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Motor Trend magazine has passed 15K miles with their long term Chevrolet Bolt test car. The latest report http://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/bolt-ev/2017/2017-chevrolet-bolt-ev-review-long-term-update-6/ discusses charging away from home and work -- availability and use of Level 2/3 chargers in and around Los Angeles.
I've used public chargers from several companies, including ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink, and EV Connect, but a cursory internet search turns up at least 15 providers operating in the U.S. Every single one of them would prefer you sign up for a membership and download their app, but every one I've tried also allows for guest use. There are perks for membership, including better rates, quicker payment, and quicker activation at the charger, but the real benefit is not having to deal with guest access. At minimum, it requires entering a credit card number either online or through their app, which you'll have to download. At worst, it requires calling the customer service line, waiting on hold, then reading them the charger's ID number and your credit card number over the phone. Some EVgo stations I've used have credit card readers, but every one I've found hasn't worked. Prices vary wildly as the charging networks generally let the owner of the station set the rates. Some charge a flat fee, some charge by total time or electricity used, and others do both.
(discussion of the author's experiences over the 15K miles including trips that required charging at the destination and also airport runs with the Bolt full of people and luggage)
I've waited to address public charging until my time with the Bolt is nearly up so I could provide as complete a picture as possible. Here in Southern California, where EVs are popular and public chargers are fairly common, public charging is workable if mildly inconvenient. So far, the number of chargers seems to have mostly kept pace with the popularity of EVs, but we're already seeing lines forming at Tesla Superchargers. As EVs become more common, the public charging network is going to need to grow at the same or better pace to keep up, and whether that happens is anyone's guess. If electric cars are ever going to be ubiquitous like some people predict, we're going to need a lot more chargers, and we're going to need them everywhere, at nearly every parking space, so people who can't charge at home or are running low can top up. That's going to take a lot of investment from a lot of people, and it remains to be seen if supply keeps up with demand.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Virindi on Thursday March 15 2018, @12:54PM (12 children)
"You need to use our app" yeah no thanks. If I want to buy gasoline, I can insert a credit card or pay with cash. Maybe when everyone doesn't force you to download spyware just to buy their service, I might consider it. Until then nope...and I'm not holding my breath.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 15 2018, @01:39PM (3 children)
Perhaps you missed this part?
"but every one I've tried also allows for guest use."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Thursday March 15 2018, @01:58PM
Thats why the business model and customer experience is infinitely painful intentionally.
Imagine if you could buy gasoline with an app just like today but less convenient because its an app, OR you could call a number to verify your EPA fuel handler training class certificate and wait five minutes so the local fire department could arrive to supervise in case you have an accident. Technically that would permit you to buy gas without the crappy app, but...
(Score: 3, Informative) by Grishnakh on Thursday March 15 2018, @02:36PM (1 child)
Did you miss the part about guest use being almost completely unworkable, because the card readers are all broken?
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Thursday March 15 2018, @03:15PM
Very few have credit card reader. Most have RFID card readers, which are quite robust.
Every charger that I have seen has a phone number that you can call to tell someone your card number and get the charger started. This is quite inconvenient and slow, but it does work.
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Thursday March 15 2018, @03:05PM (3 children)
It's not even true.
Many networks allow you to use an RFID card to initiate charging. I have one card that works with ChargePoint, EVGo, Blink and perhaps one or two more networks. No app required, although the app can be useful.
(Score: 4, Informative) by lentilla on Thursday March 15 2018, @03:39PM (2 children)
...and I have this stuff called cash, which doesn't require me to sign up for anything. The best part is that it's network agnostic, so it works with everyone that sells stuff.
Technology just makes me sad these days. The goal is never to make people's lives better and easier - if anything, that's a mere by-product. The goal is to track, trap, and monetise.
(Score: 2) by Whoever on Thursday March 15 2018, @04:03PM
.
Not any more. There are businesses that only accept cards these days.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday March 15 2018, @09:21PM
You better keep it to show your grandchildren living in a cashless society. I'm sure they'll be fascinated learning about the barbaric times one use material tokens for exchanges and can live normally without having an account on a social media site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Thursday March 15 2018, @09:16PM (3 children)
You will also consider it when everyone does force you to download spyware just to buy their service.
Because your only alternatives will be to walk or cycle or buy a stable to keep your horse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 16 2018, @02:01AM (1 child)
Sheep like you deserve to live in australia.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Friday March 16 2018, @02:36AM
Yeah, right you are, even if for the wrong reasons.
Because of it, I'm prepared for other solutions if "app only access" becomes the norm - e.g. have enough space to keep some horses.
Question is: are you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Virindi on Friday March 16 2018, @04:39PM
The point being that there are alternatives. Internal combustion vehicles are still a great option. Even if every car was electric there would still be alternatives to electric charging stations...such as not driving, installing bigger batteries in your vehicle, stopping at a friend's house to charge, etc.
Assuming people have no choice but to buy your product because "everyone else is also doing it" is a way to shoot your own industry in the foot. It is quite rare indeed that people REALLY have no choice but to buy your product. And, those cases tend to be pretty heavily regulated already, such as emergency medical care.