Orange, CA - UCI Medical Center - New Charging Site

[richard]

UCI Medical center officially announced the availability of three new charging stations on Thursday.

The barbed wire is because Orange County Juvenile Detention is on the other side of the fence.

Location in Google Maps

These are Coulomb 2021's which are some of the nicest commercial Level 2 stations out there. Two Level 2 (30A) ports each, 18' cords, and simple cord management.

They're charging $2.50/hr with a 4-hour limit, which matches UCI's policy at the school as well. Valid UC permit is required (visitor permits are available at Parking and Transportation). UC employees are supposed to get a discount if they get an access card from P&T, or if their existing ChargePoint ID is entered in the UC system. It would be interesting to test the system with a plain credit card vs a UC approved card to see if there really is a difference. I may do this some time.

From a hardware and site planning perspective, this is one of the nicest sites I've seen. 6 non-prime parking spots are served by 3 stations, the signage is very clear, and the stations themselves are really nice.

 

[TRONZ]

So $10 for 8 bars. Might come in handy in a pinch. Thanks for posting.

 

[richard]

So $10 for 8 bars. Might come in handy in a pinch. Thanks for posting.

Sure, TRONZ.

Yeah, I agree, this price point is for charging "in a pinch". Not everyday charging.

I hope UCI keeps an open mind about the pricing and revisits it sometime in the future. The fact is UCI parking is run as a self-sustaining business (not as a necessary part of the bigger business) and so even marginal use cases like this are expected to have 100% ROI.

On the plus side, if you are short on charge in this area, these will likely be available.

 

[DaveEV]

So $10 for 8 bars. Might come in handy in a pinch. Thanks for posting.

If you look at it that way - $7 for a QC is cheaper and only takes 30 minutes instead of 4 hours. Kind of puts things into perspective...

 

[Boomer23]

Richard, I worked at UCI MC for over 35 years until I retired in 2007, and I know right where these are located. I had heard that they were coming, but I didn't know that they'd be the double Level 2 type. This is the first time I've seen those.

Once there are more EVs out on the streets, these spots will be taken up on a regular basis by employees, I would think, especially if the prices are discounted to employees. When the Tesla Model S and Model X come out, can you imagine how many doctors are going to be plugged in there all day? :lol:

 

[coolfilmaker]

[youtube][/youtube]

 

[garygid]

Does this signage get you towed if your car gets unplugged?