Electric Vehicle Charging Stations ...

[dogtag]

In the small town near where I live is a small bunch
of charging stands (5 I think) which are always
charging cars. I don't recall ever seeing one not
plugged into a car which makes me wonder if they're
busy during the night.
Anyway, Are these stations free ? If not what is the
fee for a fill up - (charge for a charge up) ?

[JohnMOhio]

That is an excellent question dogtag. I have not seen any mention verbally or in print as to the costs of a "fill up" so to speak. Nor have I heard how long it takes with these charging stations to get a full battery charge.

[Allen]

Nothing is free and it cost those stations big time for the outlets and additional wiring.

I've heard it cost more sometimes to charge elec than gasoline depending upon state, taxes and cost of gas at the time.

It seems to be a big secret that the gov't wants to keep quiet.

Here is an article. If you scroll down it gives an approx. charge per type vehicle.

https://www.edmunds.com/electric-car/articles/how-much-does-cost-charge-electric-car.html

The time it takes to make a charge is the main thing along with the availability of chargers.

[dogtag]

There's also a bunch of them at a local shopping center.
Next time I'm there I'll check one out to see if it has a
credit card array.

[Allen]

There's also a bunch of them at a local shopping center.
Next time I'm there I'll check one out to see if it has a
credit card array.

It would have to.

[dogtag]

I suspect the fill ups are free (at least for now)- an inducement to buy an EV.
Somewhere down the line EV owners will have to pay. Surprise.

[Allen]

And the prices will rise.

Those that are able to charge at home will find that when the gov't starts taxing more and more for the electricity they will notice they are paying that same increased tax on all power they use: lights, a/c and heating, water heater, tv's, ect.

It's going to take a lot of coal and/or petroleum to produce all the extra electricity.

[Major Tom]

In my small town of 30,000, there are exactly 4 charging stations. All at a grocery market. Never saw a car being charged there.

[lyman]

big gunshow in NOVA has a walmart in the parking lot,

there is a charging area in that lot, with about 8 parking spaces taken up by the transformer etc, then 6 or so charging stations, (there is no standard plug, yet, so a couple of each type I have been told)

friend in MD has a new Tesla, he uses a dropcord at home, which is slow, overnight, and hits a few super charging stations here and there,


he gets 3 months of free charges for buying a new car, and one time he stopped at the Casino in DC and used a charger there he had to pay for,
that was about a 1/2 charge and was $15 bucks or so,


time is the key, since it takes a bit longer than filling up a gas tank

[Johnny P]

The government takes in something over $35 billion in fuel taxes, which they aren't going to let go away.

As to the charging of an electric vehicle, it can run into days to charge one on a typical 120 volt system. Gains something like 5 miles per hour of charging.

[dogtag]

Do they charge at 120 ? I assumed it would be 240.

[Johnny P]

Normally the only 240 volt in a residence is an electric dryer receptacle, an electric range, and the heat/ac unit circuits. For something like $10,000 you can have a 240 volt charging system installed in your garage. 240 volt charging is not just twice as fast as 120 volt, but only takes something like 5 to 6 hours to fully charge and EV vs. the painfully slow 120 volt charger.

[Allen]

Like most all batteries, a "fast charge" usually shortens the life of the battery and who would be looking forward to a $30K batt replacement charge?

Something else to consider about home charging is not everyone has a garage or carport and the receptacle and plug-in to your car would be exposed to the weather/rain.

[bruce]

In a lot of towns and cities, there are charging stations to be found and used in parking lots, etc. We've used them multiple times. My wife used one daily when driving to work. Dealerships also were glad to provide charging. Sincerely. bruce.

[Art]

Public charging stations are definitely not free. Depending on your vehicle plan on spending a bit over $12.00 for a compact to as much as $40.00 for a big Ford Lightning pick up. Some public station quick chargers can get you to an 80% charge in less than half an hour depending on its capacity. These stations won't work for plug in hybrids which shouldn't need them anyway since they have a gasoline back up engine. As was said above their are promotions.

A 220/240 volt quick charger installed in your home is going to set you back thousands of dollars and, of course, is only practical if you have a garage. Recharging at 110/120 volts with a regular extension cord will be an all night proposition. My brother has a friend who has a plug in hybrid and he said charging overnight every day adds about $15.00 to $20.00 to his electric bill.

The road use tax is currently imposed on the price of fuel. Since an EV doesn't use gasoline or diesel the State of Texas is planning on imposing a road use fee to be paid at registration. I understand it will be a few hundred dollars. I'm sure other states either have or will institute similar fees. Yes, EV owners here are already screaming to high heaven.