BLINK not planning on upgrading public chargers anytime soon :-/

[dadaleus]

Don't forget Eaton! Nice 70 amp unit with great Point Of Sale as well.

Lloyd, do you have a link? I want to send this option to a couple places I'm working on getting stations. Ideally I want to point them to the 70amp Chargepoint network compatible Eaton I saw referenced when I Googled based on your post, but Eaton's site doesn't seem very user friendly.

 

[tomsax]

Apparently, Blink is lowering the charge limit on some or all of their stations from 30A to 17A because of the problems a few vehicles have had with the connector overheating when charging at 30A.

The post quoted below from the Tesla Motors owner forum (not TMC) quotes the response from Blink about this issue.

Does latest software update limit Model S to 17A on Blink Chargers? | Forums | Tesla Motors

JZ13*|*MARCH 12, 2013

I called Blink to inquire about the slow charging. In summary, they said that other EV's are heating up the charge cables so they reduced the amps on all chargers even though thousands of Tesla's have charged with no problems. Here is the full response I received:

The EVSE or Blink sends a signal to the car over the Pilot Control line
telling the vehicle how much power the it can supply the vehicle. We reset the
commercial units in the Phoenix area to 16 amps down from 30 amps. We have had
several complaints of cord sets heating up and vehicles stopping a charge
session after 30 to 50 minutes. Most of these involved the new Honda FIT, 1
RAV4 and 1 Ford Focus. We are looking into the problem but until we understand
what is causing this issue the decision was made to turn down the amperage
from 30 to 16 amps on commercial units. If he plugged in to a unit then it is
normal that he only pulled 17 amps. Until we understand why some vehicles on
some units are generating so much heat in the power pins we want to insure
there is no way the vehicle connector can be damaged or in your case the
adapter cable connector. While we have a couple of thousand charge session
with the Tesla with no heat issues the problem is we do not know what vehicle
is plugged in at the time so we have to limit current for everyone.

Best Regards,
Shawn Marie Hess
Blink Network Contact Center
e:*[email protected]*d: +1 888 998 2546 skype: shess02

I charged our Roadster just fine at 30A at two Blink stations in Portland on March 6 and March 9, so either they aren't doing this to all stations, or it's taking time to roll out everywhere.

 

[jomo25]

Apparently, Blink is lowering the charge limit on some or all of their stations from 30A to 17A because of the problems a few vehicles have had with the connector overheating when charging at 30A.

The post quoted below from the Tesla Motors owner forum (not TMC) quotes the response from Blink about this issue.

Does latest software update limit Model S to 17A on Blink Chargers? | Forums | Tesla Motors



I charged our Roadster just fine at 30A at two Blink stations in Portland on March 6 and March 9, so either they aren't doing this to all stations, or it's taking time to roll out everywhere.

Wow, bad news. I use Blinks around town a lot (I'm in Phoenix area), but hadnt in the last few days. Will have to check next time I do. For the Volt, its not a big deal. It can't charge at rate higher than 3.3 kW anyways. But for others, esp the Tesla, that changes to cost/fee proposition significantly. Since they charge fees per hour used, its' essentially doubling the cost. The amount of electricity you can draw is halved, and for cars that could take the full 30A at 240V, you are now required to sit there twice as long, pay twice as much for the same charge.

If I confirm this, I will ask them if they are going to halve the fees charged until they figure this out and restore the full 30A. That only seems fair.

 

[Lloyd]

Lloyd, do you have a link? I want to send this option to a couple places I'm working on getting stations. Ideally I want to point them to the 70amp Chargepoint network compatible Eaton I saw referenced when I Googled based on your post, but Eaton's site doesn't seem very user friendly.

http://www.eaton.com/ecm/groups/public/@pub/@electrical/documents/content/pa0ev00001e.pdf

Also, go to this page. then documentation and technical data. You will have to order from an EATON dealer. Part numbers vary by 30, 48 or 70 amp, cc reader, key fob access, pedestal or wall mount etc.

http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsServices/Electrical/ProductsandServices/ElectricalDistribution/ElectricVehicleChargingSolutions/Level2ChargingStation/index.htm#tabs-2

 

[dsm363]

Is the Eaton system (card reader, billing for hotels..etc) as easy or better than the ClipperCreek one? I've never seen either one so can't comment. Just curious what to recommend to hotels.

 

[dadaleus]

Thanks LLoyd. I think I also read that Eaton's can integrate with the ChargePoint network which is also cool.

 

[Lloyd]

Is the Eaton system (card reader, billing for hotels..etc) as easy or better than the ClipperCreek one? I've never seen either one so can't comment. Just curious what to recommend to hotels.

They have a credit card reader for individual owners that want to put in an EVSE for public use and charge for the use. They have a key fob reader to turn it on for controlled use. Each of these are options and add to the cost.

Re: clipper creek, I believe the eaton unit is cleaner, nicer looking, and easier to use. Clipper creek's credit card solution makes you call a number to authorize the card, then they give you a number to input into the keypad to turn it on. They are supposed to be improving this. Eaton's procedure is, Select how long you want to charge, swipe the card.

 

[hans]

I charged our Roadster just fine at 30A at two Blink stations in Portland on March 6 and March 9, so either they aren't doing this to all stations, or it's taking time to roll out everywhere.

I used the Blink charger in Carmel today. 30A.

 

[jerry33]

As almost all Blink (and other commercial) EVSEs are in town rather than between cities, there isn't a great deal of incentive for them to upgrade. The only thing that will do it is if they start losing revenue.