cwerdna wrote:GetOffYourGas wrote:Car Charging Group operates most of the public EVSEs around here. I get the impression, though, that few people use them. At $0.49/kWh, I can't blame them. I occasionally drop them a few bucks just because I don't want to see public charging die on the vine. But it's probably all in vain.
In the Bay Area, Blink L2 EVSEs are also $0.49/kWh. No thanks.
I understand where you are coming from. Unfortunately, this is exactly why the networks are not expanding. Even at $0.49/kWh, it is hard to make a profit, especially if the original installation was not subsidized. Combined with gas prices at around $2.40/gallon, it's almost a hopeless situation.
The only hope for a win-win (the customer saves money and CCGI makes a profit) would be a network of QCs which allow the customer to drop gasoline completely. Then they could technically charge more than gas, and the customer could still save money overall because 80-90% of charging would be done at home. But this requires a sizable network of QCs and a sizable community of EVs driving around. Until we reach that critical mass, I don't know how to make a business out of charging.
Tesla is both hurting and helping the situation. With their proprietary supercharging network, they can expand both the network and the number of cars. But the fact that its proprietary means it helps noone but themselves. CCGI cannot really capitalize on the growing number of Teslas on the road.
The entire equation could change in 2017 with the Bolt, Leaf 2, and even the Tesla 3 (if, for example, Tesla decides that superchargers aren't free for life for them).