Not helpful!

[irrelevant]

I read recently from a credible source there were 1.2 million BEV's sold in the US last year.

I'm beginning to think 80% of those were Chevy Bolts, based on what I'm seeing at the EA sites.

We need people to quit buying EV's until the charging infrastructure catches up...especially people who can't charge at home.

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[rocketjsquirrel]

Just to gain a bit of perspective...it is not just confined to electric vehicles: Like all things in life, there are ups, and downs. No need to panic

 

[SergeyIndy]

Depreciation brings some amazing deals for someone looking to get a Taycan. Here is a local to me sale that is 1/3 of what a new 2024 comparable build would be. This one is most likely out of warranty and listed as not certified but with 22k miles with Porsche dealer next door that would be happy to certify, this looks like a good deal for the buyers, but a killer deal for the owners looking to sell or upgrade to the refresh.

https://www.coasttocoastimports.com...ishers-in-id-40982450?utm_source=MSStartAutos

 

[007]

Depreciation brings some amazing deals for someone looking to get a Taycan. Here is a local to me sale that is 1/3 of what a new 2024 comparable build would be. This one is most likely out of warranty and listed as not certified but with 22k miles with Porsche dealer next door that would be happy to certify, this looks like a good deal for the buyers, but a killer deal for the owners looking to sell or upgrade to the refresh.

https://www.coasttocoastimports.com...ishers-in-id-40982450?utm_source=MSStartAutos

You gotta wonder how much the owner got for it from the dealer.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

I was hoping someone (finally) would call that out, now where's my copy of Viz???

I meant to, but didn’t wish to offend by accusing you of being a Daily Mail reader..

 

[allo4324]

Depreciation brings some amazing deals for someone looking to get a Taycan. Here is a local to me sale that is 1/3 of what a new 2024 comparable build would be. This one is most likely out of warranty and listed as not certified but with 22k miles with Porsche dealer next door that would be happy to certify, this looks like a good deal for the buyers, but a killer deal for the owners looking to sell or upgrade to the refresh.

https://www.coasttocoastimports.com...ishers-in-id-40982450?utm_source=MSStartAutos

According to the car fax it's a lemon law/buy back. EA station caught fire while charging it! First time I've seen that one...

 

[SergeyIndy]

My apologies as I did not check the CarFax before posting. That explains unusually low price.
However, would anyone be surprised if there was something wrong with the EA station.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

I read recently from a credible source there were 1.2 million BEV's sold in the US last year.

I'm beginning to think 80% of those were Chevy Bolts, based on what I'm seeing at the EA sites.

We need people to quit buying EV's until the charging infrastructure catches up...especially people who can't charge at home.

No kidding. I went on a trip Fri morning (220mi), which I usually break into 2 charging stops. As I approached my first stop, the nav kept saying 0/3 stations available at my first stop. I could have pressed on further, but decided to check for myself.

Lo and behold, out of 4 stations:
- 2 had their screens covered with black plastic bags
- 1 said both plugs were unavailable
- 1 was in use by a Bolt, which had been charging for 78 min

I plugged the other cable in, but the station obviously serves a single charge at a time. I stopped his session, hoping it would allow me to start mine - no dice.

I was about to leave a polite but nasty note when the guy showed up. (No doubt because the grace period was expiring.) I expressed my frustration with him occupying the only working plug for an hour and a half (by the time he arrived), but the guy was surprisingly unapologetic about it: not from here, can’t charge at home, going on a trip next day.

For context, this was the only high-speed charging station in the area, and I was headed across the border. After he left, it took 3-4 attempts to get charging going, which just made the entire experience worse. (I had even tried a test session at an EA station near my home the night before, to ensure PnC worked.) With the best will, EA needs to do a lot fucking better.

 

[irrelevant]

No kidding. I went on a trip Fri morning (220mi), which I usually break into 2 charging stops. As I approached my first stop, the nav kept saying 0/3 stations available at my first stop. I could have pressed on further, but decided to check for myself.

Lo and behold, out of 4 stations:
- 2 had their screens covered with black plastic bags
- 1 said both plugs were unavailable
- 1 was in use by a Bolt, which had been charging for 78 min

I plugged the other cable in, but the station obviously serves a single charge at a time. I stopped his session, hoping it would allow me to start mine - no dice.

I was about to leave a polite but nasty note when the guy showed up. (No doubt because the grace period was expiring.) I expressed my frustration with him occupying the only working plug for an hour and a half (by the time he arrived), but the guy was surprisingly unapologetic about it: not from here, can’t charge at home, going on a trip next day.

For context, this was the only high-speed charging station in the area, and I was headed across the border. After he left, it took 3-4 attempts to get charging going, which just made the entire experience worse. (I had even tried a test session at an EA station near my home the night before, to ensure PnC worked.) With the best will, EA needs to do a lot fucking better.

I think in the future I’ll look for Chargepoint or other alternative DFFC. EA has so many users charging for “free” that paid options might be more available/time efficient. I just found out there was a Tesla Supercharger location with the magic dock adapter I drove past when I left JFK. That might have saved me at least 40 minutes…which is more important than saving $30.

Plugshare will filter Tesla Supercharger locations with the magic dock now, and there are about 4 dozen available in the US now…4x what I last looked.

Just don’t tell the Chevy Bolt owners.

 

[whitex]

BEV may not be the only low emission game in town soon with Honda, GM, Hyundai and BMW committing to press on with hydrogen

Sorry, hydrogen is on its way out. Shell just discontinued their hydrogen stations in the US. BEV charging is much more built out than hydrogen and is easier to expand. Furthermore, a lot more people can charge their EV's daily at home than fuel their hydrogen cars.

 

[whitex]

I'm beginning to think 80% of those were Chevy Bolts, based on what I'm seeing at the EA sites.

Bolts are relatively inexpensive, also rented by Uber to their drivers who do not factor in charging time, especially if they just drop the car off and come back hours later. I sometimes wonder if any of them just keep 2 Bolts, always keep one charging while doing rides with the other. If it hasn't happened yet, I suspect it will once used EV's drop below a certain price point, unless idle fees make it not worth while.

 

[whitex]

the guy was surprisingly unapologetic about it: not from here, can’t charge at home, going on a trip next day.

General public is surprisingly self-interested and inconsiderate of others. In my (obviously anecdotal) observation this has been getting worse lately - I see people totally doing completely inconsiderate things, whether ICEing charger, or simply leaving their shopping carts smack in the middle or a parking lot even with a cart coral no more than 10 feet away, or screaming out their car windows at other motorists for no valid reason. A little less anecdotal, PEMCO insurance apparently determined that Seattle drivers are getting ruder. Not sure if COVID contributed by keeping people isolated, or stressful times, or entitled generation which honestly believes they are doing everyone a favor by working. Or maybe there's been a shortage of Prozac lately? ?‍

Also an anecdotal observation from my travels, California and Washington residents seem so much more stressed and unhappy as compared other places, at least people I run into stores, restaurants, offices, even on the road driving.

 

[WasserGKuehlt]

Today was the return trip (Whistler back to Woodinville). Left the resort with ~35% SoC, stopped in Squamish
with about 17 or so. 0 of 4 chargers available, 1 station broken. A couple of drivers ahead of me - being Canada this was fairly polite.

A station opened up (my turn), and here we go. (I had charged here 2 days prior, as well as 4-6 times in a year.) I must have plugged in (and out) 5-6 times: it was either “reconnecting”, payment declined (tried 2 cards 3 ways) or just spinning before i gave up and called support.

I have to say their customer support is prompt and empathetic. But we went again through the same failures - disabled PnC, tried both cards again several times. The annoying part is that the handshake car-charger takes some time, and then the payment prompt comes up. The card reader must have been broken, because it just could not accept a US card - and every bloody time it failed it meant a complete reset: unplug, wait, plug in, wait - all the while on the phone. I was eventually transferred to a non-recorded line/agent, so I could read the CC number to them. (And of course that worked.) It was 30min since I arrived when the charge finally started.

The station in Bellingham was still out (1 functional out of 3, occupied the entire time from Squamish to there), so I had to drive gingerly (70mph, passed by virtually everybody) to Mt Vernon (arrived with 22mi of range left). 1 of 4 stations available, and this one just delivered - fast handshake followed by a solid 250+kW. I put more than 50% in less than 10min.

EA: do better. It’s possible.

 

[whitex]

EA station caught fire while charging it! First time I've seen that one...

I don't think think EA charger catching on fire is a likely occurrence, or we would hear more about it. Unlikely accidents happen all the time. Here is a list of lethal lightening strikes in the USA in 2022.

Just because people died doing it, it doesn't mean walking dogs, or lawn care, or sight seeing are dangerous activities. In 2016, 40 people were killed in the US by lightening strikes, so more than double 2022.

I suspect this EA fire did not claim any lives, EV's usually start burning slowly, giving people time to get out. Who knows, perhaps this EV charger was actually struck by lightening (but it wasn't fatal so didn't make the above lists)? I am surprised some EV bashing media did not run with this story when it happened.

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