Blink changes billing model for public charging

[walterbays]

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

If Blink is smart they will offer a plan alternative similar to Aerovirnment or to eVgo's apartment plan. Then they can get both the higher price from people like me who charge in public 1-5% of the time, and also get the dependable revenue stream from people who charge in public 50-100% of the time.

[johnrhansen]

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

yeah, if they had a station closer than 60 miles from my house, I'd agree wholeheartedly.

[pkulak]

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

If Blink is smart they will offer a plan alternative similar to Aerovirnment or to eVgo's apartment plan. Then they can get both the higher price from people like me who charge in public 1-5% of the time, and also get the dependable revenue stream from people who charge in public 50-100% of the time.

This is it right here. You need variable pricing so everyone pays what they are willing to.

[mbender]

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.

Too bad for me, as I live in an apartment...

Not sure how well-known this is, the details, and/or when it will go into effect, but just before adjourning for the summer, the California legislature passed a bill allowing renters to have chargers installed in their complex(es) if they want one.

It hasn't been signed by Brown yet, but I suspect he will.

[DaveEV]

Exactly! When I have to charge away from home, I seek out QCs... L2 is just too much of a nuisance on many levels...

Well, when there's a charger at your destination, that's as good as (or better than) a quick charger 2 miles away.

Shoot, just the other day I chose to use a L2 station over a QC station even though the stations were right next to each other, I was only staying for an hour and I needed a charge to get home (and yes, I only have 16A charging!).

Why? The L2 station cost $1.50/hr and the QC station cost $4.95 to plug-in + $0.20 / minute and I only needed about 10 miles to give me the range I needed to get home. In this case - I very happily paid $0.45 / kWh.

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 for most EV owners, they charge mostly at home so the cost of an occasional charge at "expensive" public stations has a negligible effect on total operating costs.

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

This plan would cost me $20 often when I don't use a public charging station at all. A year would cost me $240. I probably only spend about $50/year on "expensive" public charging stations.

If Blink is smart they will offer a plan alternative similar to Aerovirnment or to eVgo's apartment plan. Then they can get both the higher price from people like me who charge in public 1-5% of the time, and also get the dependable revenue stream from people who charge in public 50-100% of the time.

Blink certainly does need a volume discount plan for high volume customers. The current rates are OK for light users, but for frequent users it is too expensive.

[Pipcecil]

This has really priced me out of the market - CarCharging messed up horribly here. I charge everyday at work, my wife charges twice a week at school. Neither will be doing it now.

$2.40 to go 12 miles (yes a 2011) is HORRIBLY expensive. And compared to premium gas for the Volt - it cost $3.39 per gallon to go 40 miles. Or pay $2.40 to go 12 miles. Gas would have to reach $7.25 per gallon to make public charging at school even worth it anymore. CarChargning wants a more money, but they are pricing themselves out of people buying their services, so they are going from ~$40-50 per month from me to $0. This company is not very smart.

[abasile]

$2.40 to go 12 miles (yes a 2011) is HORRIBLY expensive.

Wait - $0.39/kWh * 12mi / 3mi/kWh = $1.56

[Pipcecil]

$2.40 to go 12 miles (yes a 2011) is HORRIBLY expensive.

Wait - $0.39/kWh * 12mi / 3mi/kWh = $1.56

I am one of the "lucky" people to live in a state that CarCharging is not doing kWh pricing (this is despite the fact we CAN do kWh pricing and their other two ChargePoint stations in the area they own do kWh pricing....so...lazy? money grab? other? your call ).

Its $0.02 per 30 seconds (with card) = $0.04 per minute * 60 minutes = $2.40 per hour . So yea. sucks. Today (my last day to charge at work) I spent $4.64 for 1:56, which was $2.00 previously. The range I got back (~25 miles) was the equivalent of a 18 mpg vehicle. My father-in-laws big truck doesn't even get that bad of mileage. When it cost more to fuel my EV than a truck it makes me think someone didn't think this pricing all the way through.

It just means I won't use Blink stations anymore nor will I go out of my way to frequent places that have them either. It's not worth it unless I really need it. But since NRG eVgo has a bunch of QCs around I already pay for, I would rather fuel up there instead of using the blink at the actual place I am at. Sad.

[abasile]

When it cost more to fuel my EV than a truck it makes me think someone didn't think this pricing all the way through.

Very sad indeed, especially considering that electricity is cheaper in Texas than in California.

[Leafer77]

First 2 hours should be free, then $4 thereafter to discourage people from staying connected for extended periods of time. With the first 2 hours being subsidized by a government fee on the purchase of new cars that don't meet or exceed Car CAFE standards. This may encourage people to purchase more fuel efficient cars and .

If not plugged in, then a $75 fine for being parked in an Electric Vehicle charging parking spot.

Thoughts?