Not all KOA sites are EV friendly

[DEinspanjer]

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.

Heh. I was originally going to speak to that, but then when I reread your post, it sounded like you were concerned with location rather than amenities.

We were traveling with two kids. At these campgrounds, we did the following:
Swimming
Nature walk
Playground / bounce pillow
Using a sluice to find gemstones
Lunch/dinner
Play with my R/C car and heli
Work on puzzles in the activity center

We also wanted to do these but didn't have time:
Fly kites
Play horseshoes
Play board games in the activity center
Rent 4-wheeler pedal bikes
Participate in karaoke
Make smores

 

[PhilBa]

I agree, for certain type (families, for example) and at certain times it makes sense. But, for others there is less appeal. I'd rather have a nice sit down meal, go shopping and so on. Guess you could say I'm definitely not a KOA kind of guy!

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I agree, for certain type (families, for example) and at certain times it makes sense. But, for others there is less appeal. I'd rather have a nice sit down meal, go shopping and so on. Guess you could say I'm definitely not a KOA kind of guy!

You can eat in your car (sitting down) and shop online using your 17" screen. Don't be so high maintenance! :wink:

JK, PhilBa!

 

[andrewket]

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."

Um, almost all 14-50's will feed from a larger circuit (service). Dedicated means nothing else on the 50a breaker. You can have multiple circuits off a 200a panel, which is what I bet the RV park has. I think they are confused as to what dedicated means. I highly doubt they feed multiple RVs from a single 50A breaker.

 

[DEinspanjer]

I agree, for certain type (families, for example) and at certain times it makes sense. But, for others there is less appeal. I'd rather have a nice sit down meal, go shopping and so on. Guess you could say I'm definitely not a KOA kind of guy!

I can understand that. I could probably enjoy myself just taking a walk or reading a book, but they aren't for everyone or for all the time. That is part of the reason I am excited to see these mall partnerships springing up and hope for more.

Um, almost all 14-50's will feed from a larger circuit (service). Dedicated means nothing else on the 50a breaker. You can have multiple circuits off a 200a panel, which is what I bet the RV park has. I think they are confused as to what dedicated means. I highly doubt they feed multiple RVs from a single 50A breaker.

I imagine what they are getting at is they have many more than 4 pads per 200 amp panel and are relying on the likelihood of their combined usage not going over the rated limit.

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk HD

 

[toto_48313]

I was in a KOA and renting a Cabin... when I ask to plug my car on 50 Amp, they want to charge me 25 $ ( during the reservation process on phone, thay told me they eill " accomodate" me, but never mention a fee... I finally got it for 10 $ as I explain that I will never had stop there other than for the 50 Amp...
Lesson learn... make it very clear before your arrival.

 

[PhilBa]

You can eat in your car (sitting down) and shop online using your 17" screen. Don't be so high maintenance! :wink:

JK, PhilBa!

LOL, heck, I think I'll just go out to the garage and spend my vacation in the car! Where do I plug in the blender and ice maker?

 

[AnOutsider]

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.

That guy probably had poor wiring which may have resulted in the same result as the end of your post.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

LOL, heck, I think I'll just go out to the garage and spend my vacation in the car! Where do I plug in the blender and ice maker?

In working on a USB blender, and you can keep a freezer with icemaker in the garage, silly!

 

[neroden]

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."

Given the approach they're taking (which is kind of stupid, but they have the right to do it), you should email them back with the following information:

"An awful lot of these "national companies" offer "electric vehicle charging stations" which are too slow to be of much use to anyone -- because the 50-amp circuits at a typical RV park are faster. If you are going to spend the trouble to install a proper electric car charging system, insist on a system which can deliver a minimum of 40 amps continuous -- more is better -- or don't bother. Many locations have wasted time and money installing inferior 30-amp electric car charging stations; owners like me will avoid places like that and go to other RV parks instead!"

 

[PhilBa]

I'd be a little careful discouraging any charging solution. Even a 30A station overnight is just fine.

 

[markb1]

I'd be a little careful discouraging any charging solution. Even a 30A station overnight is just fine.

Not really. Charging on from empty to full with 30A and 208V will take more than half a day. Sure, if you arrive early and depart late, or you only need half a charge, it will be sufficient, but it takes more than overnight for a full charge.

 

[PhilBa]

So, you'd rather have nothing than perfection?

I feel compelled to point out that it's pretty uncommon to have an empty battery and NEED a range charge. For more realistic situations, a 30A charger isn't ideal but will suffice.

 

[Ampster]

Also taking a global view, there are other EV drivers out there that could fill up easily overnight at 30 amps. I often fill up my RAV4EV on as little as 20 amp service.

 

[Doug_G]

So, you'd rather have nothing than perfection?

I feel compelled to point out that it's pretty uncommon to have an empty battery and NEED a range charge. For more realistic situations, a 30A charger isn't ideal but will suffice.

Have you never done a road trip? That's exactly the scenario.

 

[markb1]

So, you'd rather have nothing than perfection?

That's not what I said. What I said is the 30A is not "just fine" for doing an overnight charge in many cases. It's merely better than nothing.

 

[FlasherZ]

I was in a KOA and renting a Cabin... when I ask to plug my car on 50 Amp, they want to charge me 25 $ ( during the reservation process on phone, thay told me they eill " accomodate" me, but never mention a fee... I finally got it for 10 $ as I explain that I will never had stop there other than for the 50 Amp...
Lesson learn... make it very clear before your arrival.

On my way back home from Branson, MO this afternoon, I stopped by Meramec Caverns (Sullivan, MO) as well as the local KOA.

Meramec Caverns' campground offers $5 day use for 50A charging -- you can also use their beach, playground facilities, and throw a BBQ while your car charges. If you want to see the caverns, it's a cool upper-60's temperature (20 degC for non-Americans) in there, and it's not that expensive, and within walking distance. Overnight? $25 for an electric space. No cabins, although there is a hotel there that charges only $52/night. Rest in comfort while your car charges just up the road a bit.

On the other hand, when I stepped into the KOA office and asked about EV charging, I felt an immediate chilled attitude. I asked for their day rates if I just wanted to charge ($25). I asked if I rented a cabin, and a 50A space were available overnight, if they would throw it in (they wouldn't -- $25 additional charge on top of the $65 cabin rental). I asked overnight rates just to charge ($42, same as an RV with full water, etc. hookup). A bit disappointed, and I sent KOA some feedback about getting a policy established and more formally communicated with the community.