Not all KOA sites are EV friendly

[Sans Gas]

I emailed the KOA site in Forsyth GA to charge on a trip and got this response:

We do not offer charging of vehicles at RV Sites at this time. As demand grows, we plan to add a charging station specifically for the different types of electrical vehicles.

I am sorry that we cannot be of assistance to you at this time on this matter.

 

[Wattson]

Sans Gas - Here's my two cents:

In your email request to this KOA, were you speaking RV language? It's important to say that you need just a normal RV 50 amp plug to charge. RV parks may hear electric vehicle and think you're asking for a J1772 plug. Or some are unaware that their 50 amp plugs are NEMA 14-50 plugs. So, in summary, always ask if you can use a 50 amp plug, the same type of plug that large size RVs use. Depending on how desperate you are, you might also say that you're willing to pay the same rate as an RV.

Cheers,
David

 

[Ampster]

RV language would include asking to charge your "rig".

 

[gvillager]

Sans Gas - Here's my two cents:

In your email request to this KOA, were you speaking RV language? It's important to say that you need just a normal RV 50 amp plug to charge. RV parks may hear electric vehicle and think you're asking for a J1772 plug. Or some are unaware that their 50 amp plugs are NEMA 14-50 plugs. So, in summary, always ask if you can use a 50 amp plug, the same type of plug that large size RVs use. Depending on how desperate you are, you might also say that you're willing to pay the same rate as an RV.

Cheers,
David

Agreed! They offer it, they just don't realize it.

 

[djp]

If there aren't any other charging options nearby then tell then you'd like to book a 50 amp pad and pay the overnight rate. It'll still be cheaper than gas.

 

[Sans Gas]

If there aren't any other charging options nearby then tell then you'd like to book a 50 amp pad and pay the overnight rate. It'll still be cheaper than gas.

I tried that they said NO! Emphasis is theirs.

 

[gregincal]

I tried that they said NO! Emphasis is theirs.

I don't understand. Why not just reserve a site? I don't see any reason to even tell them your RV is a Tesla if you're paying full price.

 

[djp]

Wow, strange business to not want to accept your money in exchange for an empty pad. I'd call back, ask to speak to the manager and explain the car uses the same plug and same power as an RV. They must think there's something special about EV charging.

 

[DEinspanjer]

I had a similar experience with Eastern Slope Campground in Conway NH. The owner was shockingly rude to his front desk employee, yelling at her that he was not about to let us charge there because we "might screw up his electricity" since it wasn't built for charging. I went down the road a few miles and found another campsite that was quite accommodating.

We are actually on a road trip from Memphis back to NH right now and I am sitting at the Bristol TN KOA. This one charged us $20 to charge for several hours and we have had a pleasant time using the amenities.

One unfortunate thing we have found with 2 of the RV sites we have used is that you can sometimes get a bad outlet that can't sustain 40 or even 35 amps for an hour. Eventually, the breaker gets so hot it won't even reset. Both times this happened, we were able to move to a different pad and resume charging without further difficulty.

 

[deonb]

I was at the KOA in Leavenworth, WA yesterday, and they were extremely helpful over there.

Took them a while to find a 50 AMP site for me, but they eventually did, and only charged me $5 (the day-pass rate) for a 2 hour spot. I left after about 90 minutes with just under 50 miles added. Charged at 40 amp all the way.

 

[Cosmacelf]

I tried that they said NO! Emphasis is theirs.

Well, it makes sense from their point of view. Tesla charging at 40 amps continuous is a lot more load than even big RVs normally use. So it stresses their electrical system (mostly their breakers) a lot more. If they have dodgy plug-ins (as many RV campgrounds do, which is why breakers trip so often), then the campsite owner may think it not worth the hassle to accept EV charging. All it would take would be one complaint to the right authority, and the owner would have to re-wire his whole campground.

What is usually going on is that the electrical system probably was installed correctly, but over time, through many, many rainstorms, the breaker connections in the panel (both in the main panel box AND especially at the pedestal) get corroded. So drawing a large amount of current generates way more heat than should be generated.

Fixing this isn't that hard - you just follow the circuit from panel to pedestal looking at all the connection points. For the breaker to trip prematurely, it means the corrosion will usually be obvious enough to see. Swapping out a breaker, or even just cleaning contacts often fixes the problem. It is something that you don't need an electrician to fix. But many RV site owners just don't have the little bit of knowledge to do this unfortunately. And bringing in an electrician would burn through their meager profits pretty quickly.

 

[Puyallup Bill]

I was at the KOA in Leavenworth, WA yesterday, and they were extremely helpful over there.

Took them a while to find a 50 AMP site for me, but they eventually did, and only charged me $5 (the day-pass rate) for a 2 hour spot. I left after about 90 minutes with just under 50 miles added. Charged at 40 amp all the way.

Good to know. I'm starting a little note page on the iPad for tips like this.

Perhaps you could add it to RECARGO, and other sites?

 

[Sans Gas]

Here is an explanation to support this sites reluctance to allow charging. I don't know if it is technically valid.

"Jon, we have researched this matter and all specifications require a dedicated 50 amp. service. Our RV Sites are not single dedicated lines. There are multiple lines coming from a 200 amp. service. We will not offer electric vehicle charging until we can meet all specifications because we do not have time to get in to a blame game if something goes wrong.

We are currently in negotiations with a couple of national companies on setting up a dual charging system that will accept credit cards, etc. We are not discriminating against anyone. We are just trying to do it correctly and will have it operational as soon as demand warrants."

 

[jomo25]

Here is an explanation to support this sites reluctance to allow charging. I don't know if it is technically valid.

"Jon, we have researched this matter and all specifications require a dedicated 50 amp. service. Our RV Sites are not single dedicated lines. There are multiple lines coming from a 200 amp. service. We will not offer electric vehicle charging until we can meet all specifications because we do not have time to get in to a blame game if something goes wrong.

We are currently in negotiations with a couple of national companies on setting up a dual charging system that will accept credit cards, etc. We are not discriminating against anyone. We are just trying to do it correctly and will have it operational as soon as demand warrants."

Sounds to me like they know what they are doing. Sounds like they are trying to get Chargepoint or Blink stations set up.

 

[DEinspanjer]

I wonder if the profit that those companies share would make it worthwhile for them vs installing a J-1772 home type charger alongside a NEMA 14-50 and charging a flat $10 for charging plus ammenities the way many camps currently do.

 

[brianman]

We are just trying to do it correctly and will have it operational as soon as demand warrants.

And how do they judge demand? Do we need to have every Model S owner within 500 miles call and complain that the facilities are substandard?

 

[Sans Gas]

And how do they judge demand? Do we need to have every Model S owner within 500 miles call and complain that the facilities are substandard?

In case anyone is close or traveling by, here is their number 478-994-2019

 

[reddy]

This is the first time I've ever heard of an RV park turning down an EV.

I live in an area with literally zero public EVSE facilities. All the RV parks that I have called have more than welcomed me. That includes the Abilene TX KOA park, where I have charged twice. Depending on how long I stay, it's usually $5 for a couple hours to $10 for overnight parking. These places are always never full, and you aren't using water, sewer, bathrooms, showers, etc. Thus they have little expense except for electricity.

They WILL make more profit by renting out the space to an actual RV, so if they are usually full, I could see this as a gracious way of saying they want to rent their spaces to RVs.

IMO, RV parks are usually not in the best locations, so I don't see having chargers on site as being very profitable for KOA in the long run. Particularly if , like this KOA, it means doing new electrical circuits.

 

[DEinspanjer]

IMO, RV parks are usually not in the best locations, so I don't see having chargers on site as being very profitable for KOA in the long run. Particularly if , like this KOA, it means doing new electrical circuits.

The two KOA and the Yogi Bear campground we used while on our Boston to Memphis road trips were all less than a mile from the interstate exit.


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[PhilBa]

The two KOA and the Yogi Bear campground we used while on our Boston to Memphis road trips were all less than a mile from the interstate exit.


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The issue isn't how far from the interstate but rather what there is to do for the couple of hours while your shove electrons into your batteries.