Stupid Charge Station Locations...

[NigelM]

Arguably we can never have enough charge stations, but as they start to proliferate there are going to be some which show up in dumb locations. This one just got installed on City Island in Sarasota and begs the question "What are you going to do while your vehicle is charging?"....

a) There's nothing here except public bathrooms and a kids playground.
b) It's 10 miles from the Interstate (and then's plenty of other charge stations near the I-75)
c) It's over 4 miles to downtown (which has charge stations and free parking on the charge spots)
d) It's 2 miles from the nearest beach access.
e) It's 1½ miles from the nearest shopping area.
f) It's ½ mile from the nearest restaurant.
g) It's ½ mile from Mote Marine Aquarium. (Shameless plug! But why didn't they put it there?!)
h) There's lot's of nice open space if you want to walk your dog, but if you live locally why not just charge at home?

 

[doug]

Did there used to be a light post there, or did they redo the concrete sidewalk?
32 Amps?

 

[Norbert]

Maybe it goes by the logic "If a place has parking spots, it can also have chargers"?

 

[TEG]

At least having some 'restrooms' nearby is better than nothing...

 

[NigelM]

Did there used to be a light post there..?

Yes. I didn't check the amps.

 

[vfx]

We have an old LPI at a state park. Nothing there but the park itself. I assume its for when you go for a hike?

 

[Lloyd]

They need a few concrete or steel poles to protect this charge station. Someone in a truck with a few too many will take this out quickly. Posts would be cheaper than the cost of repairs!

 

[Larry Chanin]

This charger location is rather remote, unless you travel to it by boat! :biggrin:

Larry

 

[Larry Chanin]

32 Amps?

Hi Doug,

ChargePoint says its 30 amp.

Larry

 

[Norbert]

Did there used to be a light post there, or did they redo the concrete sidewalk?

Maybe the light post got damaged, and putting an EVSE there was cheaper than a new light post...

 

[dsm363]

I believe all of the ChargePoint and almost all other J1772 public chargers max out at 30A. It has something to do with the connector of some component only being certified at 30A instead of what it should be (32A or 80% of 40A). Seems stupid to give up those 2A for nothing basically.

 

[Lloyd]

I had a discussion with a gentleman several weeks ago that was leading the sales team marketing the 75 amp UL approved connector. According to him we should see more of the higher power J1772's in the near future. He mentioned several companies that will be carrying his product. Eaton, Clipper Creek, and others.

 

[bonnie]

I had a discussion with a gentleman several weeks ago that was leading the sales team marketing the 75 amp UL approved connector. According to him we should see more of the higher power J1772's in the near future. He mentioned several companies that will be carrying his product. Eaton, Clipper Creek, and others.

That's problematic for Roadster owners - the J1772 adaptor only works if the connection is 70amps or less. See this thread. If it encounters anything higher than 70, it returns an error message and the Roadster does not charge. Time to start asking Tesla (again) to fix this issue.

 

[NigelM]

Maybe the light post got damaged, and putting an EVSE there was cheaper than a new light post...

I don't know why they would put a light post there in the first place. Why would anyone drive to a public bathroom in a remote location in the middle of the night? Do they think EV owners do that sort of thing......?

 

[Norbert]

I don't know why they would put a light post there in the first place. Why would anyone drive to a public bathroom in a remote location in the middle of the night? Do they think EV owners do that sort of thing......?

Apparently they don't about EV owners, since the light post is gone now. Not sure about other implications...

 

[TEG]

I believe all of the ChargePoint and almost all other J1772 public chargers max out at 30A. It has something to do with the connector...

Yeah, that has been discussed elsewhere, like here:
J1772 Charging for the Tesla Roadster

Most of the "run of the mill" J1772 plugs are only rated to 30A.
The 75A capable ones are less available, and more expensive. But even if the EVSE manufacturer includes the 75A plug it doesn't mean that the EVSE will be configured to offer 75A. Bonnie's concern about Roadster compatability can be addressed if the EVSEs are configured for lower than max ampacity.

 

[Lloyd]

I thought the car only took what it could use up to the maximum provided by the EVSE. I charge Volts at 30 amps J1772 with my 70 amp Clipper Creek TS-70 EVSE

 

[TEG]

Yes, it does, but apparently there is a compatibility issue with some EVSEs that advertise 75A+ capability, and the Roadster's onboard charging equipment.

If you set the EVSE to lower max current ("ampacity signal") then the Roadster charges fine at that rate. But if the EVSE signal basically says "the maximum you can pull" then it may refuse to charge. (At least that is what I recall hearing.) I think the original EVSE signal didn't go that high, and it was modified to "shoehorn in" higher charging rates. I wonder if the Roadster charger sometimes has trouble locking onto that signal level?

 

[hcsharp]

Can't believe they haven't fixed this yet. Simple software issue.

 

[Norbert]

h) There's lot's of nice open space if you want to walk your dog, but if you live locally why not just charge at home?

After thinking about it, I think it is especially this part: "if you live locally why not just charge at home?",
which they missed. That seems a point one could easily miss.