Why ChargePoint is Terrible

[jelloslug]

ChargePoint is a for profit network; Plugshare is a crowd sourced listing of publicly available charging locations. Plugshare is what they need to be listed on.

 

[bro1999]

Meh, Plugshare >>> Chargepoint app. I almost never use the CP app to find stations, but rather activate the CP station to unlock the plug.
I don't think you're really missing anything TBH.

 

[cwerdna]

How is the average consumer supposed to know this?

I tried it the first time out of curiosity. I got to a Walgreens, noticed it had one stall with two cords, and thought "oh cool, let's plug in!". The average consumer is likely to think of these as gas stations where you can just plug in and pay. You can't expect them to sign up for every single charging network ahead of time just in case they ever need it, much less know about this to begin with.

It is unfortunate but they really should. That's why forums like these and other social media like Facebook group exist, besides word of mouth.

EZ-Charge: frequently asked questions is supposed to simplify this. New Leafs (leased or bought) for the last few years in many markets have included Nissan No Charge to Charge | EVgo and include an EZ-Charge card, which includes Chargepoint. My previous Leaf was leased before this existed so I was never eligible for the free charging benefit. My owned used Leaf is even older, so also ineligible, and the free NCTC is only for the 1st 2 years anyway.

There aren't that many charging networks in a given geographic area. The 3 major ones in my area are Chargepoint, Blink and Evgo. I got a Chargepoint card a year before I even had a plug-in vehicle. I got another from the receptionist at my work since we have Chargepoint at work. I picked up a Blink card from my car dealer's desk at the time of lease. They had a stack of them. Years ago, dealers tended to stock cards from the major networks (Chargepoint and Blink).

 

[SMAlset]

Functionally, to the EV owner, they are the same, Although actually, the non-commercial one is more reliable and likely to be FUNCTIONAL.

The issue here is that CP is charging another $2500 to $3000 to be listed on their web site, with inferior hardware. If they actually cared about their EV clients, they would let a business owner with thteor non-commercial owners be listed. Business owner is not expecting to add new business with this, he’s doing it for the convenience of his guests.

I can see why CP has a commercial business model and a residential business model. They are in the business to make money. I'm also not surprised they won't list units for residential use. Free electricty isn't their game plan and money maker. Your friend should have the unit listed on Plugshare and other apps as suggested. They also should mention the, I'm assuming by appointment, free charging that's available with their stay. It should be on their website, fb or whatever social media sites they have, and any B&B associations they may belong to and ask to have it included in their description. We've been AAA members for a long time and they had a tour book for affiliated hotels and B&Bs that was quite helpful listing features and accommodation specifics. Haven't used a tour book recently, assume they still have them or maybe now online, but if they are registered with AAA, they should make sure the EVSE is listed as well.

Super nice of them to offer the ability to L2 charge for guests and absorb the cost. Two years ago we stayed at a B&B with a L2 Tesla unit that charged guests a flat $10 fee each time you charged (not based on kWs used either). We didn't use their charging and drove to a Supercharger that wasn't too far down the road. We also didn't stay with them next time we were down in the area. But if we were desperate and forgot to supercharge near there it would have at least been nice to be able to charge while we slept.

 

[Skipdd]

You're making a mountain of a molehill. Here's how I charge every day at our workplace chargers: (1) tap phone on charger, (2) remove plug from charger, (3) stick plug in my car.
Hopefully you added the charger to Plugshare?

Reminds me of one of my favorite children's books I read to our kids, "A Minute is a Minute". Or in this case "one man's molehill IS another man's mountain." That time I tried calling Chargepoint on the phone, and got nowhere - I was late for a meeting, in a coveted EV spot in a public garage. Had to move my car, which meant wasting another 10 minutes hunting for a parking space, after wasting time on hold with stupid menu based IVRs that looped endlessly. Was not a molehill

 

[Eno Deb]

Reminds me of one of my favorite children's books I read to our kids, "A Minute is a Minute". Or in this case "one man's molehill IS another man's mountain." That time I tried calling Chargepoint on the phone, and got nowhere - I was late for a meeting, in a coveted EV spot in a public garage. Had to move my car, which meant wasting another 10 minutes hunting for a parking space, after wasting time on hold with stupid menu based IVRs that looped endlessly. Was not a molehill

Why did you not simply use the app or a credit card in your phone wallet?

Anyway, I can only recommend any EV driver to sign up with the major networks (Chargepoint, Blink, EVGo) and create a Plugshare account (to be able to pay for Sema and Webasto chargers) in advance to avoid this kind of hassle when you need a charger ...

 

[Skipdd]

Why did you not simply use the app or a credit card in your phone wallet?

Anyway, I can only recommend any EV driver to sign up with the major networks (Chargepoint, Blink, EVGo) and create a Plugshare account (to be able to pay for Sema and Webasto chargers) in advance to avoid this kind of hassle when you need a charger ...

I don't doubt your good experience w/Chargepoint. Mine was bad across multiple instances until I just gave up. You know the saying about assuming.. I tried the app - failed. I tried credit card - that was the phone call - failed. I registered on their site, requested a card - it never arrived. I gave up, just stuck w eVgo and upgraded to a S100D.

 

[xav-]

Where I live, CP is $1per hour up to 4hours which is roughly 17 cents per kWh. During the day, we pay 40 cents per kWh. Super chargers are 26 cents per kwh and super chargers are always packed around here (I.e lines and 30 kWh supercharging).

Here’s what you can do if you don’t have an affordable option for home charging:

1/ bring bike in your car (if charging station is too far from work)
2/ morning charge ($4)
3/ go to lunch
4/ afternoon charge ($4)

You add about 170 miles a day when you do that for $8.. not too bad..

 

[CrazyCoconut]

I must be the only person that likes ChargePoint. I've had a ChargePoint Home for 4 years now and love it. The analytics is great. Also all of the EVSEs at work are all ChargePoint, so all the analytics are integrated into one place. Lastly, ChargePoint commercial units allow you to queue for nearby stations. This is crucial, because by now there are a lot more EVs than there are charging stations at work. I didn't see this important feature being mentioned (though I only scanned the thread).

 

[cwerdna]

Lastly, ChargePoint commercial units allow you to queue for nearby stations. This is crucial, because by now there are a lot more EVs than there are charging stations at work. I didn't see this important feature being mentioned (though I only scanned the thread).

The Waitlist - ChargePoint feature was in beta for awhile. I didn't know about the beta until I spoke to a Chargepoint rep at an EVent years ago. It's now out of beta but it's up to the station owners and admins to enable and to set up the waitlist groups.

They're not enabled at my work yet but I've talked to our facilities people about it awhile back about trying it out and they've sent out some email about it, as well.

 

[CrazyCoconut]

The Waitlist - ChargePoint feature was in beta for awhile. I didn't know about the beta until I spoke to a Chargepoint rep at an EVent years ago. It's now out of beta but it's up to the station owners and admins to enable and to set up the waitlist groups.

They're not enabled at my work yet but I've talked to our facilities people about it awhile back about trying it out and they've sent out some email about it, as well.

It's really useful if there are more EVs than stations, especially on Mondays and Fridays when just about everyone wants to charge.

 

[bahree]

As I said in a different thread, their motto could be “We’re overpriced, but we’re underpowered”.

If you’re looking for a J1772 EVSE, look at Clipper Creek.

Or a JuiceBox Pro 40, which is what I have at home.

 

[GSP]

Read AWDTesla's posts.

Nissan supplies an optional 120/240 volt L2 EVSE on the '18 Leaf as either part of a package on the two lower trim levels (S and SV) and standard on the SL. They didn't in any prior US model years.

Volvo wasn't selling EVs or PHEVs in the US in 2010 or 2011. Volvo including Turbocord wasn't announced until mid-2015, is only 16 amps max and for 240 volts, includes a NEMA 6-20 plug. Chevy has only been including 120 volt EVSEs. Ditto for Ford, Fiat, Mitsubishi (2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV FAQ | Mitsubishi Motors implies only 120 volt included, just like the i-MiEV), BMW, and AFAIK VW and Audi, (List of automakers at June 2018 Hybrid Cars Sales Dashboard - HybridCars.com.)

Honda for the Clarity Electric from what I can tell at Clarity FAQs only includes an L1 EVSE. Looks like Prius Prime only comes w/120 volt EVSE from 2018 Toyota Prius Prime Plug-In Hybrid | Let's imagine the new possible which would've been like its predecessor, the Plug-in Prius. Pacifica Hybrid (PHEV) only comes with L1 per 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid - Fuel Efficient Minivan (search for 120).

Name some other US non-Tesla EVs/PHEVs that ship standard with portable 120, 208/240 volt capable L2 EVSEs. I'm pretty confident they're in the tiny minority, by model, esp. before the '18 model year.

It is a shame the list of OEMs that actually want to sell PEVs is so small. However Nissan, Tesla, and Chevy are probably the top three for US sales, so maybe even the majority of PEVs sold have 240 V capable OEM charge cords.

Chevy OEM charge cords do support 240 V, unofficially, since MY2016. All you need to do is make a 6-15P to 5-15R adapter, and label it "240 V - For EV Charging Only."

12 A from the Chevy cord, or 16 A from Volvo's Aerovironment cord, is sufficient for overnight charging with 240 V for most people's daily driving. I have two Teslas, both limited to 16 A at 240 V at home, and that handles my driving and my wife's driving with no problems.

If you want a PEV from other OEMs, tell them to get on the bus before it leaves the station!

GSP

Edit: It looks like we can add Audi to the list of OEMs that are serious about EVs, with a 120/240 V charge cord capable of up to 40 A included with their new e-Tron EV. That beats Tesla's new UMC which now is only capable of 32 A.

"Designed for efficiency and integration, the e-tron is engineered for both AC and DC charging via the widespread SAE J1772 and Combined Charging System (CCS) standards. In an industry first to-date, the e-tron debuts a DC fast charging capability of up to 150 kW available at select high-speed public charging stations, this capability can deliver up-to an 80 percent charge in only approximately 30 minutes. For customers’ residential charging needs, a standard 9.6 kW AC capsule charger (Level 2, 240-volt/40 amps) is provided and designed to deliver a fresh charge overnight. This charger will include plugs that can utilize both a standard 120-volt household outlet (1.2 kW) as well as a fast-speed 240-volt NEMA 14-50 outlet (9.6 kW)."