Electrify America Network

[Tortoisehead77]

I guess I would wonder, if you were a leaf owner, would you gamble on an EA station?

If that EA station was the only place you could charge, and in many of the areas out here on 395 it would be right now, would you gamble on showing up to a station with the possibility of that station being used by a CCS customer?

If you are CCS, its not a big deal, there are four to choose from.

Part of me is happy EA is expanding the infrastructure in areas that have none, such as eastern sierra (excluding Superchargers of course) but I don't think I'd feel comfortable taking my leaf.

As full disclosure, I never plan to use it for road trips anyway. I'm just curious if you would gamble / wait as a Chademo user.
.

In Oregon it seems like most Level 3 chargers only have one Chademo connection. It's not just the EA stations that only have one. So, it's always a gamble that the Chademo will be either in-use or broken around here.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

I have been charting a Chicago to Denver run, around 1000 miles each way. Given the nice 250+ miles I have proven on relatively flat ground, I believe even with incline starting in east Nebraska, 200 miles should be doable (worse case, slow down a bit). As you go up, you get less drag...at least in theory.

Given the good number of EA installations, I only need about every other one to be working to have a relatively unimpeded trip, just take a couple additional safetly stops. It also looks like a few have been coming back online. (though I saw one with all the CCS down, so its not just a Chademo issue)

Omaha/Lincoln have some additional choices, but that isn't really a concern as that is where I usually spend the night. Iowa also now has a couple choices, so even day 1 should be low stress. Its the far side of Nebraska where you are most at risk. The Denver - Pueblo corridor also is well stocked with Chademo.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Iowa Map for Mid America Fast charger network.

https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/iowa-news/midamerican-energy-announces-launch-of-electric-vehicle-fast-charging-stations/

This will be a nice compliment to the EA chargers.

 

[goldbrick]

Keep an eye on the weather, you can get some strong headwinds crossing Nebraska. Elevation gain is about 4000 feet spread over hundreds of miles. I'm sure it matters but when crossing NE the wind is the main determining factor in my experience.

 

[coulomb]

Ok that makes some sense, though I would have thought CCS would adapt to whatever power level the car could accept, rather than having one side or another at different levels

Different voltages. The higher side is (will be) 800 volts.

Surely that's up to 800V; in fact, I thought it was up to 1000V. People use ultra-fast chargers here in Australia (probably a different manufacturer, though) on their 400V cars (and just get a slightly faster charge that way, perhaps 70kW). I don't see the point of the two cables on the one charger, unless the higher power cable is less reliable (being water cooled and all that), or just heavier and less easy to use, when you don't need and/or can't use the extra power.

Also, perhaps sometimes the extra 3 feet of reach might make a difference.

 

[coulomb]

World - wide:
Alive and kicking in Japan
...
Last gasps in the USA

CHAdeMO charger availability is still strong in Australia; perhaps 50% of fast chargers have a CHAdeMO outlet. With the advent of the ultra-fast chargers, CCS-2 will probably slowly take over. We still have a smattering of CCS-1 chargers, but they're steadily having their CCS-1 cables replaced with CCS-2. In Australia, only early BMW i3s came with CCS-1, and some of those have been converted (often at great expense) to CCS-2, and the latest models imported here come with CCS-2 as standard. Owners of the cars still with CCS-1 are finding their available fast chargers diminishing, and face the choice of an expensive adapter an even more expensive upgrade, or a daunting but moderately priced DIY upgrade.

There is a similar change with the AC connectors. There are still J1772 (type 1) EVSEs about, and even a few new installations, but type 2 EVSEs are dominating. So I carry a type 2 to type 1 adapter cable in my type 1 car (2012 Leaf).

It looks like north America is going to be different to the rest of the world yet again, with EV charge connectors.

 

[SageBrush]

I guess I would wonder, if you were a leaf owner, would you gamble on an EA station?

.
I may not be the right person to answer since my trip car is a Tesla but my approach would be to have a plan 'B', and I'd feel better about having a plan 'C' also. Almost invariably backup plans take extra time so you have those two constraints you have to fulfill to take a LEAF, and of course you have to be flexible when you arrive -- perhaps days later than planned.

As others have said, taking a LEAF is for the EV adventure. If getting to a destination in a time sensitive manner is important -- choose a different transport. And if there is anyone in the car who is going to make the trip miserable when hiccoughs occur -- well, do yourself a favor.

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Chademo back online in Lafayette IN.

And there was much rejoicing..

 

[GetOffYourGas]

CHAdeMO is reportedly back online in Waterloo and Herkimer NY. I haven't not confirmed myself, but EA announced Waterloo about 14 minutes after I checked in on PlugShare (I was using CCS to charge my Bolt). When I checked in, the LEDs were still red. This tells me that they did some remote diagnostics but almost certainly did not actually test the CHAdeMOs. As always, rely on them at your own risk.

 

[GRA]

Been checking the site in Castro Valley at roughly weekly intervals, and paving, space striping and marking ("EV Charging Only") is now done. AFAICT, all that's left is getting PG&E t\o install and connect the transformer (which happens on their schedule) , then final tests and inspection.

However, I noticed that the CCS-CHAdeMO cabinet was installed facing away from the stall it serves (on the left), and instead faces towards the right where there's a striped buffer zone to keep cars using the exit lane from the parking lot from getting too close to the chargers. I emailed EA asking if the crew screwed up and installed it wrong or if this is intentional, and will pass along any reply I get from them.

I was able to get inside the fence and take a close look at the cabinets, and they're all BTC, rated at up to 350 amps and up to 950 Volts input and output, although these all have stickers showing 150kW (50 for CHAdeMO).

 

[DougWantsALeaf]

Indianapolis Chademo is back up!

Repairman needs to go to Iowa now.

 

[GRA]

EA has made the site icons on their map smaller, but more importantly they've removed the group circles, so it makes it much harder to spot new sites. Not sure if this is just a temporary glitch or permanent yet, but now the only way to certainly ID new sites is to scroll through the ever-lengthening list. Having done so,

[Update, missed one] Two sites are open, making 7 for the month and 272 total: S. Sacramento #2 (S.R. 299 Ex. 299A/B); Greensboro, NC (I-85 ex. 124, E. of I-73 Jct.) is open,

 

[cwerdna]

I was able to get inside the fence and take a close look at the cabinets, and they're all BTC,

Side note: I didn't know until I saw an exchange on a FB group that BTC Power and Recargo (behind Plugshare and some of their own DC FC locations) have been acquired by Innogy, a German company.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innogy-acquires-recargo-inc-300722444.html
https://news.innogy.com/innogy-acquires-btcpower/

 

[paulgipe]

I was able to get inside the fence and take a close look at the cabinets, and they're all BTC,

Side note: I didn't know until I saw an exchange on a FB group that BTC Power and Recargo (behind Plugshare and some of their own DC FC locations) have been acquired by Innogy, a German company.
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innogy-acquires-recargo-inc-300722444.html
https://news.innogy.com/innogy-acquires-btcpower/

Missed the BTC acquisition! Not a good sign. Recargo has essentially fallen off the face of the earth since they were bought. Do you know if their US operations still exist?

Paul

 

[umdkevin]

"... as the internots like to call it" :lol:

https://www.thedrum.com/creative-works/project/eleven-electrify-america-normal-now

 

[GRA]

The big circles are back, and with them, three sites have opened, making 10 for the month and 275 total: Yakima, WA (I-82 ex. 33); Sacramento IAP (I-5 ex. 528); San Diego, CA (Urb., S.R. 163 ex. 3B, N. of I-8).

Seems like they think they've got the problems figured out, or maybe the person who maintains the map just came back from vacation and is catching up!

 

[GRA]

Re the CHAdeMO/CCS numbers discussion, GCR via AFDC CHAdeMO still leads in # of sites, 2,140 vs. 1,888, but CCS already leads by # of connectors 3,525 to 3,010: https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1124639_chademo-fast-charging-stations-still-outnumber-ccs-ones

As EA is building most of the new QC sites which all have a single CHAdeMO QC that total keeps incrementing, but as each site has multiple CCS connectors CCS' lead will continue to grow rapidly. For instance, of the three EA sites that I mentioned above, in addition to their 3 CHAdeMO connectors they added 11 CCS.

EVgo won't change the relative balance of sites, as they're building dual-standard as well for now.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

The big circles are back, and with them, three sites have opened, making 10 for the month and 275 total: Yakima, WA (I-82 ex. 33); Sacramento IAP (I-5 ex. 528); San Diego, CA (Urb., S.R. 163 ex. 3B, N. of I-8).

Seems like they think they've got the problems figured out, or maybe the person who maintains the map just came back from vacation and is catching up!

Yakima has been open for weeks.

 

[WetEV]

1611 Smittys Blvd. Ritzville, WA 99169 is now open.

 

[GRA]

The big circles are back, and with them, three sites have opened, making 10 for the month and 275 total: Yakima, WA (I-82 ex. 33); Sacramento IAP (I-5 ex. 528); San Diego, CA (Urb., S.R. 163 ex. 3B, N. of I-8).

Seems like they think they've got the problems figured out, or maybe the person who maintains the map just came back from vacation and is catching up!

Yakima has been open for weeks.

Yes, since 7/31 on Plugshare, but I missed it (I was up on Mt. Shasta then). You beat me to Ritzville, which was much needed to connect Ellensburg and Spokane Valley.

Two sites have opened, making 12 for the month and 277 total: the aforementioned Ritzville, WA (Jct. I-90/S.R. 261); Carslbad, CA (Urb., I-5 exits 47 & 48).