Does anyone have any details for the pending Electrify America DCFC being constructed in Firebaugh, CA?

[BoltEV]

At 233 miles from my home, this setup at the Panoche Shell, could, finally, be the DCFC I have been waiting for on I-5 between Los Angeles and Northern California.

However if it is only one CSS, and not multiple availability, I just do not see how I can make that drive and risk that it suddenly goes out of service and I am in the middle of nowhere with no alternative options!

Has anyone driven by this location and seen what is being constructed up close?

 

[SparkE]

I haven't been there, however plugshare lists it as 4 stations (and under construction). HOWEVER, Electrify America stations are often reported as having problems requiring calls to cust service to reboot the station or the credit card reader (or both) - and Cust Serv is *NOT* 24/7. If you are going to be using an EA site, make sure you stop during open hours!

Personally, I'd wait until there is another DCFC (from another vendor) in the general area (within 50 miles or so).

ChargePoint has already opened a multi-station DCFC at Gustine (I-5 near Los Banos. about 50 miles north of the Firebaugh EA site) and they are *supposed* to open a site near Coalinga on I-5 (about 35 miles S of Firebaugh) and another at Buttonwillow (100 miles S of FireB). Can't tell how far any of them are along yet, though (including the EA site).

 

[BoltEV]

Thanks for that information!

Going north on I-5, Buttonwillow will help, although it would be a stop after only about 100-120 miles and Gustine is too far north to make it directly from LA (unless a preliminary stop at Buttonwillow occurred).

The point is to make it on I-5 to Northern California (Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz/San Jose; or SF/Oakland) with only one charging stop, like Tesla does with its Supercharger at Harris Ranch.

 

[SparkE]

In many cases EA (will often, based on its published 'plan') make non-Tesla electric vehicle travel between cities *realistically* possible for the first time (especially outside of CA nd the NE corridor). By 'realistically possible', I mean (1) not having to stop at an L2 for 'buffer range' to get to next DCFC site, and (2) with some sort of safety margin - not too far apart, and more than one DCFC per site. That's "a good thing".

On the other hand, I have the same "moral objective" with EA 'funding' that I had with EVgo 'funding' : the money was a big pot of cash that was a legal agreement so that they wouldn't get sued (lose a suit, get dragged to court, whatever) for crapola they pulled (OK, OK, "may have" pulled). Personally, I think that the two entities shouldn't have been allowed to set up their own private networks with money that (IMO) should have been put into a pot and then ask for bids to electrify our highways, shared among all the electric charging players. At a minimum, each EA (or EVgo) DCFC site should have been required to allow both physical space and additional transformer capacity so that *another vendor* could come in and place DCFC units at the same site, thus promoting competition. And we are now seeing the same situation with EA that we saw with EVgo (in CA) up until recently : outrageously expensive.

The units that EA is installing are over-sized (150 kW, 350 kW) and to a certain extent that is "good" - future proofing. On the OTHER hand, those 350 kW units are going to be perfect for upcoming Porche and VW vehicles ... and just about nobody else. (I may have missed it, but I can only think of the german vendor that has already announced 200+ kW, 800V charging using *standards-based protocols* for their high-end vehicles.) So, once again, the 'punishment money' is being used to (1) set up a private network and (2) possibly set up a dominant position in the marketplace.

I can only hope that by enabling long-distance travel, the chicken-and-egg problem is solved, and that OTHER vendors will have an incentive to install DCFCs because there will be a lot more electric vehicles.

OK, end of my rant ("use punishment money to set up your own, new profit center" is a personal hot-button topic of mine.)

 

[SeanNelson]

The units that EA is installing are over-sized (150 kW, 350 kW) and to a certain extent that is "good" - future proofing. On the OTHER hand, those 350 kW units are going to be perfect for upcoming Porche and VW vehicles ... and just about nobody else.

Nobody else is building those vehicles because there's no infrastructure for them. If EA bootstraps the infrastructure then there's no reason other manufacturers can't build their cars to take advantage of it. Progress has to come from somewhere...

 

[GetOffYourGas]

The units that EA is installing are over-sized (150 kW, 350 kW) and to a certain extent that is "good" - future proofing. On the OTHER hand, those 350 kW units are going to be perfect for upcoming Porche and VW vehicles ... and just about nobody else.

Nobody else is building those vehicles because there's no infrastructure for them. If EA bootstraps the infrastructure then there's no reason other manufacturers can't build their cars to take advantage of it. Progress has to come from somewhere...

This.

It's not like EA is using a proprietary protocol for those 350 kW chargers (*cough cough*). They are using an SAE-approved standard. Any car company can (and likely will) make cars in the future to use those power levels.

 

[BoltEV]

OK, end of my rant ("use punishment money to set up your own, new profit center" is a personal hot-button topic of mine.)

As a progressive, I applaud your quasi-socialistic approach to the punishment of VW. But the fact of the matter is that it is a sky high probability to hope that any such system will be implemented in the lifetime of our EVs.

As a subscriber to EVGo for a few years now, I continue to point out my experiences in Southern California, as opposed to yours in Northern California, that even an "expensive" DCFC is better than none at all (which in reality was not so expensive when purchasing the $10 per month subscription plan).

Right now I can only drive I-5 up to the Lost Hills cutoff on Hiway 46, back to the 101; or just after the Grapevine, switch to Hiway 99.

An "expensive" alternative at the Panoche Shell in Firebaugh, will finally give me the option to return to driving all the way up the I-5 to either Hiway 152 or I-580 and allow us to drive I-5 up to the major Northern California metropolises of Monterey Bay/Santa Cruz/San Jose and the San Francisco Bay Area, respectively.

It is sorely needed!

 

[SparkE]

I don't understand the "quasi-socialistic" comment. Personally, I view a settlement that dumps a bunch of money into a fund to be handed out on a "competitive bid" basis among all companies who would then have to compete to be capitalism, not socialism. Especially since I mentioned the "must reserve space for competitors at their installs" (although, going back, I *did* call out EA and EVgo for that - I think that all public programs like I am proposing should have a "your company is feeding at the public trough, you must leave room for others as well or go eat elsewhere" element).

It is only in the past couple of years or so that EVgo really accelerated their installs in CA, whereas they dragged their feet the first five or so years. They went waaaaay past their install/spend deadlines multiple times, and didn't have redundant stations along travel corridors until fairly recently. Heck, it wasn't until they were sold by the energy co to an investment firm (along with the settlement requirements) that the install rate (in CA) accelerated.

I also recognized the "chicken and egg" and "maybe now others will want to build out as well" when/if EVs become more popular now that the long-distance "what if I want to drive to Vegas?" conundrum has/will have been handled. (Although that didn't work too well with EVgo, they didn't really 'set off a massive competitive install race.) On the other hand, the DCFC installation explosion between Sacramento and Tahoe didn't happen until "drive the arc" (an effort spurred by Nissan) went into gear - then suddenly there were competing EVgo stations all along that same route!

At any rate, what's done is done. And you are 100% correct stating that it is better to have an expensive option available than to have no options whatsoever. I do believe, however, that it is far better when 'punishing' a corporation to actually take the money away from them, instead of telling them "OK, take this money to build a new business division". That being said, having the chargers is better than not having them at all, and no punishment at all.)

(BTW, the subscription fee for EVgo used to be $15, not $10 - and all it gave you {one} was access to lower rates. Their current plan {now that there are competitors} is much more competitive/capitalistic : $10 that is a 'credit' for the month that can be used for charging, AND a lower rate.)

Heck, maybe it is the Tesla model 3 that will be the true catalyst that will encourage public charging installs. In 6 months there are almost as many model 3 sold than any other single model of electric vehicle sold - ever. (The original model LEAF still holds the laurel, but that was over a 6 year period, and they won't hold it for very much longer.) Since the model 3 comes with NO free supercharging, Tesla just hiked up the rates for not-free supercharging, they come with a J-1772<->Tesla converter, and one can buy or rent a CHAdeMO<->Tesla converter ... it might just be that the model 3 will spur installs of 25 or 50 kW DCFCs at merchants/malls/restaurants, as well as J-1772 stations. (Personally, I've always thought that 25-50 kW DCFCs at nice restaurants along travel corridors would be a great thing for everybody involved. You stop to eat and add 30-60 kWh of 'juice' while relaxing.)

 

[BoltEV]

You keep wanting government control over existing build-outs of EVGo and now Electrify America; hence the quasi-socialism comment. Your pie-in-the-sky proposal will never see the light of day; good luck!

(BTW, the subscription fee for EVgo used to be $15, not $10 - and all it gave you {one} was access to lower rates. Their current plan {now that there are competitors} is much more competitive/capitalistic : $10 that is a 'credit' for the month that can be used for charging, AND a lower rate.)

You're right; it was originally $15 per month, non-applicable, but when you used a minimum two 30 minute EVGo charges per month, it more than paid for itself.

The current plan is only better and that is what competition does to pricing models.

The situation is that you were spoiled with many non-EVGo options in your area, yet you kept voicing your past prejudice against EVGo to those of us who had a need geographically for using EVGo, unlike you.

 

[SparkE]

You keep wanting government control over existing build-outs of EVGo and now Electrify America; hence the quasi-socialism comment. Your pie-in-the-sky proposal will never see the light of day; good luck!

1) Where do you see me keep asking for "control over existing build-outs of EVGo and now Electrify America" ??? Please show me quotes of what I have posted that says that. (You can't go back more than 3 months - you are saying "keep asking", so that means "current".)

2) I don't want govt oversight of EVGo or Electrify America - what I wanted was for the money to be put in a pool that any company (all companies) could use to build a DCFC infrastructure - so long as it followed certain rules (for example, off the top of my head: at least 2 units per site, min kW power, max of M miles between all units when the entire multi-company system is fully built out, leave room for competitors, you must put up at least X% of the funds, you have an install deadline which IF you miss by more than W weeks you must return the money, no collusion, etc.). Once the money was spent, ("hey here's a pool of FREE MONEY - use it to build this, and this only, we are accepting bids!") the govt steps away. That isn't the govt controlling anything except how the money is given out, with equal rules and access for all.

3) I *do* (did) want the government to set *requirements* for the infrastructure (for anybody getting the money) - but not to run the companies. Simply to make sure that the requirements (and safety, of course) are met. Just like (say) zoning rules, or electrical installation requirements, or planing/surveying roads, or mandatory schooling for kids. That aint "socialism".

 

[BoltEV]

2) I don't want govt oversight of EVGo or Electrify America - what I wanted was for the money to be put in a pool that any company (all companies) could use to build a DCFC infrastructure - so long as it followed certain rules (for example, off the top of my head: at least 2 units per site, min kW power, max of M miles between all units when the entire multi-company system is fully built out, leave room for competitors, you must put up at least X% of the funds, you have an install deadline which IF you miss by more than W weeks you must return the money, no collusion, etc.). Once the money was spent, ("hey here's a pool of FREE MONEY - use it to build this, and this only, we are accepting bids!") the govt steps away. That isn't the govt controlling anything except how the money is given out, with equal rules and access for all.

Good luck on this! I am not holding my breath!

In the meantime EA IS building a DCFC on Interstate-5 that will allow Bolt EVs to finally use I-5 for trips to and from Southern California/Northern California!

 

[SparkEVPilot]

2) I don't want govt oversight of EVGo or Electrify America - what I wanted was for the money to be put in a pool that any company (all companies) could use to build a DCFC infrastructure - so long as it followed certain rules (for example, off the top of my head: at least 2 units per site, min kW power, max of M miles between all units when the entire multi-company system is fully built out, leave room for competitors, you must put up at least X% of the funds, you have an install deadline which IF you miss by more than W weeks you must return the money, no collusion, etc.). Once the money was spent, ("hey here's a pool of FREE MONEY - use it to build this, and this only, we are accepting bids!") the govt steps away. That isn't the govt controlling anything except how the money is given out, with equal rules and access for all.

Good luck on this! I am not holding my breath!

In the meantime EA IS building a DCFC on Interstate-5 that will allow Bolt EVs to finally use I-5 for trips to and from Southern California/Northern California!

Interesting conversation. But.... EA is much more expensive than EVgo. Yesterday I charged my Spark EV at my favorite EVgo station. 16 minutes of charging time cost me $2.40 and that $2.40 was deducted from my $10.00 per month plan charge. 16 minutes charging at an EA station would have cost me $6.60 (16 minutes at $.35 per minute plus $1.00 session fee). At 5 mi/kWh that amounts to $0.05 per mile for EVgo and $0.13 for EA. At $3.00 per gallon for gasoline, I would only need an ICE getting 23 mpg to match my Spark EV charging cost per mile at the EA station.

Last year I drove a rented Nissan Altima to Utah twice and Idaho once and I averaged 40+ mpg for all three trips. At $3.00 per gallon, my cost per mile was $0.075. Local driving is perfect for an EV and my wife and I both drive Spark EVs 100% of the time locally and we rent a car when we have to travel long distances including out of state. I have seen many studies which state that about 85% of driving is done locally. But, for long distance driving, an ICE getting high MPG like the Nissan Altima makes more sense and I am not limited as to where I can go. Plus, I don't have to wait an hour or more at each fuel (charging) stop.

 

[BoltEV]

... EA is much more expensive than EVgo. Yesterday I charged my Spark EV at my favorite EVgo station. 16 minutes of charging time cost me $2.40 and that $2.40 was deducted from my $10.00 per month plan charge. 16 minutes charging at an EA station would have cost me $6.60 (16 minutes at $.35 per minute plus $1.00 session fee). At 5 mi/kWh that amounts to $0.05 per mile for EVgo and $0.13 for EA. At $3.00 per gallon for gasoline, I would only need an ICE getting 23 mpg to match my Spark EV charging cost per mile at the EA station.

Last year I drove a rented Nissan Altima to Utah twice and Idaho once and I averaged 40+ mpg for all three trips. At $3.00 per gallon, my cost per mile was $0.075. For me, local driving is perfect for an EV. I have seen many studies which state that about 85% of driving is done locally. But, for long distance driving, an ICE getting high MPG like the Nissan Altima makes more sense and I am not limited as to where I can go. Plus, I don't have to wait an hour at each fuel (charging) stop.

If your numbers hold up at the new EA station in Firebaugh, it might cost me as much as twice as much as the Chargepoint mini-DCFC in Paso Robles.

I am not sure if I make enough trans-California trips per year to justify the cost of a Nissan rental!

Trips to Utah and Idaho are probably extremely problematic in any BEV other than a Tesla! Then I would use my ICE.

After I drive 220 miles, I look forward to a 1 hour charging stop to stretch my legs, eat and use the restroom.

Just curious: how many months out of a year do you not charge at an EVGo? I have not used mine in many months now and I will probably just cancel the subscription.

 

[SparkEVPilot]

... EA is much more expensive than EVgo. Yesterday I charged my Spark EV at my favorite EVgo station. 16 minutes of charging time cost me $2.40 and that $2.40 was deducted from my $10.00 per month plan charge. 16 minutes charging at an EA station would have cost me $6.60 (16 minutes at $.35 per minute plus $1.00 session fee). At 5 mi/kWh that amounts to $0.05 per mile for EVgo and $0.13 for EA. At $3.00 per gallon for gasoline, I would only need an ICE getting 23 mpg to match my Spark EV charging cost per mile at the EA station.

Last year I drove a rented Nissan Altima to Utah twice and Idaho once and I averaged 40+ mpg for all three trips. At $3.00 per gallon, my cost per mile was $0.075. For me, local driving is perfect for an EV. I have seen many studies which state that about 85% of driving is done locally. But, for long distance driving, an ICE getting high MPG like the Nissan Altima makes more sense and I am not limited as to where I can go. Plus, I don't have to wait an hour at each fuel (charging) stop.

If your numbers hold up at the new EA station in Firebaugh, it might cost me as much as twice as much as the Chargepoint mini-DCFC in Paso Robles.

I am not sure if I make enough trans-California trips per year to justify the cost of a Nissan rental!

Trips to Utah and Idaho are probably extremely problematic in any BEV other than a Tesla! Then I would use my ICE.

After I drive 220 miles, I look forward to a 1 hour charging stop to stretch my legs, eat and use the restroom.

Just curious: how many months out of a year do you not charge at an EVGo? I have not used mine in many months now and I will probably just cancel the subscription.

I do most of my charging at home where I have both L1 and L2 EVSE equipment. My 2014 Spark EV does not have DCFC but my 2016 Spark EV does. EVgo's subscription membership costs me $10 per month and all of the $10 can be applied to charging costs. I pay $0.15 per minute of charging and I usually charge to 90-95% of a full charge. Each month, I make sure I charge at the local EVgo station to consume the $10. It usually takes me 15 - 17 minutes to charge from 25% to 95% and get on my way.

I charge at this EVgo station at least 3-4 times per month. Since the EVgo station is 10 miles from my home, my wife and I use the EVgo station when we are near it. But, sometimes I drive there just to charge so I can consume my subscription fee. There are two more EVgo combo stations located 2 miles further South in a shopping center and one more 18 miles West of my home. FYI, I have had a membership with EVgo and ChargePoint since 2015 when I first leased a 2015 Spark EV. I also have active an membership with GreenLots.

The longer range in an EV like a Bolt would be of benefit to me if I had to make multiple long distance trips that would require many 15-minute stops to charge my Spark EV. But I don't. 95% of the driving my wife and I do is local. The rest is for trips to the Sacramento area or the Bay Area and these are few in number. Cost wise, these few longer trips do not justify the purchase of an EV with a 200+ mile range. But I do try to keep up with the new EVs and dream.

 

[BoltEV]

That is really interesting and helpful information.

I was an early subscriber to EVGo when the monthly fee was $15 and not applicable; but offered enough savings on the per minute charge that if I only did two 30 minute charges per month, the savings exceeded $15.

With their newer plan, of course I switched to $10 per month applicable, but now I do not make as many trips to Northern California (EVGo in San Luis Obispo or Chargepoint in Paso Robles) or just "joy-rides" around Southern California to enjoy my BoltEV and explore different DCFC charging opportunities and nearby restaurants).

For example the Chevy dealer in Santa Clarita has a 24/7 DCFC available for free which I have used in the later evening hours (although Plugshare comments indicate that during business hours, Chevy EV's not purchased at that dealer have been bumped off by customers).

I also carry FOBs for Greenlight, Blink, and even Shorepower for use, when needed, at the Flying J Truck Stop in Frazer Park, at the top of the Grapevine with my AV Turbocord and adapters that I carry in the back.

I have made the roundtrip from LA to Las Vegas using EVGo in Victorville.

You keep quoting $3 per gallon for gasoline in your computations to compare electricity to gasoline. Is that really how much it costs in your area? The Flying J Truck Stop I mentioned was usually the cheapest 87 I could find (just over the Los Angeles County line in Kern County) and it is current $3.32.

Do you have any idea how much it costs you to charge at home? In my Volt days, I computed that a 40 mile day cost me $1.60 and It cost me $40 per month driving an average of 1,000 miles per month.

Good that you enjoy your SparkEV and thanks for being a pioneer!

 

[SparkEVPilot]

That is really interesting and helpful information.

I was an early subscriber to EVGo when the monthly fee was $15 and not applicable; but offered enough savings on the per minute charge that if I only did two 30 minute charges per month, the savings exceeded $15.

With their newer plan, of course I switched to $10 per month applicable, but now I do not make as many trips to Northern California (EVGo in San Luis Obispo or Chargepoint in Paso Robles) or just "joy-rides" around Southern California to enjoy my BoltEV and explore different DCFC charging opportunities and nearby restaurants).

For example the Chevy dealer in Santa Clarita has a 24/7 DCFC available for free which I have used in the later evening hours (although Plugshare comments indicate that during business hours, Chevy EV's not purchased at that dealer have been bumped off by customers).

I also carry FOBs for Greenlight, Blink, and even Shorepower for use, when needed, at the Flying J Truck Stop in Frazer Park, at the top of the Grapevine with my AV Turbocord and adapters that I carry in the back.

I have made the roundtrip from LA to Las Vegas using EVGo in Victorville.

You keep quoting $3 per gallon for gasoline in your computations to compare electricity to gasoline. Is that really how much it costs in your area? The Flying J Truck Stop I mentioned was usually the cheapest 87 I could find (just over the Los Angeles County line in Kern County) and it is current $3.32.

Do you have any idea how much it costs you to charge at home? In my Volt days, I computed that a 40 mile day cost me $1.60 and It cost me $40 per month driving an average of 1,000 miles per month.

Good that you enjoy your SparkEV and thanks for being a pioneer!

I am really interested in you experience at the Frazer Park Flying J and ShorePower. I have always wanted to take a shot at driving to the LA area but I just was not comfortable with being able to charge at the Frazer Park Flying J. And, there was no charging available South of Bakersfield until I got to Valencia. Now there are L2 stations at Wheeler Ridge but even those seem to have problems. Too risky for me. I do have a complete L2 setup with the necessary adapters but I was never sure if the ShorePower pedestals were working or not. So I haven't tried. I did try once at the ShorePower pedestals located at the Flying J in Lodi, CA but I was never able to contact ShorePower to get the pedestal working. Maybe it is time to try again.

Gasoline prices in my area are currently running about $2.89 to $3.25 per gallon. It depends if you like ARCO or Chevron / Shell.

My cost per kWh at home is about $0.21 and I only use about 2100 kWh per year charging my Spark EVs. I do have a pickup truck too. Our home has a solar system and it produces sufficient electricity to cover all of our home usage plus about 400 kWh of the car charging at home. PG&E climate credits help too so my total annual utility bill for electricity is less than $400. Gotta love them Solar Panels!

Note: According to the last post on PlugShare for the Flying J on Frazer Park Road, the entire parking lot was under construction. This was posted last year in August. There is no indication that the ShorePower pedestals are available. ShorePower's website is of no help.

 

[keijidosha]

...I am really interested in you experience at the Frazer Park Flying J and ShorePower. I have always wanted to take a shot at driving to the LA area but I just was not comfortable with being able to charge at the Frazer Park Flying J. And, there was no charging available South of Bakersfield until I got to Valencia. Now there are L2 stations at Wheeler Ridge but even those seem to have problems. Too risky for me. I do have a complete L2 setup with the necessary adapters but I was never sure if the ShorePower pedestals were working or not. So I haven't tried. I did try once at the ShorePower pedestals located at the Flying J in Lodi, CA but I was never able to contact ShorePower to get the pedestal working. Maybe it is time to try again.

Gasoline prices in my area are currently running about $2.89 to $3.25 per gallon. It depends if you like ARCO or Chevron / Shell.

My cost per kWh at home is about $0.21 and I only use about 2100 kWh per year charging my Spark EVs. I do have a pickup truck too. Our home has a solar system and it produces sufficient electricity to cover all of our home usage plus about 400 kWh of the car charging at home. PG&E climate credits help too so my total annual utility bill for electricity is less than $400. Gotta love them solar panels!

Note: According to the last post on PlugShare for the Flying J on Frazer Park Road, the entire parking lot was under construction. This was posted last year in August. There is no indication that the ShorePower pedestals are available. ShorePower's website is of no help.

I have stopped to charge here in the Fit EV. Pedestals were 14-30 connectors and offset 25 feet back from the curb, so you needed an extension cord, or to drive up onto the shoulder. Stations were hard to activate as controller in the building didn't work and online help could not contact them reliably.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/15209

Not sure it will have Shorepower when (if) it re-opens.

"Flying J crumbles into dust — Store being demolished to reopen by January"
http://mountainenterprise.com/story...-store-being-demolished-to-reopen-by-january/

Shorepower site shows still is out of service
https://www.shorepowerconnect.com/PurchaseService

 

[SparkEVPilot]

...I am really interested in you experience at the Frazer Park Flying J and ShorePower. I have always wanted to take a shot at driving to the LA area but I just was not comfortable with being able to charge at the Frazer Park Flying J. And, there was no charging available South of Bakersfield until I got to Valencia. Now there are L2 stations at Wheeler Ridge but even those seem to have problems. Too risky for me. I do have a complete L2 setup with the necessary adapters but I was never sure if the ShorePower pedestals were working or not. So I haven't tried. I did try once at the ShorePower pedestals located at the Flying J in Lodi, CA but I was never able to contact ShorePower to get the pedestal working. Maybe it is time to try again.

Gasoline prices in my area are currently running about $2.89 to $3.25 per gallon. It depends if you like ARCO or Chevron / Shell.

My cost per kWh at home is about $0.21 and I only use about 2100 kWh per year charging my Spark EVs. I do have a pickup truck too. Our home has a solar system and it produces sufficient electricity to cover all of our home usage plus about 400 kWh of the car charging at home. PG&E climate credits help too so my total annual utility bill for electricity is less than $400. Gotta love them solar panels!

Note: According to the last post on PlugShare for the Flying J on Frazer Park Road, the entire parking lot was under construction. This was posted last year in August. There is no indication that the ShorePower pedestals are available. ShorePower's website is of no help.

I have stopped to charge here in the Fit EV. Pedestals were 14-30 connectors and offset 25 feet back from the curb, so you needed an extension cord, or to drive up onto the shoulder. Stations were hard to activate as controller in the building didn't work and online help could not contact them reliably.

https://www.plugshare.com/location/15209

Not sure it will have Shorepower when (if) it re-opens.

"Flying J crumbles into dust — Store being demolished to reopen by January"
http://mountainenterprise.com/story...-store-being-demolished-to-reopen-by-january/

Shorepower site shows still is out of service
https://www.shorepowerconnect.com/PurchaseService

It sure would be nice if they installed a couple of CCS / CHAdeMO DCFC combo charging stations. It would be a great location to stop, charge and grab something to eat. And... I could finally get my Spark EV over the Grapevine and journey to LA.

 

[SparkE]

It sure would be nice if they installed a couple of CCS / CHAdeMO DCFC combo charging stations. It would be a great location to stop, charge and grab something to eat. And... I could finally get my Spark EV over the Grapevine and journey to LA.

As usual for us poor EV drivers ... "it will be soooo much better in just a year!!" . I bounce between being elated and up-beat about the new DCFCs going "real soon now", and being pissed off and depressed because they aren't there yet (been waiting for the CEC-funded routes to pop up since the beginning of 2017, for example).

That being said, the CEC-funded sites soon to be found down in that area (can you imagine the wry smile on my face while I am typing this?) ...

FOUR ChargePoint sites :
- Wheeler Ridge (for once, somebody really thought this one through - that is just S of where I-5 and CA-99 join, so travelers on both routes can use it)

- Lebec (pretty much just down the road from the Frazier Park Flying J stop)

- Castaic (on the S side of the grapevine, heading into/out off the LA basin)

- Valencia (Santa Clarita) ; a few miles south of Castaic.

Those are spread out over about 50 miles (with a BIG elevation change), so they should be quite helpful.

On the other hand, they are all planned to be single DCFC sites. That may have been decent planning back in 2016 (when all this was approved) but now that the Bolt (and 150-mile LEAF2, and soon the e+ LEAF, Niro, and Kona) are rolling around, single DCFC sites just aren't very good planning. And placing TWO units costs a LOT less than double the installation costs of a single unit - the labor is "about" the same (trenching, sending the workers there, bulldozing, concrete, etc), and the land cost is already sunk, as is the electrical work (except possibly a more powerful transformer/drop). So the additional cost is "about" $40-60K (out of maybe $240-750K). Frankly, single DCFC sites are "sooooo 2016".

Now, when I said "they are all planned to be", I probably should have said WERE all planned to be - one of the CP sites in the north, on I-5 in Red Bluff, was funded by CEC to be a single DCFC site, but THREE opened at that location). So we can hope...