Blink changes billing model for public charging

[mbender]

I think my days of charging away from home are numbered. I charge at home mostly anyway. Just too expensive. If it costs the same as driving a small ice car, why not drive a small ice car and not worry about the range restrictions?

Because I don't want to own two cars?

+1*N. This would be one of MANY possible other reasons. i.e., I suspect that the lower cost of fuel is not the top, let alone the only, reason that most here choose to drive electric. The above question might very well be flipped on its head, and become, "Why would anyone buy an EV if his or her only concern and/or perceived advantage in driving one was the cost of fuel??"

[mbender]

Using the calculation of energy content seems misleading to me since this calculation omits the heat engine losses compared to the losses in an electrical motor. If you use the max cost of $0.79 per kwhr and a typical 4 miles/kwhr the cost becomes $0.20 per mile which is on par with the gas cost of $4.00/gal and 20 mpg giving $0.20 per mile for gas.

I agree, the energy content calculation is a bit disingenuous. Usable energy content (what, 25%?) might be a bit fairer.

Then, regarding the second "fairer" calculation, aren't we past the 20 mpg average yet?!

[sky074]

Using the calculation of energy content seems misleading to me since this calculation omits the heat engine losses compared to the losses in an electrical motor. If you use the max cost of $0.79 per kwhr and a typical 4 miles/kwhr the cost becomes $0.20 per mile which is on par with the gas cost of $4.00/gal and 20 mpg giving $0.20 per mile for gas.

Fees for Level 2 EV charging stations owned by Blink and operated on the Blink Network in kWh eligible states will range from $0.39 to $0.79 per kWh, depending on the state and individual’s membership status. Fees for DCFC chargers owned by Blink and operated on the Blink Network in kWh eligible state will range from $0.49 to $0.69 per kWh, depending on the state and individual’s membership status.

Let's see - some perspective - 1 gallon of gasoline has roughly 33.7 kWh (per the EPA), so...

- L2 charging: $13.14 to $26.62 per gallon equivalent
- L3 charging: $16.51 to $23.25 per gallon equivalent

OPEC has nothing on these guys!

In other words, to fully charge a Leaf (24kw) @$0.65 per kw (avg), it will cost 24x0.65 = $15.6 for 75 miles or an equivalent of 3.9 gallons of fuel @ $4 per gallon, which in turn, works out to be 75/3.9 = 19.2 miles per gallon of gas!

It is worse than an average small ICE car.

[walterbays]

It is worse than an average small ICE car.

Yes, if you're going to charge 100% of the time at Blink public stations. How do your calculations work out if you charge 95-99% of the time at home with $0.12/kWh electricity, or at home with solar at a feed-in tariff opportunity cost of $0.04/kWh?

[GRA]

I think my days of charging away from home are numbered. I charge at home mostly anyway. Just too expensive. If it costs the same as driving a small ice car, why not drive a small ice car and not worry about the range restrictions?

Because I don't want to own two cars?

+1*N. This would be one of MANY possible other reasons. i.e., I suspect that the lower cost of fuel is not the top, let alone the only, reason that most here choose to drive electric. The above question might very well be flipped on its head, and become, "Why would anyone buy an EV if his or her only concern and/or perceived advantage in driving one was the cost of fuel??"

They won't, and unless public L2 costs less than gas, people living in apartments with no charging available (like me) will stick with gas. I have about a 5 block walk to a bunch of Blink L2s, and could have just seen using them at $1.00 for 3.3 kWh, or just over $0.30/kWh (after they turned down the charging rate). Now? My 11 year old Subaru Forester typically gets 28-30 mpg on the highway, and gas is down to about $3.70/gallon. Even if it averages $4.00/gallon, I'm getting 7+ miles/$1.00. $0.39/kWh is from the wall, so dividing that by 0.85 to get the true cost/kWh into your battery gives $0.46/kWh, or 7.8 miles/$1.00 at 3.6 miles/kWh (steady 65 mph).

So, while kWh pricing and shorter intervals for time pricing are both excellent changes, the increased cost means even fewer people will use them than heretofore. I will say that the local Blinks have been more reliable recently. After I kept on them about OoS units (at one point 50% were broken), they've now had 100% in service for at least the past month, and maybe 2 months.

[GRA]

Related, via ievs.com:

"CarCharging Lost $5.60 Per Every kWh Delivered In Q2 2014?"

http://insideevs.com/carcharging-lost-1 ... rter-2014/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[leafo]

Too bad for me, as I live in an apartment and charge at a nearby blink station almost all the time and was used to paying $1/hr, which was working out well for me. Now, I believe the best option for me is to charge at EVgo which is $15/month and $0.10 per minute of quick charging, though it'll add about 4 miles of extra miles on my way to work.

[abasile]

I still feel that, ideally, the cost of public L2 should be no more than gasoline for a 50 mpg Prius. A little less would be better for adoption. Cost-wise, part of the problem is that so many public charging stations are more complex than necessary and thus costly to maintain. Touch screens and card readers seem to fail regularly.

While even the GE Wattstation EVSE is probably more expensive than it needs to be, I like the fact that it's activated through a smartphone app by scanning a QR code, and billing is via PayPal. This reduces potential points of failure at the EVSE. Sure, not everyone has a smartphone or a PayPal account, but that group of people is shrinking rapidly. GE needs to do more to streamline their website and app, but that should come with time. I think "lightweight", WiFi-based EVSE clients will be the way to go. (Keeping on-site WiFi up and running isn't that hard.)

[ColumbiaRiverGorge]

This is why I prefer Aerovirnment. $20 a month for unlimited L2 & QCs.

[sky074]

It is worse than an average small ICE car.

Yes, if you're going to charge 100% of the time at Blink public stations. How do your calculations work out if you charge 95-99% of the time at home with $0.12/kWh electricity, or at home with solar at a feed-in tariff opportunity cost of $0.04/kWh?

Currently my commute is 76 miles per day. So I would have to charge at work (no free charging at work). No Charge to Charge only gives a max of $1012. At this rate, it won't last for 2 years.