My Future Parking Space

Pipemajor · Jun 25, 2012

My workplace (U.S. Government office building) is installing 16 outdoor EV charging stations for employee use. Another 10 will be installed in the indoor garage. Stations will be L2 240V and will be free for employee use.

The revolution has begun! Now all I need to do is to re-order a Leaf. I canceled my 2012 car in hopes of getting a Smyrna-built 2013 model with the better charger and heat pump heater.

My commute is only 12 miles each way with no freeways.

EVDrive · Jun 25, 2012

Nice. This looks like an easy install compared to most. No concrete or trees to tear through first.

LEAFer · Jun 26, 2012

What gauge wire is that ?

Volusiano · Jun 26, 2012

That looks so sweet. Let's hope those spots don't get ICE'd.

Last weekend I stopped by a parking lot of a store that has 6 Blink EVSEs, and 2 of those 6 spots got ICE'd by SUVs despite clear EV signs. It's almost as if those SUV owners want to say f*** EV by parking there.

I've also been to another QC place where 1 Ford Excursion and 1 pickup truck parked in the only 2 spots in front of the QC charger.

ksnogas2112 · Jun 26, 2012

Beautiful picture!

zarwin · Jun 26, 2012

My commute is only 12 miles each way with no freeways.

Well you don't even have to charge at home then, lol.

Where I work, we have 8 Leaf drivers and two L2 spots, so we have to do a lot of sharing. People with shorter commutes tend to not charge unless they need a full charge after work, and people with longer (mine is 50 miles round trip on 70MPH interstate most of the way) tend to charge every day for several hours. Pretty much standard procedure is to swap out at lunch, allowing 4 to charge in a day. If you charge in the morning, you better move by 12:30. Seems to work well.

adric22 · Jun 26, 2012

LEAFer said:
What gauge wire is that ?

That was my first thought too. It seems a bit small for L2, unless the charging stations will be limiting the amps. But it could just be the photograph deceiving my eyes.

DaveinOlyWA · Jun 26, 2012

adric22 said:
LEAFer said:

What gauge wire is that ?

Click to expand...

That was my first thought too. It seems a bit small for L2, unless the charging stations will be limiting the amps. But it could just be the photograph deceiving my eyes.

guessing its all in code for at least 6.6 KW charging. i looked at the pix. cant say that i would even venture a guess as to the gauge

smkettner · Jun 26, 2012

Clearly #8 wire.

mitch672 · Jun 26, 2012

smkettner said:
Clearly #8 wire.

Yes, looks like #8, and it's looped, so really (2) #8's of each conductor (red, black, green and whiite are all visible)

ebill3 · Jun 26, 2012

Pipemajor said:
My workplace (U.S. Government office building) is installing 16 outdoor EV charging stations for employee use. Another 10 will be installed in the indoor garage. Stations will be L2 240V and will be free for employee use.

Nice, but since all of us are paying for it, I sure hope guests will be allowed a few spaces, and at no charge as well.

Bill

smkettner · Jun 26, 2012

mitch672 said:
smkettner said:

Clearly #8 wire.

Click to expand...

Yes, looks like #8, and it's looped, so really (2) #8's of each conductor (red, black, green and whiite are all visible)

I think the loop is just the end of the cut wire shoved back down for protection before final install. Could be 5' of wire extra so the next electrician has plenty of slack.

DANandNAN · Jun 26, 2012

If these are going to be L2 (6.6 or faster) then they really should have spaced them better. One EVSE per parking spot seems like a waste. Other than the Telsa, 6.6+ EV cars can be completely recharged in 4 hours (half of a workday). Even slower charging (3.3) EV cars can still get either completely recharge or at least get half their range back in 4 hours. Pretty simple, whoever gets to work first charges first and every other spot is filled in with folks who will come out at noon to take the plug from the morning chargers.

Congrats though, I'm glad to see the chargers, I just think they could get 32 EV on those 16 EVSE without a lot of trouble. Very surprising to hear that this is a government building and charging will be free. From what I've heard they've denied lots of install requests, I guess the tides are turning.

Pipemajor · Jun 27, 2012

LEAFer said:
What gauge wire is that ?

#8 AWG. At least that is what is stamped on the insulation.

Pipemajor · Jun 27, 2012

zarwin said:
My commute is only 12 miles each way with no freeways.

Click to expand...

Well you don't even have to charge at home then, lol.

Where I work, we have 8 Leaf drivers and two L2 spots, so we have to do a lot of sharing. People with shorter commutes tend to not charge unless they need a full charge after work, and people with longer (mine is 50 miles round trip on 70MPH interstate most of the way) tend to charge every day for several hours. Pretty much standard procedure is to swap out at lunch, allowing 4 to charge in a day. If you charge in the morning, you better move by 12:30. Seems to work well.

I definitely thought of that. I could fully charge up during the day at work, make the commute home, evening errands and commute back in the morning without much effort.

My home assessment came in @ $6k via Aerovironment. I know they're not cheap but my electrical service is currently maxed out. I put in a geothermal HVAC 2 years ago and had to put in 2 extra 60A circuits - one for the compressors and one for the emergency electrical backup strip. Also, my service entry is at the opposite end of the house.

Pipemajor · Jun 27, 2012

ebill3 said:
Pipemajor said:

My workplace (U.S. Government office building) is installing 16 outdoor EV charging stations for employee use. Another 10 will be installed in the indoor garage. Stations will be L2 240V and will be free for employee use.

Click to expand...

Nice, but since all of us are paying for it, I sure hope guests will be allowed a few spaces, and at no charge as well.

Bill

If you take note of the light rail platform station in the background, this LRT runs on 100% renewable electric - mostly wind. There is an expansive array of solar panels going up on the roof or our federal building. Seventy percent of the former employees were relocated while building upgrades take place. Normally about 2,000 employees are housed here. Largest tenents are VA (my agency) and Homeland Security.

They turned on all the outdoor parking lot lights the other day. All LED lighting. Not sure what type of interior lighting is going in but we're scheduled to move upstairs into the new area end of July.

Pipemajor · Jun 27, 2012

ebill3 said:
Pipemajor said:

My workplace (U.S. Government office building) is installing 16 outdoor EV charging stations for employee use. Another 10 will be installed in the indoor garage. Stations will be L2 240V and will be free for employee use.

Click to expand...

Nice, but since all of us are paying for it, I sure hope guests will be allowed a few spaces, and at no charge as well.

Bill

This won't be the visitor lot so don't know if they will be offering EVSE stations for visitors or not.

I moved out here to the Twin Cities from Puyallup 16 years ago. Both kids were born @ Good Sam. I was back out there 2 years ago, hardly recognized the place.

Nekota · Jun 28, 2012

ebill3 said:
Pipemajor said:

My workplace (U.S. Government office building) is installing 16 outdoor EV charging stations for employee use. Another 10 will be installed in the indoor garage. Stations will be L2 240V and will be free for employee use.

Click to expand...

Nice, but since all of us are paying for it, I sure hope guests will be allowed a few spaces, and at no charge as well.

Bill

I'm curious how this ruling weighs in on this facility?

According to DOE Order 580.1, which is included in our Prime Contract, we are not permitted to allow staff to use government owned electric vehicle charging stations for charging their personal vehicles. The subject order permits the use of government personal property only in the performance of official work of the U.S. Government, except in emergencies threatening loss of life or property. There are very limited exceptions to this general prohibition, for example for limited personal use of office equipment and telecommunications equipment.

https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt/community/requests_for_information/562/rfi__431/8928

DaveinOlyWA · Jun 28, 2012

considering your short commute and what i expect (my opinion here) to be an explosion of sales for the TN built 2013 Leaf, i think it wont be long before there is some healthy competition for those spaces.

dont know how convenient it would be to shuttle cars around during your work shift, but that might become a necessity.

TomT · Jun 28, 2012

Define "explosion..."

DaveinOlyWA said:
and what i expect (my opinion here) to be an explosion of sales for the TN built 2013 Leaf

My Future Parking Space

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