of area or not. Otherwise, just give it back.

 

[thankyouOB]

My agreement should expire in September. I hope I have the chance to re-up. I will gladly take a free one-year warranty extension and let them take data that will hopefully help the EV movement.

The Blink has given me no problems since the last software update (long time ago). Back when it was first installed they had to replace the SD card and install a powerline adapter because the wi-fi antenna was too weak. The new software took care of some spontaneous re-booting, which never really caused any issue for me.

I use the Blink's timer to start charging just after midnight on weekdays (I'm on my utility's time of use plan), and leave my LEAF's timer set to 80% 24/7. At work and on weekends I press the timer override button to get 100%. This works out great for me. I like having a smart charger with a timer built in and all the data access -- for free.

my view, exactly.
a trouble-free, nearly free experience.
i look at the blink and thank the federal govt for its foresight and wonder if it will follow through with all those QCs.
i much prefer this to tar sands oil and eco-depravity.

 

[QueenBee]

It appears to me that Ecotality is trying to double dip. they got public funding for the chargers in the first place, the deal was that we get them in the end, now they are trying to get them back. It's hard to say a single positive thing about the company!

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

I got a couple phone calls reminding me to sign the new agreement after I had already signed the modified contract that allowed them to collect data, provide warranty support, and transfer the unit to me. A quick email and the calls stopped and they acknowledged that they had my paperwork.

 

[ERG4ALL]

I have an AV unit in my garage but have used Blink units several times at a restaurant that is kind enough to offer a free charge while having dinner. My experience has been that although a "dumb" unit the AV has performed without a hitch even after some large thunderstorms. The Blink units have always had some problem when I've used them. There are two units at the restaurant and on two occasions only one was working and on the last occasion it had trouble recognizing the RFID card but eventually granted service. For what it's worth, I'd recommend the AV unit.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

just to be clear, we are talking about those folks who became part of the EV project and were promised that we could keep the charger at the end in exchange for allowing our data to be mined.

I have an AV unit in my garage but have used Blink units several times at a restaurant that is kind enough to offer a free charge while having dinner. My experience has been that although a "dumb" unit the AV has performed without a hitch even after some large thunderstorms. The Blink units have always had some problem when I've used them. There are two units at the restaurant and on two occasions only one was working and on the last occasion it had trouble recognizing the RFID card but eventually granted service. For what it's worth, I'd recommend the AV unit.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

I would agree with that accept that Ecotality was to provide the charger FOC in exchange for the data and later, without pointing it out, slipped in a few lines in updated contracts, making them the owner of the charging stations... that is just plain shady business, IMHO.

It appears to me that Ecotality is trying to double dip. they got public funding for the chargers in the first place, the deal was that we get them in the end, now they are trying to get them back. It's hard to say a single positive thing about the company!

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

I got a couple phone calls reminding me to sign the new agreement after I had already signed the modified contract that allowed them to collect data, provide warranty support, and transfer the unit to me. A quick email and the calls stopped and they acknowledged that they had my paperwork.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

for a while, all the contracts had the same end date of 12/31/12 regardless of the start date.

Lynza, I would push back and see what happens. talk to someone there. guessing you did not extend your contract in december, which btw, had fine print that reversed ownership back to Ecotality if you signed it without having them remove it... your contract should be over as of December 31st 2012.

I don't think so. By the time Lynza purchased, they were writing end dates in 2013.

Hey folks,

I got my Blink in about December of 2011, a few months before I got my Leaf. We ended up having to move about 10 months later, and when I tried to contact Ecotality to ask about moving it, I got no answers and a "you might be outside the coverage area" speech, but no help.

So I ended up getting one of the portable plugin converter thingies - the one that comes with the car, but modded for 220.

That was almost 2 years ago, so... when do I "own" my Blink unit? Blink suddenly realized I'm not using it (we're renting our house where it lives, and they just turned it off entirely because they can't use it) and is now emailing me asking me to either give them $850 to own it, or they come and take it away without charging me for that service.

I'd honestly really like to have it where I actually live. But right now, $850 is too rich for my blood. A big part of moving was that my parents need help with bills and such, so we're not rolling in cash.

Can I tell them to PUAR and wait until it's mine? I got it free with the Ecotality deal, and I honestly have no idea where the paperwork's gone that explained the deal for it. I'm certain it's been more than 2 years that I've had it, though.

Dec 2011 to now is only 15 months. 15 months is not "almost 2 years" and it's certainly not "more than 2 years". By the Dec 2011 time you bought, I'm pretty sure the end of program date had moved well into 2013, not Dec 2012 like the earlier folks. You haven't been using it, as you agreed to, why shouldn't they take it back?

I moved as well. They told me that I had to take care of any new install expenses, and I did so. If you want to keep it, you'll need to get it turned back on, communicating with Blink, and use it to charge the car. You can probably do the first two just by talking to your tenants. If you can get it plugged in at the new place, and connected to the internet, and charging your car at least occasionally, they'll likely never bother to check on whether you moved out of area or not. Otherwise, just give it back.

 

[Deleted member 3147]

My contract with Ecotality was dated September or October 2011 and I got a termination date of June 30, 2013 so I doubt that December 2011 would terminate January 1, 2013.

for a while, all the contracts had the same end date of 12/31/12 regardless of the start date.

Lynza, I would push back and see what happens. talk to someone there. guessing you did not extend your contract in december, which btw, had fine print that reversed ownership back to Ecotality if you signed it without having them remove it... your contract should be over as of December 31st 2012.

I don't think so. By the time Lynza purchased, they were writing end dates in 2013.

Hey folks,

I got my Blink in about December of 2011, a few months before I got my Leaf. We ended up having to move about 10 months later, and when I tried to contact Ecotality to ask about moving it, I got no answers and a "you might be outside the coverage area" speech, but no help.

So I ended up getting one of the portable plugin converter thingies - the one that comes with the car, but modded for 220.

That was almost 2 years ago, so... when do I "own" my Blink unit? Blink suddenly realized I'm not using it (we're renting our house where it lives, and they just turned it off entirely because they can't use it) and is now emailing me asking me to either give them $850 to own it, or they come and take it away without charging me for that service.

I'd honestly really like to have it where I actually live. But right now, $850 is too rich for my blood. A big part of moving was that my parents need help with bills and such, so we're not rolling in cash.

Can I tell them to PUAR and wait until it's mine? I got it free with the Ecotality deal, and I honestly have no idea where the paperwork's gone that explained the deal for it. I'm certain it's been more than 2 years that I've had it, though.

Dec 2011 to now is only 15 months. 15 months is not "almost 2 years" and it's certainly not "more than 2 years". By the Dec 2011 time you bought, I'm pretty sure the end of program date had moved well into 2013, not Dec 2012 like the earlier folks. You haven't been using it, as you agreed to, why shouldn't they take it back?

I moved as well. They told me that I had to take care of any new install expenses, and I did so. If you want to keep it, you'll need to get it turned back on, communicating with Blink, and use it to charge the car. You can probably do the first two just by talking to your tenants. If you can get it plugged in at the new place, and connected to the internet, and charging your car at least occasionally, they'll likely never bother to check on whether you moved out of area or not. Otherwise, just give it back.

 

[TomT]

The SD card corruption was caused by a software bug in versions prior to 2.0. I have not heard of it ever happening since then and believe that it is now a non-issue and probably not worth worrying about.

As far as shutting down features, they would likely do it from the server side, not the client side, so it likely would make no difference...

Yes, take a copy of your SD card. I had mine scramble twice during warranty which caused them to have to send someone out just to replace the SD card. If I had a disk image of it both times I could have just re-wrote it and saved the middle of the day trip home. Also, if they shut down features via a software push you can always go back.