Featured Plug In Site - Plug-In Sites

White Marsh Mall Has Eight Volta Charging Stations

February 23, 2020February 23, 2020 Lanny

White Marsh Mall in northern Baltimore County has eight Level 2 charging stations. The Volta stations are free and are supported by ads displayed on a large screen. Signs at each station limit a stay at two hours.

The eight Voltas are distributed around the perimeter of the mall. When I was there on a Saturday evening, all eight were open and available.

On a side note, the IKEA store adjacent to the White Marsh Mall is having a big solar canopy being built in their parking lot. There are also five ChargePoint Level 2 charging stations in the White Marsh Park and Ride lot.

Keep an eye out for Volta free charging stations at other retail shopping areas. They seem to be making a push for expanding in the Washington, DC and Baltimore area.

40 Charging Ports at Merriweather District in Columbia, MD

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Lanny

The Merriweather District in Columbia Maryland has installed 40 Level 2 EV charging connectors. The new office, entertainment and residential development is located adjacent to the Merriweather Post Pavilion concert venue.

Merriweather District Garage EV Charging

There are 10 dual-port ChargePoint stations along the north wall on floors 2 and 3 of the nine story parking garage. That’s 20 charging ports on two floors for a total capacity for charging up to 40 cars at once. This is one of the largest concentrations of Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations in the state of Maryland.

Ocean City, Maryland Supercharger is Open

February 7, 2020February 7, 2020 Lanny

Tesla Supercharging Station at Royal Farms

The Eastern Shore of Maryland used to be a vast EV charging desert. Anxiety about charging in the Delmarva peninsula discouraged many early electric vehicle owners from driving to Ocean City from the DC area.

Salisbury, MD Supercharger opened in November, 2014 and gave Tesla drivers the confidence to reach the beach. About three years later, a dozen Supercharger stalls opened at Royal Farms in Grasonville, MD.

At the same time, many destination charging stations were installed in Ocean City at hotels and public parking lots. Two CCS/CHAdeMO chargers were installed at the Convention Center. These chargers were partially funded by a state grant called the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Program or AFIP administered by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA).

Now there’s a Tesla Supercharger in Ocean City. For anyone familiar with the CCS/CHAdeMO Fast Charger at the Royal Farms on Rt. 50 just before crossing the drawbridge, the Supercharger stalls are next to that unit.

250 kW Version 3 Supercharger Site

North Bethesda, MD Supercharger is Open

January 29, 2020January 29, 2020 Lanny

Tesla Supercharger at Pike and Rose

A new Supercharging station in North Bethesda, Maryland is now on the Tesla Navigation map. It is located at Pike and Rose in the Trade Street Garage. map link

The eight urban-style (72 kW) stalls are on level P6 in the south east corner. There is an 855-panel solar array canopy on the top floor of this parking garage that was installed several years ago. Four SemaConnect J1772 charging stations are on Level P2 of this garage.

This is the second Tesla Supercharger to open in Montgomery County this month. Last Saturday, a Supercharger in Rockville Town Square appeared on the Tesla Navigation map.

Rockville, MD Supercharger is Open

January 25, 2020January 26, 2020 Lanny

Tesla Supercharger in Rockville Town Square

A new Supercharging station in Rockville, Maryland appeared on the Tesla Navigation map today.

The eight urban-style (72 kW) Superchargers are located in Garage A, Level 3 at Rockville Town Square. Map Link

Parking is $2.00 for the first two hours and is free with validation from a participating merchant.

Nashville V3 Tesla Supercharger

January 21, 2020January 21, 2020 Lanny

Music City – Nashville Supercharger

Johnny Cash. The name conjures images of Nashville, the home of Country Music. Johnny’s hit “I’ve Been Everywhere” is an essential on any self-respecting road trip playlist.

This past weekend, we took an 1,800 mile road trip through Kentucky and Tennessee. The Tesla odometer hit 125,000 miles shortly before we rolled into Nashville. A huge billboard advertising the Johnny Cash Museum featured the stern faced “Man in Black” staring down at traffic.

The Nashville Supercharger was flagged as temporarily closed on the Tesla Navigation screen but we had read that it was operating at a limited capacity. Indeed, the stalls were about half-filled when we pulled up and the juice flowed when we plugged in.

V3 – High-Powered – 250 kW

The Nashville, TN Supercharger is one of the first Version 3 (V3) Tesla Superchargers. Few exist outside of California at the moment. This was a rare opportunity to see one in action.

West Coast Electric Highway – Featured Plug In Site

January 16, 2020January 16, 2020 Lanny

West Coast Electric Highway CHAdeMO in Woodburn, Oregon — Woodburn, Oregon Fast Charging Station

Canada to Mexico on the West Coast Electric Highway

Electric vehicle drivers can more easily take road trips using the West Coast Electric Highway charging network. The north-south EV routes include Interstate 5, California Routes 101 and 99. The I-5 route stretches from Canada to Mexico. [Map]

The project is coordinated by the Washington State Dept. of Transportation, Oregon Dept. of Transportation and the California Governor’s Office.

The network is anchored by AeroVironment Fast Chargers that are CHAdeMO only. These fast chargers are located between 25 and 50 miles from each other. There are also hundreds of J1772 Level 2 charging stations on the routes.

Rock Springs, Wyoming Downtown – Featured Plug In Site

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020 Lanny

Main Street EV Charging

The city of Rock Springs, Wyoming is proud of its rich multinational heritage. The main thoroughfare is lined with the flags of dozens of countries representing Rock Springs as the “Home of 56 Nationalities” due to the immigrants who came from all over the world to work in the local coal mines that fueled the Union Pacific Railroad locomotives.

The city installed two EV charging ports on their historic Main Street in August, 2019. We used them when we stopped in Rock Springs during a drive across the US on the old Lincoln Highway in September.

These are the first publicly available universal J1772 electric vehicle charging stations in Sweetwater County. Wyoming, being the least populous state in the union, has few EV charging stations. Rock Springs already hosted a Tesla Supercharger due to it being along the route of I-80 which runs across Wyoming. A hotel near the highway also has several Tesla destination charging stations.

Fee Free Charging

The city debated installing a commercial networked EV charging station that could collect a fee. But according to an article in the Rocket Miner, they would have had to spend $15,000 to do so. The city decided to spend $5,500 on material and labor to install two ClipperCreek Level 2 stations. This savings allow them to provide the electricity for free. The benefit for the city is that the charging stations will bring people downtown.

Location: 501 S. Main St., Rock Springs, WY

Mill Plain Diner, Danbury, CT – Featured Plug In Site

January 5, 2020January 4, 2020 Lanny

Tesla Destination Charging

Diners and cars go together. Both are an essential part of the American experience. At the Mill Plain Diner in Danbury, CT, you can plug in your Tesla while you enjoy your bacon and pancakes or coffee and pie.

This eating establishment installed a Tesla connector as part of the Tesla destination charging program. The charging unit is attached to a wall in back of the diner and a red sign designates the spot as for Tesla Vehicle Charging.

The Tesla FindUs page says the diner’s single Tesla connector is available for customers and charges at up to 8 kW.

Woodburn, Oregon McDonald’s – Featured Plug In Site

January 4, 2020January 4, 2020 Lanny

Fast Food – Slow Charging

Looking for a Big Mac and want to boost your charge? This McDonald’s has you covered. Don’t get your hopes too high, the food may be fast but the charging is not. This is Level 2 charging only.

Traveling down the West Coast Electric Highway in August, 2017, we stopped at this Level 2 charging station at the McDonald’s at 2910 Newberg Hwy, Woodburn, OR. This restaurant is about a mile from the Woodburn Tesla Supercharger and a West Coast Electric Highway fast charger site with CHAdeMO is across the street at the Woodburn Transit Center.