Portland Oregon install charger on the street / in parking strip

[DanimaPDX]

Hi All,

I've got my Model 3 ordered (3-5 weeks to take delivery), and now comes the tricky part of figuring out how to charge the car at home.

Here's the scoop:

• I live in NE Portland, and do NOT have a garage or a driveway (previous owner demolished and landscaped).
• Street parking is usually quite easy, and I can almost always park in front of my house.
• I have access to Blink chargers at work, though they are new and when I asked about them they told me the building wants people to "beta test" them... which makes me nervous.

Has anyone installed power into the parking strip? I have searched around the city websites and can't seem to find any info. I would hope Portland of all places would be understanding of EV owners who live in apartments or houses without any private parking (I was able to find, for instance, that Philadelphia has a program like this). I've seen people run cords across the sidewalk, but that seems to be a bad idea.

Anyone have any ideas or tips?

Thanks,
Dan

 

[DanimaPDX]

Also, I did notice someone in the neighborhood with a Model S charging off this plug on the street in front of their house. Unfortunately, they have not been home when I've tried to stop in and inquire how they did this.

 

[PLUS EV]

I wouldn't be worried about "beta testing" the Blink chargers. If something is wrong with them for some reason, the car will know and not allow the charge to take place. Assuming you work there 5 days a week, this is probably your best bet. Then just use superchargers if you road trip somewhere on the weekends. You'll have to pay the Blink FEES of course.

After a while you'll get the hang of it and probably will know how often you need to plug in at work. Depending on how long your commute is, it could just be once or twice per week.

But sure definitely ask your neighbors. I would just leave a note with your phone number on it for them to call you. Most EV owners are helpful with other EV owners, especially new owners. They would likely be your best source for local information.

 

[NeverFollow]

I noticed near my home, that there is a street Blink charger installed inside a locked cabinet.

- I wonder how you can get a permit to install a personal street charger?

- There is no mark for a reserved electric vehicle, so I wonder what would happen if an ICE park just in front of the charger?

- Also, the owner seems to be able to park against the normal traffic direction, which in general is prohibited.

 

[webbbcam]

Check out this thread by artsci. He mentions more than one of his creations for curbside charging.

Tesla Outdoor Curbside Charging Station almost ready for Model S

John

 

[DanimaPDX]

Interesting about the street Blink charger... Where is that exactly, and does it show up on the Blink maps? If it's locked, it sounds like it's for only a limited set of people (or one person).

Also, I will run into the same issue of parking the wrong way for charging on the street.

 

[Rocky_H]

NE Portland isn't close, but the Supercharger in Tigard just went live today, apparently, so you could maybe catch that once or twice a week if you're over on the Western side of Portland occasionally.

 

[N8DGR8]

Blink tends to be way over priced and unreliable. I wouldn't count on it. You need a way to charge at home for convienence and cost effectiveness.

https://www.portlandoregon.gov/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=309915

or

If it were me, I would install a 120 volt 20 amp outlet in the front of my house and run a heavy 20 amp extension cord. Tesla sells a 20 amp adapter plug. Assuming a commute of less than 15 miles each way. It should keep you going most of the week.

Yes, this violates the Tesla Owner's Manual, but I know from experience that they work just fine. Maybe get a fake fiberglass rock to cover the connectors to keep them dry.

If you dig a trench in your front yard you could likely drive a PVC pipe under the sidewalk to run the extension cord through and eliminate the trip hazard.

You could also additionally install a 50 amp outlet and use a a 50 amp extension cord when you need to top off in a hurry. This one would be pretty obnoxious on a regular basis. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002XL2IG8/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do you have any pictures of your house and street?

 

[NeverFollow]

Interesting about the street Blink charger... Where is that exactly, and does it show up on the Blink maps?
If it's locked, it sounds like it's for only a limited set of people (or one person).

Also, I will run into the same issue of parking the wrong way for charging on the street.

The location is Berkeley, CA and the charger is a PowerGen.

EVSE - PowerGen - EV Charger
Wall Mounted - SAE J1772 Connector - 208 to 240VAC - 15 ft. Cord Length - Milbank MEVSE-RS-15 EVSE
Milbank MEVSE-RS-15 EVSE - EVSE PowerGen Charging Station

A trench was made under the charger.

Milbank PowerGen Level II Vehicle Charger showcase

 

[DanimaPDX]

Anyone know more details about the status of the four Portland superchargers (downtown, NE, NW, SE) which show "Target opening by end of 2018"?

 

[PLUS EV]

Anyone know more details about the status of the four Portland superchargers (downtown, NE, NW, SE) which show "Target opening by end of 2018"?

If they did, there would already be threads for them on this forum.

 

[katie_maria]

Hi All,

I've got my Model 3 ordered (3-5 weeks to take delivery), and now comes the tricky part of figuring out how to charge the car at home.

Here's the scoop:

• I live in NE Portland, and do NOT have a garage or a driveway (previous owner demolished and landscaped).
• Street parking is usually quite easy, and I can almost always park in front of my house.
• I have access to Blink chargers at work, though they are new and when I asked about them they told me the building wants people to "beta test" them... which makes me nervous.

Has anyone installed power into the parking strip? I have searched around the city websites and can't seem to find any info. I would hope Portland of all places would be understanding of EV owners who live in apartments or houses without any private parking (I was able to find, for instance, that Philadelphia has a program like this). I've seen people run cords across the sidewalk, but that seems to be a bad idea.

Anyone have any ideas or tips?

Thanks,
Dan

Hi. Did you ever find a solution for this? I am also in NE Portland with the same issue. Looking to buy an EV soon but I want to figure out my home charging possibilities first. Thanks! Katie