ChargePoint Network

3443 Views 8 Replies 5 Participants Last post by brian, Feb 10, 2012

dennis

Discussion Starter · Feb 9, 2012

I met today with the CEO of Coulomb Technologies, a Silicon Valley company that provides charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. We were introduced by a mutual friend who realized that we own identical Karmas, in the same town!

In addition to supplying commercial chargers, Coulomb administers the ChargePoint Network of charging stations around the US. You can find more info about ChargePoint Here.

As a registered user, you can find charging stations in the network from an iPhone app or your browser. Coulomb has 140 employees and is busy building out electric vehicle charging infrastructure around the US. Click Here to see a map of their current coverage.

Here's a pic of one of their commercial charging stations:

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ct-fiskerbuzz

· #2 · Feb 9, 2012

RE: Chargepoint Network

No surprise, there are zero (0) stations in all of Utah and Idaho. Although maybe by June...

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Fabulist

· #3 · Feb 9, 2012

RE: Chargepoint Network

dennis said:

I have been using the ChargePoint station in the Bryant street garage in Palo Alto during lunch since I got my Karma. It's good for a mid-day power boost.

-- Fab.

P.S. I hope you encouraged him to join Fisker Buzz.

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dennis

Discussion Starter · #4 · Feb 9, 2012

RE: Chargepoint Network

Fabulist said:
P.S. I hope you encouraged him to join Fisker Buzz.

I emailed him this post and the other one I posted Here.

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brian

· #5 · Feb 9, 2012

I just wish that they would make the prices more reasonable because right now it costs 300% more to use a ChargePoint station than to use the most expensive gas in town. The only way I'd ever use one of those public charging stations is if I owned an all-EV car (like the Tesla) and was desperately low on juice, but for cars with range extenders it makes no sense to use them unless they reduce the price to compete with a gallon of gas.

-Brian

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dennis

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 9, 2012

brian said:
I just wish that they would make the prices more reasonable because right now it costs 300% more to use a ChargePoint station than to use the most expensive gas in town. The only way I'd ever use one of those public charging stations is if I owned an all-EV car (like the Tesla) and was desperately low on juice, but for cars with range extenders it makes no sense to use them unless they reduce the price to compete with a gallon of gas.

Yeah, the prices are set by whoever installs the chargers. Some municipalities and businesses such as shopping centers are installing free charging stations to promote EV use or their business. On the other hand, Stanford University charges $3.00/hour.

I believe the ChargePoint network allows you to search for just free stations.

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brian

· #7 · Feb 9, 2012

Here in Austin I think they're all $2 or $3 (I forget) per hour. I've never seen a free one except for chargers at car dealerships.

Assuming $2 and that it takes, say, 5 hours to do a full charge, then that's $10 to go ~42 miles. Or, that's like paying $5-6/gallon if you were driving it in Range Extender mode. If gas gets to $5.50 then it just might be worth using Chargepoint.

-Brian

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kabalah70

· #8 · Feb 10, 2012

But if it is a reserved parking spot where everyone else is paying parking meters like on a street in a municipality, it would make more sense to charge something like $2.00 per hour for the parking spot and electricity, otherwise I agree that it is very expensive.

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brian

· #9 · Feb 10, 2012

The other annoying thing is that they have a 1 hour minimum, so even at places like Whole Foods which have charging stations you're not going to be shopping for a whole hour there. You might be there 30 minutes, but you'll pay $2 for the hour. Lame.

I did a search earlier, and the only free Chargepoint station anywhere near Austin was up in Cedar Park at a Kohls store.

-Brian

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