#dcfastcharge

Weirdness here

It isn’t just Greensboro that has gone missing from the Greenlots app. Both Charlotte stations (AAA South End and AAA on Flat River Dr), Salisbury, Matthews, Wadesboro, Greensboro, Hillsborough, Durham, Chapel Hill, Leland, and Calabash have all disappeared from the Greenlots map (along with VIRginia International Raceway). What’s interesting is some of these locations have been changed from Greenlots to non-networked in the Plugshare listing, and several of them report that the stations now say that they are on the ChargePoint network. One person even said they alerted Chargepoint to an issue with the Salisbury station on September 15. I know that station “works” because my buddy bought a new Energica in Raleigh and charged it at that station on his way home just the other day. I say “works” because the screen is still dead but if you know where to tap on the screen you can get it to start a charge.

A ChargePoint Takeover?

Back in May, I attended a fleet electrification workshop (I was showing off the brand new Hyundai Ioniq to attendees). I spoke with our local accounts rep from ChargePoint, and she said that there are “10 DC fast stations coming to the area.” Coincidentally, I’ve identified 10 NC cities that have “lost” their Greenlots machines and/or the machines now say they are ChargePoint. I suspect that these old Signet boxes are about to be replaced with the Tritium 50kW units like at Lenoir and Wallace. I’ve reached out to my ChargePoint contact to see if she can verify my theory, because in May she wasn’t at liberty to discuss the details. Seems like there’s enough evidence to suggest this is what’s happening. Whatever I find out, I’ll report. Stay tuned….

Normal is subjective. What is normal to the spider is chaos to the fly. That said, most people wouldn't endure a grueling, hour-long strength conditioning class at their gym and then decide to go ride 133 miles with a daily high of 48F. In my defense, I really wanted to be among the first to check in and use the Electrify America station in Rocky Mount, NC. However, it was freezing cold at speed on the bike and the cold weather impacted my battery performance. I set out on US-64 and was rolling 70 till I got about 20 miles away and realized I might not have enough power left. I'd encountered a good headwind and wasn't feeling confident, so I took an exit and hit up 64-alternate in eco mode. I arrived with 6% State of Charge (SOC), and plugged into a 320kW station. But the station wouldn't initialize the charge cycle before my bike timed out on its DC Fast initialization cycle. I called the 800# and got Brett on the line, he reset the station but the problem persisted. I tried the 150kW station next to it, and it initiated the charge. The Electrify America stations are scary quiet compared to all other CCS stations out there. I didn't know it was charging until I saw the battery % change in the bike. Being as this location was at a Sheetz and I hadn't had lunch, I popped inside for some sliders and mozerella sticks. After finishing my meal, I chatted with the staff about my bike before disconnecting at 91% SOC. I decided that my next stop should be the Electrify America station in Henderson, 48 miles away.

The ride to Henderson was done entirely in eco mode and on back roads. Did I mention it was cold? It was freezing, actually. I questioned my sanity several times. But I was on a journey and I would finish. I rolled up to the Electrify America stations at the Henderson Walmart with 18% power left. I tried to do a contactless payment (Google Pay) but it failed to be accepted. I swiped my card and the charge started. I called ELectrify America's customer service, and again spoke with Brett, to inform them about the payment issue. Brett says a technician will be dispatched to investigate. At Walmart, I picked up some new thermal lined gloves and soaked up the blessed heat from the store until the bike hit 96%. Plenty of range to go the 41 miles to home.

The ride home was entirely uneventful, save the lost feeling in my extremities. I eventually put the bike into Urban mode to kept up with traffic along the 55mph highway. It infuriates me how speed limits are merely suggestions to most motorists. I digress... I rolled up at home with 28% SOC and then took a very hot shower.