JeremyW
Well-known member
Sweet! Since Tustin is still down this makes trips from Pasadena easier!xtremeflyer said:
Quick Charge L3 in LA, San Bernardino, Riverside Counties
- Thread starter tbleakne
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DTB
Well-known member
Valdemar said:
I have worked in that complex before. It is paid parking however nights and weekends the gates are opened. No drive-thru style fast food, but 3 quick service restaurants plus the Coffee Bean. Also a few more places within a 5 minute walk and only 1 block off the freeway, so overall not a bad spot.
Sounds like Miller Nissan is getting pretty popular, I was there yesterday. Had to wait and finally convince the staff to unplug a car that had been charging for 50 minutes and was at 96% :roll: . I kinda wish they'd stop at 80% to avoid this type of thing. I will say the staff was very nice and seemed to get the concept that some free electricity brings many potential customers through their dealership.
Valdemar
Well-known member
DTB said:
I also worked couple of blocks East from this location. I recently moved to Agoura Hills so this will be a great spot for me to fill up on the way home from Burbank where I work now. He also said that if you sign up now for the 2-months promotion it will likely last until June-July, which is good news. I also give Miller Nissan the thumbs up. Nice people, been there twice for battery check and some minor repairs, will definitely come back again. And no fob required!
GregH
Well-known member
Just made a trip to Palm Springs for the weekend and can't say enough good things about the two new DCQCs at Nissan of San Bernardino and Metro Nissan of Redlands. On both Friday and Sunday night I found the stations easily accessible (both with two L2 EVSEs next door), no FOB required, Charging to 90% (well, 83% or so actually.. but good enough.. down to 10kW or so charge speed at the end). More things to do near the Redlands site than SB, but since you're only charging for 25 minutes or so, I found both dealerships plenty comfy.
On the way back from Palm Springs, uphill into the headwind I wimped out and used the Walgreens L2 in Banning (was Chargepoint, now Rema?) to charge from 56 to 86 Gids but it turns out the 18 or so miles back down to Redlands (1300ft down) only used 30 Gids so I guess I didn't really need to spend 40 minutes in Banning.. Don't get me wrong, Kudos to Walgreens.. and in a pinch Banning is a great location (top of the hill), but 40kW and a nice waiting room in Redlands or S.B. is preferable.
On the way back from Palm Springs, uphill into the headwind I wimped out and used the Walgreens L2 in Banning (was Chargepoint, now Rema?) to charge from 56 to 86 Gids but it turns out the 18 or so miles back down to Redlands (1300ft down) only used 30 Gids so I guess I didn't really need to spend 40 minutes in Banning.. Don't get me wrong, Kudos to Walgreens.. and in a pinch Banning is a great location (top of the hill), but 40kW and a nice waiting room in Redlands or S.B. is preferable.
91040
Well-known member
I wimped out and took our NGV to Palm Desert after the Saturday morning meeting. The wind was pretty intense coming back Sunday night. Didn't want to take a chance given my reduced range and the possibility the dealerships would be closed by the time I got there. Might have tried if the 7-11 QC in San Bernardino was still working.
GregH said:
GregH
Well-known member
The wind was nasty.. Got a nice chip in the windshield from a rock :/91040 said:
btw, I checked the 7-11 between the two Nissan dealerships and it had no power.
nexusplexus
Member
According to
http://www.evgonetwork.com/find-a-station/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
West Covina Nissan (DC Fast Charger Only - Dealership)
205 N Citrus St. West, Covina, CA, 91791
http://www.evgonetwork.com/find-a-station/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
West Covina Nissan (DC Fast Charger Only - Dealership)
205 N Citrus St. West, Covina, CA, 91791
Valdemar
Well-known member
I stopped by the Warner Center NRG location in Woodland Hills. It is right next to Baja Fresh, a bit towards 101 in a small adjacent parking lot, it is visible when driving on Canoga Ave. It is complete but coned off with coming soon signs. How soon is soon remains to be seen, the Walgreens location in Reseda has been down for months. Sigh.
timhebb
Well-known member
A little news and some observations on the SoCal Quick Charge landscape.
First the news. UCLA has had a Sumitomo DC QC unit (same as at Nissan dealerships) installed recently in Parking Structure 4 located just off Sunset Blvd. at Westwood Plaza. The bad news is it's located in the permit parking section of the facility, inaccessible to the general public. It was installed by LADWP as part of their DC QC network, and DWP understood that it was intended to be available to the public - but somehow signals got crossed. When I contacted UCLA's parking office I was told it was part of a "research project" and was not accessible by the public at this time.
My feeling is that if enough EV drivers make their thoughts and feelings known, this could change. Certainly there was poor communication between DWP and UCLA, and the project management left something to be desired. But nothing is likely to change unless significant public pressure is brought to bear. If any LEAF drivers reading this live in the UCLA area, have UCLA connections, or can imagine they might ever need to use this Quick Charge unit, I urge you to spend a few minutes to make a phone call or write an email. It is a welcome and much-needed location - one of only two I know of on the west side of Los Angeles - so it is frustrating that this project went so wrong. If anyone would like appropriate contact information, please PM me.
Meanwhile, Nissan dealers with Quick Charge units and the LEAF drivers who use them continue to be hobbled by the fob access system that most of them are saddled with (Miller Nissan on Van Nuys Blvd. being the shining exception: no fob required, and the parking area is open, I believe, 24 hours a day, which means, in effect, 24-hr. Fast Charging is feasible).
At one point last weekend, there were no doubt many frustrated LEAF drivers (myself included) because QCs at both Glendale Nissan and nearby Universal City Nissan were down. A technical failure disabled the Glendale unit (it may still be out of order as of this writing), while at Universal City the fob was misplaced and couldn't be located (the second fob lost, according to a salesperson). The Glendale dealership had the same problem periodically until they decided to leash the fob to a spare license plate frame, which succeeded at preventing it from being slipped forgetfully into a pants pocket and inadvertently taken home.
But some good came as a result. Frustrated by the Universal City situation, I phoned the AeroVironment support number posted on the QC unit there. I was surprised and delighted to learn that Nissan dealership QC units are networked, which means they can be monitored, managed - and activated - remotely by AeroVironment, to bypass a lost fob issue, or to extend the hours when a physically accessible QC unit at a dealership can be used. Even if the dealer is closed, and the fob is not available, a call to AeroVironment can quickly work around that.
While the EV revolution is suffering from numerous growing pains, there is some comfort in knowing that it is - well, growing.
First the news. UCLA has had a Sumitomo DC QC unit (same as at Nissan dealerships) installed recently in Parking Structure 4 located just off Sunset Blvd. at Westwood Plaza. The bad news is it's located in the permit parking section of the facility, inaccessible to the general public. It was installed by LADWP as part of their DC QC network, and DWP understood that it was intended to be available to the public - but somehow signals got crossed. When I contacted UCLA's parking office I was told it was part of a "research project" and was not accessible by the public at this time.
My feeling is that if enough EV drivers make their thoughts and feelings known, this could change. Certainly there was poor communication between DWP and UCLA, and the project management left something to be desired. But nothing is likely to change unless significant public pressure is brought to bear. If any LEAF drivers reading this live in the UCLA area, have UCLA connections, or can imagine they might ever need to use this Quick Charge unit, I urge you to spend a few minutes to make a phone call or write an email. It is a welcome and much-needed location - one of only two I know of on the west side of Los Angeles - so it is frustrating that this project went so wrong. If anyone would like appropriate contact information, please PM me.
Meanwhile, Nissan dealers with Quick Charge units and the LEAF drivers who use them continue to be hobbled by the fob access system that most of them are saddled with (Miller Nissan on Van Nuys Blvd. being the shining exception: no fob required, and the parking area is open, I believe, 24 hours a day, which means, in effect, 24-hr. Fast Charging is feasible).
At one point last weekend, there were no doubt many frustrated LEAF drivers (myself included) because QCs at both Glendale Nissan and nearby Universal City Nissan were down. A technical failure disabled the Glendale unit (it may still be out of order as of this writing), while at Universal City the fob was misplaced and couldn't be located (the second fob lost, according to a salesperson). The Glendale dealership had the same problem periodically until they decided to leash the fob to a spare license plate frame, which succeeded at preventing it from being slipped forgetfully into a pants pocket and inadvertently taken home.
But some good came as a result. Frustrated by the Universal City situation, I phoned the AeroVironment support number posted on the QC unit there. I was surprised and delighted to learn that Nissan dealership QC units are networked, which means they can be monitored, managed - and activated - remotely by AeroVironment, to bypass a lost fob issue, or to extend the hours when a physically accessible QC unit at a dealership can be used. Even if the dealer is closed, and the fob is not available, a call to AeroVironment can quickly work around that.
While the EV revolution is suffering from numerous growing pains, there is some comfort in knowing that it is - well, growing.
91040
Well-known member
Out of the region of this thread but...
Team Nissan in Oxnard does not use a fob but it will become an eVgo station soon.
First Nissan in Simi Valley does not use a fob and is available 24/7 as well as a J1772.
Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa is on ChargePoint and is now charging $4.50 per hour pro-rated.
tbleakne- Maybe this thread should be retitled as "Greater LA", "Southland", add more Counties or...?
Team Nissan in Oxnard does not use a fob but it will become an eVgo station soon.
First Nissan in Simi Valley does not use a fob and is available 24/7 as well as a J1772.
Connell Nissan in Costa Mesa is on ChargePoint and is now charging $4.50 per hour pro-rated.
tbleakne- Maybe this thread should be retitled as "Greater LA", "Southland", add more Counties or...?
GIBBER
Well-known member
As of April 2014:
Cerritos Nissan DC machine goes eVgo.
Carson Nissan's turns into a ChargePoint.
Both state "price to be determined"
Cerritos Nissan DC machine goes eVgo.
Carson Nissan's turns into a ChargePoint.
Both state "price to be determined"
timhebb
Well-known member
91040 said:
Ouch! That's the first I've heard of Nissan dealerships moving to a paid charging model. The trend will no doubt continue...
Advantage, Tesla! (free charging for life)
Is Connell Nissan's $4.50 per hour close to breakeven pricing, or is there a profit motive in play? Hmmm ... maybe dealers, now wise to the void of revenue opportunities to be wrung from servicing the LEAF, are maneuvering to squeeze some additional profit from it in other ways.
And yes, expanding the region of this thread is probably a good idea, as LEAF drivers are emboldened to venture farther and farther from home.
GregH
Well-known member
$4.50/hr pro-rated sounds awesome to me.. The last two Sumitomo DCQCs I used at Nissan dealerships (without FOB) went 25 minutes to "90%" (really 83% or so, but not bad). That would have been $2 I'd be happy to pay... especially if it makes the charger more likely to be available when I need it.
GregH said:
Likewise. Don't mind at all paying a reasonable fee for the convenience of quick charging.
hill
Well-known member
Any word on the new QC at Irvine Nissan (at the el Toro 'Y') whether it's a payola - ??
Suposedly it's now up and on line ... or is that my 1st April fools for the day.
I noticed they've taken it down off the plugshare dotcom website. Just the L2 shows up now.
.
Suposedly it's now up and on line ... or is that my 1st April fools for the day.
I noticed they've taken it down off the plugshare dotcom website. Just the L2 shows up now.
.
Graffi
Well-known member
Some of us were willing to pay extra for the EV because the cost of service was less than the cost of the ICE car. In my case I pay $0.11 / kwhr and average just over 4 m/kwhr, so my cost per mile is $0.0275 per mile, say $.03.
Our ICE gets 28 mpg on the road so if we go on road trips at $4.00 per gallon our cost is $0.1329 per mile, say $0.14.
If we have to pay anything over about $0.10 per mile to charge, then I would rather take the ICE and not waste time charging while on the trip. After all, we can get almost 400 miles on a tank, so do not have to refill if out total trip is less than that.
People, my time is worth something to me, and I am sure that this applies to most of the public that we would like to adopt EV's. Even free, I would rather not charge anywhere but home if I can get there.
The only way I can see widespread use of EV's is that:
1. The quick charging infrastructure must have DCQC's along the major highways and interstates every 25 to 30 miles.
2. The CPUC (and other state's agencies) must set the rate for the utilities to charge for EV charging (such as the lowest rate for the public) without the added "demand charge."
3. The various service providers (eVgo, Chargepoint, Blink, AV, etc.) are allowed to collect funds for the utility for the amount of kwhrs used, alone with a small service fee for their overhead in maintaining the equipment and admin plus a profit.
4. The cost of install and set-up of the infrastructure to be paid for out of the various state highway funds. Once set up the units are turned over to the contracted service provider (who had the contract to do the install) for the operation being paid for out of use funds collected in step 3 above.
The way I see it, if the Utilities are able to charge a high rate per kwhr, along with a high demand charge (which a DCQC will have to pay), to the service provider, then the service provider will have to pass along those costs along with their own profits to us, the users of the charging stations. The only way they will be able to make a profit is if the cost we pay is even higher than the cost of using an ICE.
Some of you say that you are willing to pay the $5.00 or more for the convenience of the quick charging. If you get 50 miles for the $5.00 then your costs is $0.10 per mile, or three times the cost of energy from home. If the cost is $10.00 per session, then the cost is $0.20 per mile which is more than the cost of gas for the ICE. If you take a trip and have to DCQC 3 times on the road, then you just paid more than you would for gas, plus you spend at least an extra 2 hours on the trip, maybe more if you have to wait on someone else to finish their charge.
Before I finally realized how much the free electricity was costing me in time, I stopped by the dealer for a quick top-off to 80% while I was in the area. Someone was already connected and another one was waiting, so I went to the 240v EVSE to get a little bit while I waited. About 45 min later I finally moved back and got the 10 minutes extra QC I needed to reach 80%, then went home. That $2.00 of electricity cost I avoided by not charging at home cost me over an hour. I finally realized how stupid I had been. I could have gotten home without it, but wanted to get the "FREE" stuff. Well folks, it is NOT FREE!
I used the dealer DCQC and 240v EVSE this last Saturday / Sunday for my distance run. That will probably be the last time I use it as it now is part of the NRG eVgo network, with fees starting 4/5/14.
After my 100% charge from home, I drove the freeways at 65mph until turtle (68.9 miles). We used the roadside assistance to flatbed us to the DCQC at the dealer. After 45 minutes and 90%, we drove over to the 240v EVSE to top off. At 99% we gave up waiting and started our distance run on city streets at 30 mph, with traffic lights, so average was more like 20 to 22 mph. We ended up getting 126.0 miles so joined the 100 mile club (#77) and the 200 KM club (#10). We reached turtle on the street in front of the dealer, so when it shifted to (N) we coasted into the parking spot with the 240v EVSE, using almost no brake at the end. We plugged in there for over half-hour before we were able to drive, then when we tried to use the DCQC it was "Off-Line." I called eVgo but the service person was unable to reset the machine. We had used it 7 hours earlier with no problem, but now it did have an issue. We had no choice but to go back over to the EVSE to get enough electricity to get home. It was a long night/morning and we were ready for bed.
The lesson here is that if any trip requires a recharge on the road to get home we will just take the ICE. If the infrastructure is there and the cost is close to what I pay at home, then I am willing to accept the extra time of travel to recharge, just to do my part to save the environment. If it cost me as much or more than gas would, plus the extra time, then we will just take the ICE and enjoy the trip.
just my 2 cents.
Our ICE gets 28 mpg on the road so if we go on road trips at $4.00 per gallon our cost is $0.1329 per mile, say $0.14.
If we have to pay anything over about $0.10 per mile to charge, then I would rather take the ICE and not waste time charging while on the trip. After all, we can get almost 400 miles on a tank, so do not have to refill if out total trip is less than that.
People, my time is worth something to me, and I am sure that this applies to most of the public that we would like to adopt EV's. Even free, I would rather not charge anywhere but home if I can get there.
The only way I can see widespread use of EV's is that:
1. The quick charging infrastructure must have DCQC's along the major highways and interstates every 25 to 30 miles.
2. The CPUC (and other state's agencies) must set the rate for the utilities to charge for EV charging (such as the lowest rate for the public) without the added "demand charge."
3. The various service providers (eVgo, Chargepoint, Blink, AV, etc.) are allowed to collect funds for the utility for the amount of kwhrs used, alone with a small service fee for their overhead in maintaining the equipment and admin plus a profit.
4. The cost of install and set-up of the infrastructure to be paid for out of the various state highway funds. Once set up the units are turned over to the contracted service provider (who had the contract to do the install) for the operation being paid for out of use funds collected in step 3 above.
The way I see it, if the Utilities are able to charge a high rate per kwhr, along with a high demand charge (which a DCQC will have to pay), to the service provider, then the service provider will have to pass along those costs along with their own profits to us, the users of the charging stations. The only way they will be able to make a profit is if the cost we pay is even higher than the cost of using an ICE.
Some of you say that you are willing to pay the $5.00 or more for the convenience of the quick charging. If you get 50 miles for the $5.00 then your costs is $0.10 per mile, or three times the cost of energy from home. If the cost is $10.00 per session, then the cost is $0.20 per mile which is more than the cost of gas for the ICE. If you take a trip and have to DCQC 3 times on the road, then you just paid more than you would for gas, plus you spend at least an extra 2 hours on the trip, maybe more if you have to wait on someone else to finish their charge.
Before I finally realized how much the free electricity was costing me in time, I stopped by the dealer for a quick top-off to 80% while I was in the area. Someone was already connected and another one was waiting, so I went to the 240v EVSE to get a little bit while I waited. About 45 min later I finally moved back and got the 10 minutes extra QC I needed to reach 80%, then went home. That $2.00 of electricity cost I avoided by not charging at home cost me over an hour. I finally realized how stupid I had been. I could have gotten home without it, but wanted to get the "FREE" stuff. Well folks, it is NOT FREE!
I used the dealer DCQC and 240v EVSE this last Saturday / Sunday for my distance run. That will probably be the last time I use it as it now is part of the NRG eVgo network, with fees starting 4/5/14.
After my 100% charge from home, I drove the freeways at 65mph until turtle (68.9 miles). We used the roadside assistance to flatbed us to the DCQC at the dealer. After 45 minutes and 90%, we drove over to the 240v EVSE to top off. At 99% we gave up waiting and started our distance run on city streets at 30 mph, with traffic lights, so average was more like 20 to 22 mph. We ended up getting 126.0 miles so joined the 100 mile club (#77) and the 200 KM club (#10). We reached turtle on the street in front of the dealer, so when it shifted to (N) we coasted into the parking spot with the 240v EVSE, using almost no brake at the end. We plugged in there for over half-hour before we were able to drive, then when we tried to use the DCQC it was "Off-Line." I called eVgo but the service person was unable to reset the machine. We had used it 7 hours earlier with no problem, but now it did have an issue. We had no choice but to go back over to the EVSE to get enough electricity to get home. It was a long night/morning and we were ready for bed.
The lesson here is that if any trip requires a recharge on the road to get home we will just take the ICE. If the infrastructure is there and the cost is close to what I pay at home, then I am willing to accept the extra time of travel to recharge, just to do my part to save the environment. If it cost me as much or more than gas would, plus the extra time, then we will just take the ICE and enjoy the trip.
just my 2 cents.
Valdemar
Well-known member
There are a couple of other LADWP DCQC chargers listed on PlugShare that are not for public use. One in Van Nuys and another in Sun Valley. I thought all LADWP installs were supposed to be public. No?
Would be nice to have one there. Plugshare comments indicate that one won't be going in there any time soon.hill said:
South OC is a bit bare, really could use another one down close to San Juan Capistrano to augment the station there.
GregH
Well-known member
There are two on Sand Canyon in Irvine.. one by Irvine Blvd and the other off the 405.
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