I read an article in my newspaper last week that said that the big push by the federal government to install 500K EV charging stations around the country was going nowhere fast. The article said that only one charger had been installed across the entire country under that program. The article claimed that many states had received funds to install EV chargers but were just not sure what to do with it and how to actually create charging station contracts with private companies who would build the chargers. The program was completely bogged down in politics and regulations that first needed to be established to determine where the stations would go, who would get the contracts, how much each station would cost, who would run the program, etc.
I wonder which news item is right? My personal opinion is that my newspaper article is more likely to be correct as I just can't imagine the government actually being able to install 900 EV chargers a week. If that is happening in the SF Bay Area I sure haven't heard about it and I am sure that if that was happening here it would be widely reported on the local TV and radio news stations. 
Richard a big part of the problem is the roolz. I believe part of it states that to be able to qualify for some of the fed buxx, the charging station has to be within a mile of an interstate / major rode etc. That is killing a TON of them right there. I mean shit, even when you pull off the highway,you sometimes have to drive a mile or two to get to the gas station that advertised on that exit, or the booger king that advertised on that exit, or the hotel etc etc. The price of the land right ON the highway is just too stupid expensive, so they build a little off, not to mention some of the regs make it very restrictive to realistically build essentially 'on' the highway.
If they'd fix the fucking rules to let say people within 5 miles of the interstate get the funds to put up their charging stations, I believe they'd literally explode with new places to charge up. I am with the American Legion, I wanted to do something with a charger at our post, yes, for me, Im not going to pretend I had no self interest in this, BUT to bring people IN to our post to help support it, and was looking into the grants. Now granted (no pun intended) am not an expert on this stuff or where exactly to look but it was just mind boggling and a total mess, only to find out, nope, you are 3.2 miles away, you don't qualify.
people really don't care about the J Plug chargers, they are more a novelty or advertising gimmick, and the cheapest fast charger is like 15k or more for just a 10kwatt station. Ive got the board convinced that they'd allow such a thing but the money is the problem. I think it'd be a great idea, come charge with us, and while you are waiting for your car to charge, we have a restaurant and a bar, and wifi. Most nights there's some activity going on too.
The 'good chargers' are expensive as fuck, when they break, which they WILL, cost a LOT to fix, and you'd need a gob ton of people and thruput to break even on them let alone make any sort of profit off it. At best, they might be a decent loss leader at this point without the fed buxx to justify them.
They put up the money for them but made it so obscenely hard for people who might be interested, to get any of it.
JMO.
Aaron
Author
Topic: 900 Fast chargers per week? (Read 890 times)