For EV Charging, You Can’t Beat Free

Brad Berman, Thank you for the new site.

I think that this DOE funded project will be a great idea to "shake out the bugs" with community charging systems. It will also provide information and feedback as to consumer's usage, various patterns, and what people are willing to pay for (or not pay for). I only wish DOE had enough money to start a test area out here in south Denver, Colorado where I work. I could buy a plugin or electric vehicle and charge it at work. Even with an estimated 13 electirc mile plugin Prius, I would cut my gas miles down to 24 hybrid miles from my present 50 hybrid miles per work day.

I'm finding the trends of the general infrastructure discussion both interesting and concerning. Historically, public chargers have been free to use because the site owners wanted it that way. In short, they'd rather have the LEED points, brownie points, and patronage than the couple quarters (if that) for electricity used- and the administration of collecting money from drivers was seen as too costly and too much trouble. I do think that PH/EVs will one day reach volumes where continuing to give it away isn't feasible, but as hard as we're all pushing, that's going to take a while. In the meantime, the push for exorbitant amounts of public infrastructure is counter-productive. Not every corner needs a charger to solve the range anxiety issue, and the current assumptions that multiple chargers are needed per vehicle deployed will guarantee an issue of stranded assets as most of them go under-utilized.

And, as much as public funding support for infrastructure is needed, many consumers have a challenge with the idea of public funds being used to deploy chargers that will be monetized by a third party- and, if the CPUC proposal goes through, with no regulation whatsoever. Sure, some of it will play out in the marketplace, but I'd prefer more thought going into all of this beforehand rather than letting everyone make sausage in the marketplace and in the public eye. I've seen that movie already.

"The San Francisco Bay Area and eight cities will receive nearly 5,000 charging stations and residential charging equipment courtesy of the federal government. "

Another example of government redistribution of wealth.

"The companies that receive free charging equipment through these programs are more likely to provide complimentary charging because of the low cost of electricity, but this could make pay-for charging more challenging."

The person who wrote this must not live in a Southern California Edison serviced area.

Michael, redistribution is what governments do -- any government, regardless of party.

@Anonymous,
"Michael, I am sure you are one of the people who got mad at Bush when he subsidized the purchases of large vehicles, like hummers, back in 2003. That sounds like govt. redistribution to me."

Would the anti-Bush people please get your facts straight. What you are referring to is accelerated depreciation for vehicles with GVWR over 8500 pounds, not a subsidy. Huge difference. Any undepreciated portion had to be returned to the IRS when the vehicle was sold or retired. The tax payer lost nothing over the long term.

"BTW, I have a lot more trust in the govt, than I have in GM, Ford, Exxon, etc. "

I'm glad you have so much trust in a government that ran radiation experiments on unknowing citizens. It is every citizen's responsibility to police the government, not trust it.

It is not free...the money had to be taken from someone who earned it.
Basically confiscation and re distribution.
Tell me I am wrong...very basic...taking from someone who earned it and given to areas "needed" through the filter of the wasteful government.
I love green ideas but they should be able to stand on their own without taking money with the force of the government.
"from each according to their ability - to each according to their needs"
Carl Marx

There is a lot of free older EVSE already in California. Half of which is available to today's Production EVs and pih's. Many public Avcon EVSE are still up and working. However, the Avcon to 14-50 adapter box I worked to make available and sold through the EAA is no longer available.

Everyone kept telling me hold your breath, those old working Avcons are slated to be yanked, crushed into bits like an EV1 or EVplus, and a ClipperCreek EVSE is to be put in its place. But with about 300 in California that is going to take a while.

Meanwhile there are those EV and pih drivers that do not want to wait
and wait ... they have the money and want to use the existing working public Avcon EVSE. That has not been possible until now ... for a short time an adapter is available. Read http://evdl.org/archive/#nabble-td3703123

If you want one, the number of Avcon inlets he has is limited despite my
best efforts to hook him up with as many a possible (they just do not make them anymore). Those that snooze will lose.

{brucedp.150m.com}

What a load of garbage. We want you to use your entire battery. Another way to say we failed; if you ask me. If I ever buy another car... it will be a plug in hybrid from overseas. The Americans are full of carp. I thought the car would charge itself. So why should it come home empty. Americans are the biggest bullshit artists in the world. They have been winging this volt and other cars while giving investors worldwide a big steaming american loaf. Get the hell out of the way and let the other countries work. Even china can build a stealth plane in a couple years. The americans would have bled us to death on cost over runs/