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Electrify America general discussion
- Thread starter Mockingbird
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FlatSix911
Porsche 918 Hybrid
Good news for EVs in Florida.
electrek.co
"Once the EV chargers for all models are fully deployed, IUC will have doubled the number of EV chargers in Florida, and IUC will become the largest EV charger operator in the state. Stuff in New Zealand explains: IUC will sign contracts with real estate owners, developers, parking lot operators and other clients who pay the company a monthly fee once chargers are installed. Motorists pay to use them through an IUC charging app. The initial phase involves 3,827 chargers being installed over the next 12 months in Florida, mainly in the Orlando and Tampa areas, with at least 50 chargers available at each site, according to the company."
Florida's EV chargers are about to double in number, with 6,000+ on the way
Invisible Urban Charging, which offers "end-to-end charging as a service," is going to roll out more than 6,000 EV chargers in Florida.
electrek.co
"Once the EV chargers for all models are fully deployed, IUC will have doubled the number of EV chargers in Florida, and IUC will become the largest EV charger operator in the state. Stuff in New Zealand explains: IUC will sign contracts with real estate owners, developers, parking lot operators and other clients who pay the company a monthly fee once chargers are installed. Motorists pay to use them through an IUC charging app. The initial phase involves 3,827 chargers being installed over the next 12 months in Florida, mainly in the Orlando and Tampa areas, with at least 50 chargers available at each site, according to the company."
IKEA U.S. and Electrify America announce collaboration for ultra-fast public and fleet charging at over 25 IKEA retail locations
IKEA U.S. will quadruple its total number of electric vehicle chargers, a big step toward the IKEA global circular and climate positive goals
Conshohocken, PA – August 11, 2022 – To help reach the IKEA ambition to become a circular and climate positive business by 2030, IKEA U.S. today announced a collaboration with Electrify America and Electrify Commercial to bring ultra-fast public charging stations and delivery fleet electric vehicle (EV) charging to over 25 IKEA retail locations throughout the U.S. This joint effort will enable IKEA U.S. to quadruple its total number of EV chargers, which supports the goal of achieving zero-emission home deliveries by 2025 and halving relative[1] emissions from customer and co-worker travel by 2030.
“At IKEA, we believe that we must work together with our partners to tackle climate change and create solutions for a greener future. This collaboration with Electrify America will not only bring ultra-fast public chargers to our stores for the first time but it will also help us take a big leap as we work towards our targets to become circular and climate positive,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA U.S. “We look forward to continuing to innovate around new ways we can make our everyday lives more sustainable.”
In total, there will be more than 200 individual ultra-fast chargers offering the fastest charging speeds available today – 150kW to 350kW – at IKEA retail locations in 18 states including in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington. The first locations are expected to open in late 2022 and be completed by the end of 2023.
For its EV delivery fleet, IKEA selected Electrify Commercial, Electrify America’s business unit designed to help deliver turnkey electric vehicle charging solutions, to provide more than 225 individual chargers across the sites. This is the first time Electrify America and Electrify Commercial are installing both public and fleet chargers at the same time for a project.
“We are excited to establish both public and commercial fleet charging stations with IKEA – a brand that shares our goal of a more sustainable future,” said Giovanni Palazzo, president and CEO of Electrify America. “Through this collaboration, Electrify America, Electrify Commercial and IKEA U.S. are leading a path forward for customers and businesses toward zero-emission transportation.”
Since opening its first charging station in May 2018, Electrify America has set a rapid pace for its network expansion, opening an average of nearly four stations per week. Currently, Electrify America has more than 800 stations and 3,500 individual chargers open with plans to expand to 1,800 charging stations comprised of 10,000 individual chargers in the United States and Canada by 2026.
RTPEV
Active Member
RayK
Active Member
That certainly seems to be the case. However, the press release says, "over 25 IKEA retail locations", along with, "more than 200 individual ultra-fast chargers" while the next paragraph states, "to provide more than 225 individual chargers across the sites". Appears like they haven't really pinned down the number of stores or the number of stations per site.
It can be a good thing for some people (those that live near, or commute by, an IKEA store). That's not me. The closest one to me is up in East Palo Alto, about 20 miles via a couple of highways and the only time I'm passing by might be when I'm going to, or from, SFO (I usually take another route). Better expansion choice would be to partner up with food or drink places (e.g., McD's, Starbucks, etc.) as people normally don't want to hang out in those places any longer than it takes to eat or have a bio stop. Traveling public would want to take a break and charge both the car and themselves.
edit: Yes, I know about those people who do work from a Starbucks using the free WiFi. I see them all of the time when I go in and grab my order, sitting there in front of their laptops nursing a cup of coffee.
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It does seem like it. But from a recent permit for a Tesla Supercharger site is seems like the EA install at the Portland Ikea is only going to be 6 stalls:
While Tesla is putting 16 stalls right next to it.
I do wonder if this might mean that Tesla and EA are partnering with Ikea to install both in most locations. (Sharing the cost of the electrical infrastructure?)
RTPEV
Active Member
Yeah, just seems weird to have a large site at an IKEA. Not that I don't think large sites (>=8 stalls) are the proper long term site size...
Also weird that an IKEA visit is usually pretty lengthy. It takes me well over 30 minutes just to find my way out of the maze!
It's kind of like IKEA execs are seeking to embrace EV charging (GREAT!) So without doing any research on what might be an appropriate number and type of charging stations, they just go out and seek out another big corporate partner who convinces them that they need to put in 8 350kW stations at each site.
And the thing is IKEA does have a history with offering EV charging, at least in Europe. So you would think they would have some decent intel on this.
Not that I'm complaining about more charging stations...if IKEA wants to subsidize them and turn over some of their parking lot real estate for them, more power to them...but it seems for the clientele that IKEA would want to attract, offering 20+ L2 stations for local users and a few 50-100kW class DCFC stations for those that had to travel to get to the store would have been a more appropriate configuration.
I think it's less about "this is a thing that IKEA customers can use while they're here" and more like "a lot of people might stop to charge on a road-trip, and some might come in to buy some meatballs, and then think maybe they want to pick up a bookcase or something next week when they're home so we sell to people who otherwise might not have wanted a new bookcase or bedframe". I certainly have more WalMarts on my mental geography and have seen more of what they have on sale popping in to use their bathroom and buy a soda since they started hosting EA stations than I ever did beforehand. IKEA has big enough power demand and existing parking lots they can more easily spare space for larger charging stations, unlike...say, a Starbucks. It's possible these stations might even, like some other EA stations do, incorporate low-power L2 stalls as well.
RTPEV
Active Member
Still seems strange to me, because while they may want to attract travelers to their stores, I think they'd also want them to stick around for more than 30 minutes too...it would stink for them if their charging customers got a notification that idle fees were commencing and they suddenly had to up and leave the store to move their vehicle. I bet a good number of them would not bother finding their way back into the store to pick up where they left off.
I would be happy with a strong Level 2 charger (48 amps) for any big retail store. Then they could install more of them at more locations. I’ve never been able to get out of IKEA in under two hours, which would give a decent charge at a fast level 2 charger.
The press release mentions IKEA's "EV delivery fleet".
In other words, IKEA's own delivery vehicles will be charging at these locations.
The last time I checked, EA was using Black & Veatch for their western US installations and Tesla has long used them as well for Supercharger installations. This is hardly the first joint buildout effort.
Are Tesla and Electrify America working together? Sort of.
They may not be the best of friends elsewhere but Tesla and VW’s Electrify America are cooperatively building new DC vehicle fast charging facilities side by side at a California shopping mal…
electricrevs.com
If they're using them for their own delivery fleet, but also for effectively free advertising to road-tripping customers, then it definitely helps it make even more sense: they want delivery vehicles in and out. And IKEA does have food in their stores, which might work within a 30 minute window:
Swedish Food & Drinks
This is a slightly older article from 2016, but suggestive of IKEA having at least some strategy of liking to have customers coming by and in the door so you remember they exist between times you need to refurnish a whole room or whatever:
IKEA Is Making Its Food and Restaurants a Central Part of Its Business
Exelion
Member
If IKEA were smart, they’d drop the KW rate to 50kw instead of 150-350. That way people will have to spend a little more than half hour to fast charge (hour to two hours). By dropping the rate, they can have more charging stalls too! Which is preferred- six 150-350’s or 18 50KW stalls? If i’m doing stuff at an IKEA, I’d choose the latter with the higher chance there’ll be a stall open for me to park at.
I don't know. IKEA is not like a Walmart, where a random road tripper can stop and pick up a few items... I would think most people that go to IKEA, actually plan to go to IKEA becuase they need something specific. If that is the case, it would make more sense to just install a boatload of L2 chargers, instead of a gimped L3 charger... You're just going to piss people off with a gimped L3 charger, particularly the ones that are just driving thru.
I don't find these suggestions of using L2 at a store like this to make any sense at all. L2 is for places where a car is going to be parked anyway for HOURS. This half hour to an hour in an IKEA is going to amount to like 30 miles added. It's ridiculous and not useful. The 50 kW or higher is more reasonable for a store.
Kind of strange. The last thing I'd do on a road trip is stop at IKEA to pick up a piece of furniture and...I don't know, keep the thing in the car until I get home? Except I probably don't have space for it, because I'm on a road trip.
I love IKEA Food Court.
Too bad there is no IKEA nearby or I would eat there far more often.
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