Horrible experience with Aerovironment EV charging network

AV just put a new quick charger in Woodburn, which is fantastic. I drive down to Eugene a lot (GO DUCKS!!!) and now there are _three_ AV quick chargers perfectly spaced in that 100-mile stretch. I used to stop in Salem, which was a little ways off the highway and forced me to use a non-AV charger, but now it's two quick stops at AV chargers that are mere blocks from the freeway. Fantastic. This is what the EV experience should be like.

pkulak said:

AV just put a new quick charger in Woodburn, which is fantastic. I drive down to Eugene a lot (GO DUCKS!!!) and now there are _three_ AV quick chargers perfectly spaced in that 100-mile stretch. I used to stop in Salem, which was a little ways off the highway and forced me to use a non-AV charger, but now it's two quick stops at AV chargers that are mere blocks from the freeway. Fantastic. This is what the EV experience should be like.

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Except you have to call them every time to enable charging if you aren't a $20 per month subscriber...

It would be really nice if AV would make it possible to do Ala Carte charging with the FOB. I don't mind paying the $15 for the FOB (well, it is rather steep, but I'd do it). I do mind having to hassle with starting/stopping subscriptions I would only use a few times a year. Our last trip to the coast would have been just fine in the Leaf, but we didn't take it specifically because of the hassle it would have involved. Having to get on the phone just to drive my car is a show stopper, sorry.

If could just pay the $7.50 each for a few DC fast charges on each trip just by swiping a fob they would be ahead compared to starting/stopping a subscription, but the hassle would be low enough for me to make it worth it. Or heck I would be fine if they charged me $20 and gave me just a 30 charge window that did not automatically renew. Calling in for ala carte when there are no other options in town just SUCKS.

The need to call every time unless you have a subscription was my original compliant when I started this thread. I agree that AV otherwise does a pretty good job, as others that have come to their defense have stated, but if you are not a subscriber you feel like a second class customer.

I wouldn't even mind pre-paying if that would help. Like pre-paying $45 so I could do 6 fast charges without calling them, just so that when I actually need to use the charger, I am not stuck there on the phone on hold or worst yet, stranded because I don't have good cell coverage or their phones go down. Even when I have called them and managed to get through, the average hold time is about 5 minutes.

To all the people coming to the defense of AV, again, the issue is not the network itself but there insistence on having people call to use the network every time unless you have a subscription. No other charging network (Blink, Chargepoint, etc) does this, and there is no good explanation for it other than an utter disregard for good customer service. Basically making it so inconvenient that you force people to get unlimited subscriptions. But they have a monopoly on fast charging in a lot of areas, so what can people do except complain?

As another Leaf owner who does not charge on the go nearly enough to warrant a $20/month subscription, I'm refuse to use AV until they introduce a more convenient option for occasional users. Having to call someone on the phone every time is just ridiculous. Imagine if gas stations worked that way.

Combine AV's policy with Blink's unreliability and recent huge price increase, and I've stopped using charging stations altogether. It's back to the ICE now for every trip over 60 miles.

I'll say that without the "crappy" AV network, I would be driving a gasser for longish trips. I've gone places a Leaf can't go unless there was the AV network. I-5 north to Seattle and south to Ashland, OR. All up and down the Oregon and WA coast (Hwy 101), it's really great! For me it's worth it to support, really, the best game in town. Why do all others suck? must be some reason. Will there be more competition? i can only hope. will there ever be better? yes, the nature of things is to improve. in most areas. This is pretty early in the EV game, relative to gas infrastructure. Have I paid $5/gallon of gas in the middle of nowhere? yes, because it was the only game in town to get me where I was headed. I find the AV network VERY easy and reliable. Pricing can always be cheaper. Charge me $1 for something and I'll ask, why not half that. People's nature to want it cheaper, faster, better...and want it yesterday. Untill EVs are REALLY mainstream, we have to put up or go back to gas.

I do hope more charging stalls are in the plans. surely these AV stations will become overused soon. Well, I am overly optimistic about EVs this time around. Seems they are real and increasing slowly. Love my Leaf!

Curt

If I just take one 250 mile (round trip) trip a month, I break even on my AV subscription vs driving a Prius. I come out ahead on just the second trip, or the first if you compare to any other car. When I figure in the savings of not owning or renting a second car, AV saves me a lot of money. I can see how it would be super annoying if you only traveled every few months. Though, you can start and stop your membership whenever you like, to avoid having to call in.

We have 2 LEAFs and pay for 2 FOBs so we always have one in each car. Calling each time would be a royal pain. For the two FOBs and what we spend on electricity at home each month we run two LEAFs all over, coast to valley, for about $70/month. So we spend $40/month on the FOBs but compared to the $450/month we used to spend for gas for two PT Cruisers, it's a pittance. If we don't charge so much one month, then we figure we're supporting the charging infrastructure we all need. $20/month is not a deal breaker, esp. if you consider waiting time on the phone. If you don't stray far from home then the subscription would not make sense but otherwise, it's the only way to go.

finman100, pkulak, debbieandpatrick,

I'm happy the subscriptions are working out for you, but once again, you're completely missing the point of this thread.

The point is not if subscriptions make sense for some people, but rather why Aerovironment is making it so inconvenient that you are forced to get a subscription even if you want to use the network very rarely, or else have to sit through the process of calling them to activate the charger every time, which means you risk being stranded if they do not answer the phone? No other charging network does this. No other business does this.

If you are like me and many others who want to use the network like 4 times per year, does paying $240/year or $60 per trip make any financial sense? Yes, you can subscribe for a month, then cancel once you finish using it, but again it's an additional layer of inconvenience that Aerovironment is throwing up for no good reason that I can think of other than to induce people to get subscriptions whether or not it makes sense financially, which is just bad customer service.

I pay my $20/month and overall it works for me. Some months I might not recapture the charging cost but I certainly have the knowledge that AV is a stable network that gets maintenance when it needs it. How much more a month would I be paying to make life more convenient for those who aren't subscribers? I don't know.

For whatever reason, AV has two choices--FOB or no FOB. No FOB, you take your chances with the phone system. Is it cost effective for AV to worry about the occasional user? Maybe not and that's up to them. Hope your next charging experience works out. Thanks to this thread, I'm also rethinking my good samaritan philosophy for no FOBs.

debbieandpatrick said:

.... I'm also rethinking my good samaritan philosophy for no FOBs.

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I hope you don't mean starting a charging session for someone who doesn't have a FOB. When I looked at the AV website, that was specifically prohibited and could result in penalties and/or cancellation of your account.

Thanks for the info Reddy, did it once to help a stranded new LEAF owner who was also having phone issues. Won't do it again and anyone without a FOB should not expect it either.

I am still confused why the standard approach is not to just swipe a credit card. Special cards and fobs are just a lousy solution compared to using a perfectly good existing payment method.

Moof said:

I am still confused why the standard approach is not to just swipe a credit card. Special cards and fobs are just a lousy solution compared to using a perfectly good existing payment method.

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Transactions fees for small charge amounts would eat up a huge chunk of your revenue. There's a reason small shops often have a minimum CC txn fee.

drees said:

Moof said:

I am still confused why the standard approach is not to just swipe a credit card. Special cards and fobs are just a lousy solution compared to using a perfectly good existing payment method.

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Transactions fees for small charge amounts would eat up a huge chunk of your revenue. There's a reason small shops often have a minimum CC txn fee.

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Somehow the small charge thing doesn't bother Chargepoint, which allows you to pay with a credit card even for a $2 charging session. And in this case, we're talking about a $7.50 being what Aerovironment charges. The fee is typically 40 to 75 cents, Aeronvironment could just increase the pay per use fee slightly to offset that, and it wouldn't impact the subscription customers at all.

drees said:

Moof said:

I am still confused why the standard approach is not to just swipe a credit card. Special cards and fobs are just a lousy solution compared to using a perfectly good existing payment method.

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Transactions fees for small charge amounts would eat up a huge chunk of your revenue. There's a reason small shops often have a minimum CC txn fee.

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How about just doing a minimum $5 charge to charge? Hold the extra as a credit for future charges.

It just boils down to me being grumpy that the only option to fast charge if I wanted to go to the coast here in Oregon is the AV network, and their two payment options are a terrible fit for me and many others who mostly home charge.

Good news for occasional chargers - AV has now integrated with Plugshare to allow 'Pay With Plugshare' directly from the mobile app. Plugshare stores your CC info and you just select the station on the app and press the 'Pay With Plugshare' button to initiate the charge with no phone call needed.

freemywrld said:

Good news for occasional chargers - AV has now integrated with Plugshare to allow 'Pay With Plugshare' directly from the mobile app. Plugshare stores your CC info and you just select the station on the app and press the 'Pay With Plugshare' button to initiate the charge with no phone call needed.

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Yes, this development appears to address the original issue of not having a pay-as-you-go option that didn't require you to call and get someone on the phone to activate the charger. If someone is able to try this (Pay with Plugshare using the Aerovironment chargers on the Washington State Electric Highway), please post about your experience.

I've paid using the Plugshare app twice - both times in Astoria OR (with my Tesla, not with my LEAF).

The first time was a disaster. Even though the app authorized the charge, the charging station did nothing. I ended up having to call Aerovironment anyway, and half an hour plus a reboot of the charging station later, the electrons started flowing (whether this unique to the Tesla + CHaDEMO adapter isn't clear).

A few weeks later I tried again at the same station, and this time the experience was flawless.