It is Valet only, but you can go into the garage below the hotel and plug in the car yourself. You do need your cable, but I always carry mine on trips. The Valets are all very nice and have no problem with you going into the garage.
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Charging in Upstate New York (or maybe Vermont)
- Thread starter Doug_G
- Start date
It is Valet only, but you can go into the garage below the hotel and plug in the car yourself. You do need your cable, but I always carry mine on trips. The Valets are all very nice and have no problem with you going into the garage.
ToddRLockwood
Active Member
At the Top Notch resort in Stowe, back in the good ol' days we held a few Roadster events there and they were always nice about letting us drive in and plug in. Some early Roadster owners were instrumental in getting those installed.
Was able to successfully charge at 69 Amps last night to top up for the drive back home. Thanks very much for reporting the status of this charger.
No problem. That said, I did find out that Best Western is still trying to figure out their charging policy. They now want to charge $5/hour for visitors, and keep it free to guests only. I'm actively talking to them about this, so hopefully I can change their mind (they did admit that this is all new to them, and they are still trying to figure things out).
Why shouldn't they charge for guests? It will cost them about that to run the 70A load. Not sure what the bulk of people would draw; mine can only charge at 40A, so do like Blink and $2.50/hour, but something. I think that we should pay for electricity if we are not supporting the business that is providing it. I get free charging at the mall, at the airport, etc. I actually would feel guilty going to the Nissan dealership and charging for free, without supporting them at all. I would expect that the owner put it in to attract more business to his hotel. I looked at the location on Google, and there are several other hotels and restaurants at the same location. What if I wanted to stay at one of the other hotels, or get a meal, and just use this guys power?
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
I'm inclined to agree, if you aren't buying their "product" then a business has a right to charge you for plugging in. This discourages people from using a charge spot if they don't really need it just because it's free.
> I actually would feel guilty going to the Nissan dealership and charging for free [Monto]
Don't feel guilty, Nissan says they like having the occasional exoticar plugged in out front along with their Leafs. Gives wandering customers interesting EVs to look at. Now if they would only get a faster EVSE than those AeroViron 30A@203v slow-as-molasses jobbies.
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Don't feel guilty, Nissan says they like having the occasional exoticar plugged in out front along with their Leafs. Gives wandering customers interesting EVs to look at. Now if they would only get a faster EVSE than those AeroViron 30A@203v slow-as-molasses jobbies.
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I agree with what others have said and want to add that you will be much better off if they charge visitors. How many times have you shown up at a charging station and found it in use by somebody who doesn't really need a charge but is plugged in just because it's free? Often they aren't even using 70A. Instead of paying $5/hr you will have to wait 1 or 2 hrs before you can plug in. Just look at how many EVs are selling and think of the likelihood that charger will be available when you want it - especially if it's free.
That's OK. However, if you are in communication with them, I would ask them what they would rather have:
1) Customer paying $5/hr to charge
2) Offer free charging for customers of either the hotel or restaurant.
We spent over $50 at the on-site restuarant for the 90 minutes we were there. I would not feel obligated to spend any additional money at the establishment if I was paying for the charge.
Charging $5/hour is a bit expensive, especially for places that have "lowly" 192V/30A.
Not so expensive that I would pass it up when low, but expensive enough that I would plan my route to find someone else instead if there are other options.
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They should definitely include this in their thinking.
I don't have a problem with them wanting to charge a fee, but $5/hour is too much. Only a Tesla Model S will benefit from the 70A. Encouraging drivers to buy something at their restaurant is one approach I have in mind as well, plus I have a few other ideas. The other thing to keep in mind is that electricity isn't that expensive, and they didn't have to pay for the EVSE, so if they really want to stand out, they should have offered it for free, at least initially (to gauge the (ab)use).
I'm still of the opinion that charging should be paid for, the cost of the power, an amortization of the installation, and a profit. IMHO EV owners should be doing everything within reason to encourage very widespread charging infrastructure. Once (if ever) EV's become so widespread that they are a significant fraction of travelers, it may be another story, but currently the places with charging are doing the EV owners a favor, not the other way around. There just aren't close to enough EV's on the road as yet.
Hm. This is a good point. If this acts as a "go away" premium to keep away the 3.3 kW vehicles, I might like it.
Cottonwood
Roadster#433, Model S#S37
I think that $5/hr if you are not using the services is completely fair for a 70A/240V EVSE. The electricity alone is ~$2 per hour, and then you add to that, the expense of installing the EVSE, the cost of the EVSE itself, and giving up a parking space. The other way of looking at it is that you are getting about 50 mph charge rate. Let's say that if the MS had an ICE, you would get about 25 mpg. At $3.50 per gallon, those 50 miles of range would cost you $7 at the gas pump.
$5 per hour for a 70A EVSE is absolutely fair! If $5/hr is what it takes to get more 70/80A EVSE's in the wild, I am happy to pay that! :smile:
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
Is it? I don't know what they are paying to start with, and I don't mind paying $5 for the convenience if I'm not using any of their other services.
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