I don't know about that, there actually might be the opposite effect in having level 2 charging stations at these short-term lots. It could give the impression that EV drivers need to charge so often, they need to plug in just to go to a Walgreens or McDonalds! It also suggests a useful charge could be obtained in the short amount of time one would be there. Neither message furthers better understanding of EVs of any type.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
-
On today's TMC Podcast, we ask the question "What is the Tesla Cybercab?". Join us on YouTube live at 1PM and participate in the chat.
Charging stations and Costco
- Thread starter nwdiver
- Start date
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Well, it might have the opposite effect, but in my experience, it has not. Instead, people are always telling me about 'oh hey, I saw a place to charge EVs at [fill in the blank].' I love that they are noticing this stuff. I never hear them say, 'Must not be able to go far if they have to put them everywhere like that.'
Seriously, have you ever said to someone, 'Gas cars must not be able to go far - there's a stinkin' gas station on every corner!'. People need to see EVSEs everywhere. It drives home the fact that it's no big deal to find a place to charge if you're not home. Just like a gas station, only better. Because 1) you can charge at home, and 2) it's almost always free.
As a long-term Costco shareholder, I can attest that their business model is not to throw out much in the way of loss leaders, which free EV charging definitely is.
That said, as a small businessman, I have the option of taking my bulk business to, inter alia, Sam's Club or Costco. Ceteris paribus, how do you think I would respond to the knowledge of one of them providing EV chargers?
That said, as a small businessman, I have the option of taking my bulk business to, inter alia, Sam's Club or Costco. Ceteris paribus, how do you think I would respond to the knowledge of one of them providing EV chargers?
I appreciate the sentiment. Quite a while ago, I filled out a comment card at our nearest Costco and subsequently spoke with a manager about installing EVSEs, but nothing came of it. Given where we live (on a mountain), we need to charge somewhere if we want to drive our LEAF to Costco and return home. If we could actually charge at Costco, we'd become members again.
In addition, sometimes it makes sense to stop at Costco on long road trips. Being able to add a bit of charge to one's Tesla would be nice.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
In general, I think people find it inconvenient to charge while shopping and such. First, they aren't going to get that much of a charge relative to the hassle and secondly, if the charger is not free, it's usually a lot more expensive than at home. I'm sure some people do that but most don't - look at all the empty L2 chargers around. In Seattle, where EV penetration of pretty high, they are mostly empty. The national average for the big charger networks is one charge every 2 days per charge port. and, that includes free chargers.
The simple fact that people don't understand is that EV charging is different than gassing up. You plug in at night and in the morning you have full range. And people are actually smarter than some think. They won't buy an EV with less range than their daily or weekly activities require. The "gas station" model doesn't work for EVs. And, to the obvious objection, EVs are simply not appropriate for people in apartments or condos until they can charge at home.
If I was Costco, I'd rip them out too.
The simple fact that people don't understand is that EV charging is different than gassing up. You plug in at night and in the morning you have full range. And people are actually smarter than some think. They won't buy an EV with less range than their daily or weekly activities require. The "gas station" model doesn't work for EVs. And, to the obvious objection, EVs are simply not appropriate for people in apartments or condos until they can charge at home.
If I was Costco, I'd rip them out too.
Heh heh. You evidently don't shop at Costco the way we do....three or four flatbeds at a time. We can definitely get a full charge when we're there....
(of course, although our Model S holds a lot, it doesn't hold that much (not four flatbeds). But here's a shot of what we disgorged from it after a trip to Costco. Plus to the diesel station, you'll see:
CliffG
Member
Well, how about pitching chargers as a membership benefit for when members are on the road - one could swipe one's Costco card (like a Chargepoint card) to release the charger.
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
And when you did that, like Costco, you would have left a whole lot of people with older EVs without other charging options. It's never quite as simple as just the use case we're familiar with.
GoBlue88
Member
NoCO
Member
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
But Bonnie, those people with older EV aren't using the L2s out there. Look at ChargePoint and Blink usage stats - each EVSE in their networks sees one car every 2 days. And that includes the free EVSEs. They charge at home. Actual usage.
- - - Updated - - -
Uh, you shop there for 10 hours?
I thought we were...I was...talking SpCs here. You're right. But we DO usually clock out a good four hours. Serious.
JPP
Active Member
...4 hours...serious Costco shopper. I do like the looks I get when I open the frunk to load up, and having the hatch and fold down seats does come in handy for those extra large Costco items...
I kind of doubt that there would be a supercharger at a place like CostCo. I wouldn't complain about that, though.
I was under the impression that this discussion was about Costco ripping out their legacy chargers and not moving to J1772s. A DCFC-ish EVSE might be worthwhile though I am skeptical that anything other than free would get much use.
Similar threads
