gatedad11 wrote:Is there any real reason why a retailer wouldn't just install a Level II charging station unrelated to any "Network", make it free or low cost for customers, and to heck with all the various providers who come in, take huge government money and then piss it all down the drain? For all the use the stations get, I wonder if there would be any real outlay except for the initial cost to wire a 240V line outside, put in a unit and install it(almost like a home based unit). Maybe in San Diego and elsewhere in SoCal there is a need for dedicated commercial quality Level II's, but I have my doubts. Certainly would be cheaper than what seems to be going on...$100 million in taxpayers money, lots of promises and then we are left with no viable network(hence inoperable chargers, at least that's what seems to be on the horizon for Blink/Ecotality).
Lou
Lou, I think it comes down to equipment and installation costs, as well as the loss of parking places (if they are marked EV only).
Depending on the installation, it could cost $10-15K for a couple of L2's. Costs could go higher if anything special has to be done with the ADA parking in the existing lot to be compliant. But in my experience, the parking place loss is actually the biggest deal to many hosts. Especially if you only have 20 or 30 spots. That's like giving up 10% of your parking for the stations and they are not used all that much right now (although we all hope that will increase).
There is a federal tax break available for the installation, and that helps a little bit, but it's still a tough sell right now...The ongoing costs aren't as much, but it's still a few 10's of bucks per month...You have to have a pretty dedicated owner / sponsor who would want to spend their own money to make it happen...