Checking DC Chargers on the I-5 Redding Corridor

[@michaellippmann4474]

Hey Eric Great video review! We are in Denver presently on the ride home...day 39 and plan to be home this coming Saturday. We have used Chargepoint chargers a few times on this trip and what I love is that they work...period. That being said we have hit over 50 EA stations and have always gotten a charge...and we have been traveling in some pretty remote places. Up the coast of California, through Oregon and Washington no issues at all. We left Vancouver BC this past Saturday and headed for Salt Lake then across back to Ontario. 13,000 KM and counting....many people we run into are amazed we are doing this trip in an EV😅. Pretty funny how there reaction is disbelief. Anyway, have a great day and Thanks again for the video! Mike and Ally 🇨🇦 🍁

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thanks! Safe travels! Sounds like a real adventure 🙂

[@chrisw443]

Man those freewire chargers are kickass. I love em! I do think we need more level 2, I like it at shopping centers, for phev's because if they cant charge theyre pointless, and when your over 80 percent, or will be gone for a while your not blocking a fast charger, but that target site with two more cpe 250's along with the level 2 really would be a nice site.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Yeah, I really like the Freewire Boost units. They aren't always the most reliable, and unfortunately, they are mostly installed as single units. My thoughts on L2 are also that, usually, people work there. Even if travelers are going to use them, employees might want to commute in an EV and charge up while at work.

[@plugandplayEV]

Bolts taking all the heat while Taycans are the ones I'm seeing charge to 100% pretty often... doesn't matter what your DCFC peak is if you're at 98%! Thanks for taking us along to these sites.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thank you, Steve! Also, it was actually the ID4 at 98%. I originally thought it was the Taycan driver too, and I even called them out in the original video. When I rewatched the video, though, it was actually the ID4! So I owe the Taycan driver an apology.

[@michaellippmann4474]

Yep...we saw an EV6 yesterday at an EA station at 96% and no one around! Worst part is it was at a fairly busy station...I kind of blame the free charging deal though...maybe I am just jealous! 😂 Mike and Ally 🇨🇦 🍁

[@plugandplayEV]

@@michaellippmann4474 The EV6 does get a chunk of free charging (unless the owner opts for an alternative "gift" that they offer), but it was only 1,000kWh at most, if I recall correctly. So it's less common to see an EV6 camping compared to an ID.4, IONIQ 5, Polestar etc. There's not much of a penalty now though, even if they're paying for the energy. By 96% it's trickling in so slowly that the only penalty is their wasted time, which doesn't really come into play if they're away from the car doing something else!

[@plugandplayEV]

@@newscoulomb3705 Oh well,I suppose we have to fall back on the ID.4 stereotypes then... sorry, Taycan folks :-)

[@DavidDrivesElectric]

Great video. Just shows how many stations there are. You inspired me to make a video about taking a road trip just on CCS, now that I have the ability to use CCS as well. I totally agree with your notion of Chargpoint's reputation suffering due to them not maintaining their stations. I am aware they don't own most of the sites and the owners don't want to put in money for upkeep, but the name 'ChargePoint' is what every EV owner sees when they arrive at a station.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thanks, David! I'd love to see more Tesla owners happily embracing the public charging providers, especially now that CCS compatibility and Supercharger-speeds are available on these networks. Distributing the load is going to be more important than ever with most automakers gaining access to a majority of the Superchargers starting next year. Hopefully, this shakeup at ChargePoint sets them on a slightly different trajectory. Why sell equipment if you aren't willing to maintain it? At the very least, treat it like a car with a warranty (e.g., a 5-year/10,000-activation "bumper-to-bumper" warranty).

[@chrisw443]

I am a little mad i laughed out loud at your holiday inn express joke. Awesome video!

[@newscoulomb3705]

Hah! It's sad that that has become one of my go-to jokes. 😂

[@dmunro9076]

Thanks for the reviews. We've charged our M3 at the Willows Walmart at the last site you reviewed. It was a convenient location. We might check out some of the slower DCFCs you reviewed that are close to restaurants.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thanks! The slower DCFC definitely have their place, especially when they're at convenient stops.

[@chrisw443]

When my car gets repaired I wanna try a long run up and down i5 by portland to eugene and seattle if I can. Theres alot of new chargers going in. That west coast electric highway is getting new fast powered chargers up here, also such cute friends, I am glad the kitties are all good!

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thank you! Yes, I would love to bring back the old "BC2BC" rally. Chose your path/adventure from Baja California to British Columbia. Yes, the kitties are good. The little guy got fixed, but his sister is next.

[@michaellippmann4474]

​@newscoulomb3705 when you bring that back you let me know! We would drive out and participate in that for sure...😂 Mike and Ally 🇨🇦 🍁

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@michaellippmann4474 Hah! Well you can do it now! Part of the fun was taking whatever route and schedule made sense for you. You could take Highway 1/101 the entire way, or dip over through the deserts and mountains on Highway 395. The only rule was, it needed to be in an EV. I think the only other rule would be to do a trip review. Maybe the real work is just setting up a way for people to submit their BC2BC trip reports to share with others.

[@raitchison]

I actually had to charge to 95% on DCFC last month at the only public DCFC site in Kingman, AZ. Of course I woke up at 6:00 a.m. in order to do so. Had there been a L2 charger there as well I would have moved over to it at 90% Arrived at my next charging stop with less than 30 miles of range remaining.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Yes, there are certainly times when that might be necessary, but I'm struggling to see that for an ID4 here. The leaps between EA sites are pretty big in Northern California, so I'm not sure that a full charge would let them skip any chargers. Either way, I think EA could easily double the footprint of that site, and they probably should because those older Signet units aren't the most reliable.

[@michaellippmann4474]

Yep we used the Kingman site about 4 weeks ago but we where only heading up to Vegas from there so no biggie for us to leave at 80%...pretty good site. Mike and Ally 🇨🇦 🍁

[@DonGrigorianFishing]

Hi Eric, what’s your average KW/Mile on the Bolt? I have the same exact car and I’m averaging 3.6k/m from a 4,000miles average..I have 215/55/16 tires on stock rims.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thanks, Don! I've been averaging about 3.7 mi/kWh lifetime, but that's with at least 80% of my driving at over 60 mph, and probably 50% over 70 mph. Also, if you're getting that number from the app, it is including charging losses, so your actual driving efficiency might be a little better than it appears.

[@SaniveK_]

R.I.P. WSJ =)

[@anthonyc8499]

I'm hoping many existing site hosts of CPE250 chargers can/will upgrade to the 2 x 40kW bricks and 250A cables.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Yes. Bridging both current and voltage would be ideal, too. These should be 125+ kW for both high-voltage and high-current cars.

[@stevenjohnson9753]

Viddles, and EA Safeway. When I see a line at EA head to Viddles.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Yeah. I wish they would have put in more CPE250s at the restaurant. Give people the option for a quick stop on one side of the freeway or a meal stop on the other.

[@ArtiePenguin1]

16:50 Yikes, that $0.62/kWh is probably another reason why no one is using that CPE-250 at Target. That price is way too high for anything other than above 200 kW charging. I wouldn't want to pay a premium for a slow DC charging experience. Overall, few of those ChargePoint sites are busy because 62 kW doesn't cut it for most EVs today. I also question the install of 4 x 50 kW BTC Power L3S chargers at that hotel. They should have installed at least two 100 kW units with split power functionality since they had a 200 kW grid connection. Or better yet, one 200 kW charger plus all the AC chargers. Then it could have been a compelling site, no matter if you're staying the night or just passing through. What a wasted opportunity!

[@newscoulomb3705]

That was the TOU rate, which was only that high because I showed up around noon, IIRC. Almost all the chargers, including Superchargers, are typically 50+ cents per kWh at peak TOU, so it's a little on the high side but not absurd. I do agree that the reason the ChargePoint sites aren't busy is the charging speed, but I'm not sure that 62.5 kW doesn't "cut it" anymore. It really does depend on the location, but most of these are travel locations. And for now, more faster means more compelling, ChargePoint should leave the CPE 250 in the ground for Bolts, Konas, LEAFs, Niros, etc., but they need to add two to four 200 kW stalls to each of these CEC sites along I-5, I-15, etc. As for the hotel, the more I read about EV Gateway, the less sure I am. I think they might just be trying to get a quick paycheck and get out, which could leave a lot of stranded assets. I think that, if you are going to put in 50 kW posts, it needs to be like Kempower, where 350 to 400 kW can be shared across 6 to 8 posts.

[@mikecarter2737]

Wow - EVgateway is popping up all over the Central Valley. Used an L2 of theirs in Corning Monday. Elk Grove DCFC at Holiday Inn Express was a fail. If you use their app, you have to pre-load your account manually from CC, nobody else does that? Support is overseas. That breakfast looked great!

[@newscoulomb3705]

Thanks! Yes, I'm glad I made the stop at Vittles. It really set the tone for the whole trip. So far, I haven't been overly impressed with what I've seen from EV Gateway. I worry that they might just be checking a box to qualify for government funding while installing the cheapest hardware possible (and not spending any money to maintain or support it).

[@BillB33525]

EA & EVgo will reload cash into their accounts as well, it allows for the charging session to start more quickly.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@BillB33525 ChargePoint, EV Connect, and Shell (Greenlots) also auto reload funds from a saved payment source. It sounds like what Mike was saying is that EV Gateway requires you to go into the account and manually transfer funds, which would be a pain.

[@BillB33525]

@@newscoulomb3705 okay, yes that's a bit of a nusance.

[@BillB33525]

I thought he was distressed over them having some of his money. If having a lot of apps, like me, a bunch of money is gone.

[@stoker20]

A little OT here but could please comment on the steering rack issues I've read about? The not returning to center, separated grease leaking and dealers charging $3k to replace the rack. Really want to get a Bolt and wondering how legit some of these reports are???? Thanks.

[@newscoulomb3705]

I've only heard of a couple of even similar issues (typically on well-used cars), so I'd be surprised if it is widespread at all. Maybe it's a known issue with a service bulletin, but I'm not sure. All I know that after 175,000 miles of fairly abusive driving, I've never experienced anything of the sort.

[@stoker20]

@@newscoulomb3705 No TSB that I've seen. Talked to the parts guy at the local dealer and they have sold a few racks last year and he did not dispute there was something going on. A lot of the online reviews concerning this issue I suspect are not credible. There's a new part # for the racks. Maybe the torque is causing wear? One opinion claimed potholes could cause the damage?? You seem to have the most real world experience compared to the rest. Thanks a lot!!

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@stoker20 The Bolt EV is a real car, so every component has a catalogued new part # and can be ordered online or through a dealership. Keep in mind, steering racks might also have to be replaced as a result of accidents, debris, or even bad potholes. Just because a few have been replaced (out of several hundred thousand cars) doesn't mean they were faulty from factory.

[@tommckinney1489]

South facing chargers are trhe worst. There's a few EA chargers in my area and I can't read the screens.

[@John-209]

Do you hate tesla? Try one out so I can watch an epiphany in real time. Love your channel. 50 KW uuuuggghh

[@newscoulomb3705]

Tesla's products? Tesla as a company? Or Tesla's leadership and strategies? Those are all very different things. I've already driven and reviewed EVs that charge faster than any Tesla. You can watch my "epiphany" with my KIA EV6 review. Keep in mind, my Chevy Volt still travels faster than any BEV, and if fueling time was my only concern, I'd just drive that.