Picking a Charging App (or Two)

 If you never drive beyond your car’s winter battery range, and always charge at home (or work), then you will likely never need to use a public charging station and won’t need a charging network’s app for your smartphone.  Even if you do decide to venture beyond once or twice, you can likely get by with Google Maps and a credit card.  Google Maps can help you locate most charging stations and can help you plan your route to include them.  And many chargers now have credit card (tap) readers for payment, just like a gas pump.  But, using the charging network’s app can improve the charging experience by providing station availability, station notes left by prior users, monitoring the charging progress, and even start and stop the charging session and arranging the payment.

In the early days of EV adoption, there weren’t many public chargers around.  Individuals with home chargers were willing to provide access to their charger to other EV drivers in order to promote EV adoption.  A smartphone app emerged to allow individuals to advertise their home charger and collect payment for its use, called PlugShare.  PlugShare is ideal for travelers passing through regions with low EV adoption and limited public EV charging infrastructure because it connects drivers with these generous hosts.  It also includes the public charging stations and helps with route planning.  Because I live in a high-adoption area, I have not used PlugShare personally, but I have read good things about it.

Instead, I have made use of the following EV charging networks and apps:  ChargePoint, EVGo, and Electrify America.  These are the most relevant networks for California, though other charging networks are available.  EVGo and Electrify America provide detailed information and status for their own charging equipment.  They manage payments and can start and stop charging sessions.  They also report the amount of power flowing into the car, which can help to anticipate when charging will complete.  And they notify you once charging has completed so you can disconnect (and move) your car before parking charges are applied.  ChargePoint does all the same for its own network chargers, and it also includes information about chargers on other networks, but does not control those off-network chargers.  ChargePoint also installed a number of destination (level-2) chargers, while EVGo and Electrify America are almost exclusively DC-fast-charging focused.  ChargePoint has become my go-to charging app.

To prepare for a road trip up the California and Oregon coast (in 2024), I installed two other charging apps.  The first was EVCS, which serves the west coast well (but nowhere else).  Along my trip, I used EVCS stations a number of times and found the app helpful.  The other app was by Shell.  The one time I tried to use the app I was unable to start my charging session.  Fortunately, the credit card reader was working, and I was able to charge, but the experience was frustrating.  But overall, the trip went well.

My First Overnight Road Trip

 As the COVID-19 pandemic started to wane, all sorts of folks were itching to travel again.  A road trip, especially a run down the California coast, seemed a natural outing with minimal public interaction.  I wanted to return to Cambria, which is an artists’ colony that I have enjoyed visiting.  I had three days (and two nights) to plan.  And I wanted to visit a winery on the trip home while passing through Paso Robles.  (The winery where I work gets some grapes from Adelaida Vineyards in Paso robles and I wanted to try their wines.)

First, I needed to plan the trip for charging, so I turned to Google Maps.  The distance from San Jose to Cambria is about 170 miles running down Highway 1 on the coast.  My car can drive 140 miles reliably at the slower speeds along the coast, so I needed to charge somewhere midway.  South of Monterey there are no DC fast chargers along the route.  The town of Seaside lies about 65 miles along the route and is the last DC fast charger.  So, I planned a lunch stop in Seaside to charge.  In Cambria, I booked accommodations at a hotel with a level-2 charger, so I was able to charge there twice (once each night).  The winery offers a complimentary charger to visitors, which gave me enough of a boost to get to Soledad for the last charge stop (and dinner), before the final leg home.

The first leg of the journey with a charging stop near Seaside.

The remainder of the first leg of the journey to Cambria.

The return trip from Cambria by way of a winery.

The drive down the coast at the end of January was spectacular.  The weather was sunny the entire trip.  I saw sea lions crowding the rocky beaches.  I found the i3 was comfortable, quiet, and spirited for quickly passing the occasional RV.  Once in Cambria, I was a little disappointed to learn that my favorite blown-glass gallery had closed with no other gallery to replace it.  On the plus side, I discovered The Red Moose Cookie Company and their brown-butter chocolate chip cookies.  I also visited the town of Harmony, which prides itself on being the ideal spot to begin a marriage (and get a scoop of ice cream).  I also discovered that the wines made by Adelaida Vineyards were quite pleasing.  And I spent a total of 70 minutes fast-charging, during which time I ate on both occasions.  Overall, the trip went as planned and was relaxing.

What to Expect from DC Fast-Charging

 When I bought my purple Mitsubishi iMiEV, with its tiny 16KWh battery, I skipped the DC-fast charging port option because it really didn’t extend my range by much.  (110 miles is not much further from home than 60 miles, so I kept my gas car for longer trips.)  When I bought the 2017 BMW i3, the fast-charging port was standard.  That coupled with the larger battery and new DC fast-chargers meant that I could get to and from Napa Valley (or Carmel-by-the-Sea) with just a single, quick recharge.

Why is it called “DC fast-charging”?  If I plug in my BMW i3 to a standard wall socket (called “level-1”), I face a 27-hour charge time from empty to full.  (Nobody does this regularly.)  That is because the BMW’s 32KWh battery is being fed electricity at 120v and 1.2KW.  The math (32KWh ÷ 1.2KW = 27h) is straight-forward.  You can decrease the time by increasing the power (kilowatts, or KW).  Switching to a 240v socket and a more powerful charger (called “level-2”), I can charge at 240v and generate 7.2KW feeding into the battery.  The math (32KWh ÷ 7.2KW = 5h) shows how much faster this is.  Still, it takes hours but can be done easily at night or at work.  Both level-1 and level-2 use A/C voltage, which the car converts to D/C voltage for storage into the battery.  A DC fast-charger converts the energy from the electric utility into high-power D/C voltage and sends the D/C energy directly to the car’s battery, allowing greater power transfer rates.  This is called “level-3” charging.

Depending upon when your electric car was designed, your car will have charging capabilities of 50KW to 350KW and more.  Usually, the larger the car’s battery is, the faster it will need to charge.  My BMW’s electronics were designed for 2014 and modest battery sizes, so my car’s fastest charging speed is 50KW.  The fastest charging speed is not always used, though.  I can safely plug my BMW i3 into a 350KW charger because the car and the charger negotiate the best charging rate.  My car says any power level up to 50KW, the charger says any power request up to 350KW.  (I have seen an instance where the electric utility limited the power delivery rate to lower than the charger’s capability and my car was charging at only 25KW.)

Charging rate of various years of BMW i3.

When I connect my car to the charger and start charging, I watch the power level start out low and climb over the course of a minute or two to the highest the car can accept.  As the power flows into the car, the battery will warm up.  The car may direct the charger to reduce power (to protect the battery from excess heat) or increase power (because the warmer battery can now accept more power).  I have seen that my car will maintain the highest charging rate until the battery reaches roughly 85% capacity, at which time it starts to accept less and less power as the battery approaches full.  The last 5% of the charge trickles in no faster than it would using my home charger. 

Charging rate graphs of the Lucid and Porsche electric sedans.

My modest battery behaves differently than most of the newest car batteries.  I have seen the power graphs made by technical folks curious about how fast their cars charge.  In vehicles that charge faster than 100KW, the maximum charging rate is typically achieved between 15% full and 50% full.  After that, the rate usually drops substantially to avoid the battery overheating.  It then finishes out the charge cycle at around half of its maximum power until the last 10% of charging, at which point the power level drops dramatically (just as my car does).  This slow rate of charge at the end can take longer than the fastest rate at the start and only provides 10% of the charge (compared to 40% at the start).  Because of this, it is a courtesy to disconnect from the DC fast-charger when your car has reached 85% full to allow those waiting to charge a chance to get on their way sooner.

Locked-Down Chargers at Work

 

When I started working at a new job in 2016, I noticed the site was equipped with several level-2 charging stations that were made by ChargePoint.  So, I decided to take a closer look one day and discovered that the chargers were available only to employees of the main tenant at the site.  (My tiny company was not that tenant.)  It seems that discounted charging was one of the perks at that place.  After a year, the main tenant moved to a new site where they consolidated multiple office buildings into one, leaving behind the dedicated chargers.  After the tenant was gone, I would visit the chargers periodically to see if they had become open to the public (they hadn’t).

A level-2 EV charger like the ones by my office.

By this time, I was not the only plug-in car at my office, and I could see other EVs in the surrounding parking lots.  We could all benefit from these chargers being made available to everyone, so I started asking questions.  First, I reached out to ChargePoint to find out how to get these chargers made accessible to the public.  They pointed me to the company who had them locked down.  Next, I convinced our own office manager to reach out to the former tenant about making the chargers public.  They responded that the chargers were never their responsibility and to reach out to the property manager for the office buildings.  So, I directed our office manager to reach out to our property manager, who was very unresponsive.

I pestered our office manager to continue asking about the chargers and we finally were able to get in touch with someone who would talk with us about it.  The property manager agreed to unlock the chargers and make them publicly available.  After a few months, the chargers were on the ChargePoint network and available to everyone.  Of course, we were now paying full price for electricity to charge, but we had access.  By the time the chargers came online, there were at least eight plug-in cars from our office that often made use of the level-2 chargers.  I used them a handful of times when I would forget about a late-afternoon commitment and my charge level wasn’t quite enough to make it (comfortably).  It was worth the effort to bring this equipment back online.

Scheduled Service

 With a gasoline (or diesel) engine in your car, you need to plan for a number of service events.  The oil and filter need to be changed every 5,000 to 10,000 miles.  The transmission fluid and engine coolant need replacement every 30,000 to 40,000 miles.  In California, a smog check is needed every other year.  There are air filters and fuel filters that need replacement every two to four years.  The tune-up happens less frequently today than it did 40 years ago but hasn’t been eliminated.  There are spark plug cables, belts, and coolant hoses that wear out over time.  These service items are specific to internal combustion engines.

Electric vehicles share a number of service requirements with gasoline powered cars.  Tires wear out.  Wiper blades need replacement.  Brakes wear down (albeit, much more slowly).  Power steering and brake fluids need to be maintained.  Bulbs burn out and need replacing.  The cabin air filter needs replacing.  All of these maintenance items happen every 18 months to three years.

The service announcement in my car's app

There is one service item that is specific to electric vehicles: changing the coolant for the main drive battery (except for Nissan’s Leaf).  This has a similar service interval to the other common service items above.  The net result is that an electric vehicle needs servicing about every two years.  Compare that to the gasoline engine car that needs to be serviced at least twice a year.  It’s easier to remember to bring your car in for service twice a year.  Remembering to get service every other year is more of a challenge.  I relied on my smartphone to remind me for the Mitsubishi i-MiEV.  My BMW i3 keeps track of the passage of time (and miles) and informs me when the next service appointment is due.  Oddly, because the service is so infrequent, it almost seems more inconvenient than expecting two service appointments each year.  Of course, it’s not – it’s just more of a surprise.  I don’t miss worrying about when to plan for my next oil change.

Driving to Moss Landing by the Coast

When the temperatures in San Jose exceed 92F degrees, the weather is too uncomfortable to do much of anything. This is also the time that many (many) folks head to Santa Cruz, choking its streets and parking, not to mention the highways leading there. So, to escape the heat, I looked for a spot away from the crowds that would be easy to get to and well within the range of the BMW i3 (round-trip). Seaside was just about at the limit of my round-trip range and I’d have to drive over a 1000’ peak along the way, so I preferred someplace a little closer to ensure plenty of range for the round-trip. I settled on Moss Landing, which was only 53 miles away.

My drive to Moss Landing

Moss Landing turned out to be a great spot to visit. It attracted many fewer people than the beach towns (in part because there is very little business there). So, parking and beach access are both fairly easy. The weather was delightfully cool (around 71F degrees). It felt refreshing to escape both the heat and the crowds and take in the beautiful coastal scenery.

As for the car, I learned a few things about EV efficiency. If you drive in warm weather, the batteries are more energy efficient. If you drive at lower speeds along the backroads, the motor is more efficient. And while the drive up to the peak used more power than flat lands, the car was still doing pretty well during the climb. Plus, pulling away from the turns is a kick in an EV with ample torque. I forgot that on the trip down the mountain, not only would I not be using much electricity, but I’d be generating electricity too. By the time I returned home, the entire round trip used only about 2/3 of the battery’s capacity, including some use of the A/C. (On one trip in particular, the range remaining plus the distance traveled added to more than 170 miles.) I’m planning on returning there soon.

Honey, Will You Fill up the Car?

Sometimes, the last one in a couple to go to bed ends up filling up the car. (That would be me.) With the gas-powered car, that meant getting suitably clothed and shod, driving to the gas station, standing outside while the gas pumps into the tank, cleaning the windshield, possibly checking the oil, paying, and driving home, parking, and returning to prior state of clothing. All told, it was probably a 20 to 25 minute ritual from start to finish, including two wardrobe adjustments. With my EV, if I needed to fill up away from home, it would take the better part of an hour for a fast-charge. 

Living in a house with a driveway (and a garage), I am able to install an EV charger at my home. This is a tremendous convenience. Now, filling up the car involves putting on anything suitable for walking outside, plugging in the car, and walking back inside. I usually plug in at night so the car can charge while I’m sleeping. By morning, the car is waiting in the driveway fully charged and ready to go. Usually, the car reaches a full charge in about three to five hours, so charging at night is the most convenient for me.

My home Clipper Creek charger

While I no longer need to check the oil level, there are still two car maintenance tasks that I used to do at the gas station that are slightly less convenient at home. The first is cleaning the windows. Over the years, I have become adept at cleaning the windows using the gas station squeegee. Now I have to use a bottle of Windex and a cleaning rag – and to remember to do so. The squeegee does a slightly better job with less effort. The second is pumping up the tires. Luckily, I have been driving EVs with narrow tires that are fairly easy to pump up using a bicycle tire pump. I can’t imagine trying to pump up all four of the tires on a pickup truck using the bicycle pump. Luckily, this is not a task I need to do with every “fill-up”.