San Diego - Current List of Public Charging Stations

[saintyohann]

I've asked this before of Blink and on their BlinkShare, but they don't seem to want to answer:

When the Oceanside Transit Station Blink units were brought online this year, they stated that they were going to be free for one year.

"Angela Miller, chief technology and sustainability officer for the North County Transit District, said electric-vehicle owners will be able to use the Oceanside charging stations for free for the next year."

But five months later, we're being charged. Why?

 

[Blink]

Hi There,
We wanted to give an update: 7 of the 10 Balboa Park units are now charging fees and our locator map has been updated. The other 3 units are "Fleet Only" locations that are not accessible to the public. Let us know if you have questions.

"Fleet" only? :lol: :lol: Those three units are public (I was at the big Blink press conference with the mayor). They are located at the "Reuben H. Fleet Science Center" :roll:

Correction: We apologize - These are PUBLIC units - we are updating the map to make this clearer. Thanks.

 

[jcesare]

Hi There,
We wanted to give an update: 7 of the 10 Balboa Park units are now charging fees and our locator map has been updated. The other 3 units are "Fleet Only" locations that are not accessible to the public. Let us know if you have questions.

"Fleet" only? :lol: :lol: Those three units are public (I was at the big Blink press conference with the mayor). They are located at the "Reuben H. Fleet Science Center" :roll:

Correction: We apologize - These are PUBLIC units - we are updating the map to make this clearer. Thanks.

Well, they have now disappeared from the map :-(

BTW they need to correct the address of the Fleet chargers on the map. The Fleet Center is located on El Prado but that address is a pedestrian mall. The access to the chargers is their parking lot off which is actually Park Blvd. If you put El Prado in your Nav system, you are not going to find the chargers. You'll be on the other side of the park.

 

[saintyohann]

Good news everybody!

In regards to the Oceanside Transit Center:
"Thank you Saint Yohann for your patience while we looked into this further. We have currently changed the Oceanside Transit location fees to be free. These units will, at some point, be fee-based and we will send an update when this officially changes over. "

 

[SharpHealthCare]

Randy, these are fantastic photos of our Sharp HealthCare charging stations! Would we be able to use them on our social media sites and possibly one of our newsletters and give you proper credit?

 

[eHelmholtz]

Randy, these are fantastic photos of our Sharp HealthCare charging stations! Would we be able to use them on our social media sites and possibly one of our newsletters and give you proper credit?

Agreed. These are particularly good photos. I was at SMB (on staff) the other day and really liked that you've put these EVSE units in parking spaces that would not be considered premium; often, these things are put next to handicap spaces and it can put people off. Anyway, I didn't charge because I didn't need the charge although I admit that had it been free, I might have done ;-)

 

[Randy]

Randy, these are fantastic photos of our Sharp HealthCare charging stations! Would we be able to use them on our social media sites and possibly one of our newsletters and give you proper credit?

Thank you, Sharp...Of course you're welcome to use my photos for your purposes, and a credit would be great. If you need me to sign a release, I'd be happy to do that as well. You can send me a Private Message for more details or discussion...I'd also be happy to email full resolution photos as well...

Stay tuned in a few minutes for more Sharp EV Charging Station photos...

 

[Randy]

Sharp Healthcare Corporate, 8695 Spectrum Center Blvd, San Diego

These 5 Blink stations are in Kearny Mesa by Kearny Villa Road and 163. They are for Sharp Healthcare employees, and the charging stations are in the gated employee parking lot. It would be great if they could be public someday...There are 4 Level 2 Blinks in adjecent parking spaces and one separate shorter pedestal in a marked handicapped parking place with easy access. I spoke to the Security guard at the location, and he was nice enough to take me back to these units for the photos. If you're able to use them, there are a few restaurants in the area that you can walk to such as Blank Angus, Subway, Filippis, etc.

These units were recently showing up on the Blink network map as "public" and I have notified the Blink folks that they should be removed...

 

[Randy]

fyi, since several people have asked me...Construction at the Santa Ysabel DC FC site is now underway (woo-hoo!). It is a big job with a very long electrical run from the transformer, but it is going to look awesome when it is completed...There will be several Level 2 charging stations in addition to the DC FC...

The host site is a big EV supporter, so we'll be sure to thank them when these stations go live...

 

[DaveEV]

The host site is a big EV supporter, so we'll be sure to thank them when these stations go live...

What's the name of the actual host - are any of the shops/restaurants there owned by the host paying for the installation?

 

[Randy]

The host site is a big EV supporter, so we'll be sure to thank them when these stations go live...

What's the name of the actual host - are any of the shops/restaurants there owned by the host paying for the installation?

Auerbach Farms is the actual host, and I believe they own the entire property (the stores, shops, and restaurants on the sign)...

 

[Randy]

Walgreens, 215 N. Second St, El Cajon

This EV charging site is at the Walgreens store in El Cajon, south of I-8 a few blocks on N. Second St. Currently, the site is free, so you just plug in and charge. There are no typical EV-only parking signs (just a green ID sign), but the cord will reach several adjacent spaces in case the one directly in front of the EVSE is taken. There are also no handicapped or accessible parking spaces associated with the EVSE, which is typical of the Walgreens installations around town.

There are lots of restaurants and businesses on Second St, so there is plenty to do while you're waiting for a charge. Why not go into Walgreens and let them know you appreciate the free EVSE by purchasing an item or two? I spoke with the nightshift clerk outside (who was leaving) and educated him about the LEAF and EVs in general...He was very interested....

 

[Randy]

San Diego Botanical Gardens, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas

Braving the heat this weekend to bring you the latest and great EV Charging station photos in San Diego...This set of 3 units is located at the San Diego Botanical Gardens (formerly known as Quail Gardens) in Encinitas. First of all, these units are not in the main parking lot for the gardens (that costs $2 to enter). If you keep driving north on Quail Gardens Drive past the main entrance and make the first left after the main gate, the charging stations are in an overflow parking lot. Over the weekend, there was a locked cable blocking the entrance, so I had to get assistance to enter the lot. These stations may not be available after hours when no one is available to unlock the cable.

There are 3 Blink Level 2 stations here, and 1 of them is in front of a handicapped parking space (although the cable would reach the regular space just to the right). The units are in the southeast corner of the parking lot. Normal Blink rates apply. If your destination is not the Gardens , it is quite a walk to go anywhere else while you're grabbing a charge. But if you're a member at the Gardens and attend regularly, I could see these being some nice units to use...

 

[Randy]

Solana Beach City Hall, 635 South Hwy 101, Solana Beach

There are 3 Blink Level 2 units installed in the parking lot at Solana Beach City Hall. The lot is free to park in, and standard Blink rates apply to the charging stations. The 3 charging stations are installed so the cables will reach a total of 5 parking spots, and there is no handicapped or accessible parking associated with these spots. All of the units are of the lower pedestal variety, probably to keep their profiles under the top of the fence.

There are restaurants and places to walk to in the vicinity of the charging stations, so this would be a good place to park and charge while you are enjoying some time in Solana Beach.

 

[Randy]

UCSD Structural Engineering Building, Voigt and Lyman Lane, UCSD Campus

These are the first public charging stations on the UCSD campus. I accessed them from Genesee and Campus Point Drive, then west on Voigt to Lyman Lane. There are two charging stations and a nice exclusive parking area for them. There are disconnect switches on the back of the Blinks to make it easier whe doing maintenance or testing. Seems like a nice idea. These units should come in handy for students and faculty/staff that have electric vehicles on campus.

 

[hill]

Drove down into S.D. county yesterday (9-17) and had to call the Blink folks. One of the 2 Blinks at my stop wouldn't see my card. While on the phone, the Blink lady says MANY Blinks now listed as free are NOT free. Apparently there's a (can't remember) 60 or 90 minute window of free, and then the "Not" free kicks in. So my less-than- 2 hour stop cost $2. Not too horrible. But anyway, Blink will send you an email when you're nearing the payola time limit, she said ... but of course that requires one to be willing to give Blink whatever account you may have pushed to your smart phone, and that's not in my world ... so I'll just take the hit.

Anyway, I only bring it up because page 1 says Walgreens is free . . . but not after the time limit/threshold ... as that was one of my return stops - and I got hit for another $2. It made me wonder though ... if you could simply unplug, and move over to the next link unit ... not that I mind a couple bucks ... just seems like an unusual pay scheme.

.

 

[Randy]

All the Walgreen's I've visited in San Diego start charging the car without a fob or fees...I've heard they do bill further north than San Diego, but I haven't seen that yet down here...

 

[Randy]

Kaiser Permanente / Cricket Wireless 5887 - 5893 Copley Drive, San Diego (Kearny Mesa overlooking 805 and 52)

In the "Terraces" parking structure, there are a total of 8 Blink Level 2 charging stations. There are 4 of them in the Northeast corner of the 1st floor and another 4 of them in the Northeast corner of the third floor (on the Kaiser and Cricket levels of the structure, respectively). A likely user of these stations would be a visitor to these facilities, as it is a bit of a drive from the freeway or Kearny Mesa to get to them. But they represent a great resource if you're visiting or working at either of these facilities...

 

[Randy]

Civita (Car2Go), 7800 West Side Drive, San Diego (Mission Valley)

An update since last visiting this development and showing photos. Recently, the Blink units were energized and are now operational. There are three units in this pictured location and three more curbside units on the street just to the north. In each of the two locations, Car2Go has dibs on two of the charging stations, while the remaining unit is each location is available to the public. If you're visiting friends or family in Civita, or if you live there, this is a great charging resource as well as a place to pick up a Car2Go vehicle...

 

[Randy]

Mitchell, 6220 Greenwich Dr, San Diego (University City)

In University City, just off the I-805 at Governor Drive, there are 6 public Blink charging stations at Mitchell. Go all the way to the end of the Greenwich Drive cul-de-sac, and turn in at the Mitchell sign. Three of the units are on the West side of the building, and the other three are on the south side of the building (including a Handicapped parking place with a short pedestal unit). If you're near I-805 and need a place to grab a charge, Mitchell would be a good stop. Not much to do here while you're charging, though, so bring a book or your SmartPhone to browse...