Letter to Ecotality/Blink concerning Balboa Park Failures

[arnolddeleon]

I am providing valuable data through Ecotality.
As Randy points out above, new software perfected the residential blinks and, I suspect, will do so for the commercial units too. they are due to start fee-based service in a few months. I note that this week the blinks near work started asking for zipcode of the card user.

I would like to also provide that valuable data, but my home Blink hasn't done that since last year. It still has an "open service ticket".

My unit hasn't provided any real data since send of end 2011 as well. It too has an open service ticket (waiting for the 2.0 SD cards I'm told)

arnold

 

[walterbays]

(2) The Ecotality people seem to be smart, hard working, well intentioned people who are trying their best to overcome all these challenges.

If that was the case, it is simply inconceivable to me how they could have designed such a flawed product to begin with. And its not rocket science, its just a glorified AC plug.

Had they built a non-glorified AC plug I think it would have worked flawlessly from the start. I'd bet on two explanations for how good people could build such a flawed product, as they added in the "glorious" network connection and RFID readers:

• A bunch of power electrical engineers thinking, "Aw, this electronic stuff ought to be dead simple!"
• A bunch of hardware electronic engineers thinking, "Aw, this software stuff ought to be dead simple!"

I'd bet that prior to this project ECOtality had little experience with electronics and no experience with software.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

Considering what has transpired, I think Tony and many others are showing a measured level of self restraint. Honestly we've all been quite patient. I've been watching this unfold for almost a year now. It's very clear that there is a major problem of quality control! Considering the level of tax payer dollars being consumed, it's unacceptable. As much as it may fan the anti EV, anti government spending flames of the Fauxes and Jalopniks of the world, we just can't continue down this road. I've never had an issue with my unit at home but have had many blink charging stations around the Seattle Metro area not work reliably. Calling in a failure and having to reboot should be a rare exception, instead it's a common norm. the Facebook group up here is even less forgiving, and understandably so, there are many public Blink chargers that malfunction regularly and some home installations that are getting more dodgy by the day. I know for myself I have given blink the benefit of the doubt for quite a while now and extended sympathies even, offered help in scouting locations, with little or no response. Each time concern and anger swells we hear about the next software update, and we hope it's the fix this time.

The reality is, either Blink/ecotality is going to find a real fix for their units through pressure or they will fail. We as a group need to keep turning up the heat, and this thread should stand as a solid signal to Ecotality that they are running out of time. It would be better for the EV community if they get it together and succeed and I'm sure that most of us want to see that. That said, I agree with Tony, at some point, and I feel we are getting close, we need to cut our losses and lobby to have the DOE redirect it's funding to a better company.

I truly hope they get it together, but if they don't soon, I have to admit I will join in the calls to have the funding pulled and redirected.

You guys understand that the ratio and number of chargers is an issue; my specific issue is bought and paid for with tax money chargers that don't work, and haven't worked consistently since new.

Does anybody have a contact to the DOE, who administers the 100 million dollars for these habitually broken units?

i am not getting on the bash-blink bandwagon, and efforts that will allow EV detractors and Obama haters to undermine the laudable efforts to increase the use of EVs.
Yes, I get that poor execution of the EVSE program will work against expansion of EVs. But that is not how the Gooper noise-machine works. They will take any crack and call it a chasm. They will take any shortfall and say it is crony capitalism and then build their hate-bridge to a no-EV world.

Moreover, my blink works well and, in its essential function, has never failed to charge.
the program saved me $1200 and helped to make me an EV early adopter. Now, I am providing valuable data through Ecotality.
As Randy points out above, new software perfected the residential blinks and, I suspect, will do so for the commercial units too. they are due to start fee-based service in a few months. I note that this week the blinks near work started asking for zipcode of the card user.

as to other units, the ones i have used in LA -- 6 different units at three different sites -- all worked well and have worked well since January when they were installed.
yes, i have seen some of these offline on a rare occasion, but my by far most common experience with the ones that I see almost daily is that they are working.
your experience is not universal.

 

[garygid]

Perhaps they only want to gather data from the Blink EVSEs that do not fail?

 

[KJD]

Now that there is a large number of Leafs in SD area, why not have one of your Leaf owners meetings at Balboa Park ?

You could invite Ecotality management to speak to the group. It would then be up to the Blink people to fix the charge stations and make this a positive experience for them or if the stations are still broken they can suffer the consequences.

You could also invite local media to the event and let Blink management know this in advance.

 

[Randy]

We did hold one of our meetings at this location a few months ago. Not sure why, but the turnout was pretty low. It could have just been that day, but there's no nearby place to have breakfast as a group (so maybe that was part of it). People do like to have breakfast and chat a bit...We just need to figure out a way to have the units rebooted periodically...

 

[TonyWilliams]

Now that there is a large number of Leafs in SD area, why not have one of your Leaf owners meetings at Balboa Park ?

You could invite Ecotality management to speak to the group. It would then be up to the Blink people to fix the charge stations and make this a positive experience for them or if the stations are still broken they can suffer the consequences.

You could also invite local media to the event and let Blink management know this in advance.

We had our Oct 1, 2011 meeting at Balboa Park, with the meeting physically in the Auto Museum. Andy Hoskinson, area manager for San Diego Ecotality, was present at that meeting, and also at our next meeting in January 2012 in Poway. David Gatcha represented Ecotality at our Feb 2012 meeting, and he was present, with Andy, at the earlier Jan 2012 meeting as a new employee of Ecotality. Andy has confirmed to me this week that Ecotality will be at the next meeting on April 7, 2012 in Poway. So, I think we've got that covered.

In addition, I personally saw Andy and Dave twice this past week at other meetings.

If Ecotality doesn't get these Balboa Park chargers operating by Wednesday, I will elevate it beyond just notifying the DOE and City of San Diego. At that point, I intend to get the media involved, should this issue remain ongoing. I hope this action on my part will spur actual REAL constructive action from Ecotality, and maybe it's the jolt they need, because complaining quietly has not gotten any results to date.

If we can get action here, in Balboa Park, we can perhaps get action in all the other area that there chargers don't work.

 

[TonyWilliams]

We just need to figure out a way to have the units rebooted periodically...

I would recommend to anybody from Ecotality reading this to install a simple, mechical, power interrupt button on the front of the units (drill a hole in the face to mount it). Use this to temporarily interrupt power to the "hot" lead coming into the unit as an equivalent "CTL-ALT-Delete" reset that we are accustomed to with computers.

 

[thankyouOB]

[At that point, I intend to get the media involved, should this issue remain ongoing. I hope this action on my part will spur actual REAL constructive action from Ecotality, and maybe it's the jolt they need, because complaining quietly has not gotten any results to date.

If we can get action here, in Balboa Park, we can perhaps get action in all the other area that there chargers don't work.

get ready for your cameo on Hannity.
you will have a few seconds to speak around which Sean will disparage EVs, the Dept. of Energy, Obama and praise ICEs, then throw a tiny football to emphasize his manliness.

I get your frustration. you could go on in several areas; i.e. why does Oregon have L3s on I5 and CA has none?
but understand what you are about to do.

 

[TonyWilliams]

in several areas; i.e. why does Oregon have L3s on I5 and CA has none?
but understand what you are about to do.

Like always, I anxiously await your solution.

I'll well aware of what Faux News is to EVs. Obviously, my goal isn't that. The goal is a fix. Now.

 

[thankyouOB]

tony,
you have pm mail.

 

[TonyWilliams]

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[Desertstraw]

I was lucky enough to get my Blink unit free. Although I have had it for nine months I doubt that it has sent much information back in that time. I could not update the software and was told that they would get around to it when they could. Since I can still charge, I really don't care but wonder for how long a time I am obligated to send back information.

Blink people are always polite when I call which leads me to wonder if they are a small company not able to handle a big job. Given their grant, they have been slow to get fast chargers on the highway. I do not know about the Tennessee fast chargers but the ones in Oregon were made by Aeroenvironment.

 

[TonyWilliams]

and was told that they would get around to it when they could.

That's the government contract model, I guess. They got your tax money for your install, and my install, and the Balboa Park installs, and the installs at Randy's employer, and those in Washington state. Those are just some of the failed locations mentioned in this thread.

So, I find it quite "rich" of them to deliver a sub-standard product, GET PAID, and then to suggest they might fix it when they get around to it.

 

[walterbays]

I would recommend to anybody from Ecotality reading this to install a simple, mechical, power interrupt button on the front of the units (drill a hole in the face to mount it). Use this to temporarily interrupt power to the "hot" lead coming into the unit as an equivalent "CTL-ALT-Delete" reset that we are accustomed to with computers.

They could worry about mischief from people pressing the button while a car is charging, but assuming you've turned off your charging timer instead of just pressing the temporary override button, no real harm will be done. It's certainly better than having a large number of units broken at any time.

Two other things ECOtality ought to do:

Disable network connection in public units. They wouldn't get data which is a loss. We wouldn't be able to see unit busy status ahead of time, which is a loss. But network software bugs would no longer lock up the units, so it's a net win.

Disable RFID cards in public units. Plug in to charge. Unplug to stop. No authorization. No accounting. No payment. Nothing to go wrong and cause the unit to freeze.

Then they should be working hard on software and hardware fixes for those trouble prone functions. Maybe they'll have to move the SD card to another location inside a Faraday cage. Maybe they'll have to install an external Wifi or GSM antenna. Maybe they'll have to add power filters. Whatever it takes they need to find the problems - not just hope that the next software release will somehow fix inherent hardware bugs.

After their redesigned unit proves itself in field trials for a couple of months then they could start to fix the rest, whether the fixes could be retro-fitted in place, or whether they would require replacing the units with factory reconditioned and upgraded units. The fixed units could then have network connection, data collection, RFID, payment, and reservations. But if the fixes require a completely new design and old units cannot be retrofitted, then many of those units could be left in place as "dumb EVSEs." Some charging station hosts may prefer not to charge money anyway, so the absence of network and RFID functions would be no loss to them.

FWIW, for all their missteps I'm not in favor of publicly shaming ECOtality, which I think would do nothing to improve the situation and could make it worse. In today's political climate, were ECOtality to lose their contract I doubt it would be re-awarded to a "better" company. The EV Project would probably just be closed down. I do think it would be great if San Diego city leaders gave ECOtality a quiet ultimatum to get at least their flagship site working within 30 days or else they'll replace them all with another brand. With sufficient motivation ECOtality could get them working within a week by turning them into dumb EVSEs.

But neither am I worried that should there be a mass protest at Balboa Park, that Faux News would notice and use it against EVs. They already know all the weaknesses to exploit, and would never fail to find one or two disgruntled drivers to add a few words to lend credibility to the Faux attack. Think of the National Center for Policy Research. Well funded by oil money ($12M/yr) they produce a steady stream of "scholarly" attacks on renewable energy, EVs, climate science, and oil industry regulation. Don't you think they're monitoring this and similar forums, collecting anything they can use? It's unavoidable. We're an open society of drivers, in an open society, and what we say will be heard. We can't muzzle public discussion in a (probably fruitless) attempt to keep bad information away from bad people.

 

[thankyouOB]

walter,
much of what you say makes sense but your last graf is just incorrect.
this is my business; media and communications.
if you make it a public issue and hand deliver a story to fox, they will use it.
you give the koch et all forces too much credit for enterprise. of course, these oil-paid outlets are out trolling for information, but how do you expect reading about it on this forum would boost that into a story about EV drivers protesting failure of outlets in Balboa Park?

They would need us to publicly complain.
all they have now is a few quotes on the internet. they would have to go, from where they are (it aint SD), to the park and chek it out, at the very least.
then what is the story without EV drivers complaining?
it is a story where they call ecotality and ask why half the chargers are down--if they are that day.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Robert,

The Balboa Park EVSE's are as follows:

From south to north at Rueben H. Fleet Science Museum:

102309
103115 (failed)
103173 (failed)


From east to west at Pan American Plaza:

Serial number:
205600
103119
103127
200917 (failed)
211133
208124
205222 (failed)

I am crossing my fingers that a swift resolution is implemented in the next few days, as there has been plenty of time until now to consider all the options.

Tony Williams
San Diego

 

[Randy]

Sent a message to Andy with that information, and asked for some ASAP help/resolution...

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

...
if you make it a public issue and hand deliver a story to fox, they will use it.

Are you aware that many many attempts have been made to get across to Ecotality the gravity of the situation. This gradual upping of the anti seems quite understandable to me. Their failures are threatening the spread of EV's more than anything that Faux will take from this. If they end up on Faux, it will be entirely their own doing.

If you haven't, you really need to read this: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7285&hilit=the+blink+story

seems they brought this one on themselves.

 

[thankyouOB]

...
if you make it a public issue and hand deliver a story to fox, they will use it.

Are you aware that many many attempts have been made to get across to Ecotality the gravity of the situation. This gradual upping of the anti seems quite understandable to me. Their failures are threatening the spread of EV's more than anything that Faux will take from this. If they end up on Faux, it will be entirely their own doing.

If you haven't, you really need to read this: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7285&hilit=the+blink+story

seems they brought this one on themselves.

we regulars all recognize our sigs. i know u and these other folks. we all have been reading and writing here for some time.
i appreciate the link and i had read it.

to answer your point about "brought it on themselves"; i recall that captain during the vietnam war who said: we had to destroy the village to save it.

be careful what you wish for. if you get it on fox, the subtlety will be ignored on purpose. it will become a club against EVs. it will be a talking point for the right-wing puke machine about EV failure, burning volt batteries, car with no range and no market, and wasted taxpayer money. it will be even worse than last year, because this is an election year.
find another way to make ecotality fix it. i suggested some things to Tony and would be glad to help.