Thomas Farm Community Center EV Charging

Lanny
Thomas Farm Community Center EV Charging

Pepco Thomas Farm Community Center EV Charging – Rockville, MD

This Pepco EV charging station has one 50 kW Efacec QC45 DC fast charger and one dual-port Level 2 EVSE. It is located in the parking lot of the Thomas Farm Community Center in Rockville, MD. The Community Center is located in Fallsgrove Stream Valley Park which has walking trails, tennis courts, picnic tables and a playground. Restrooms are available in the Community Center when it is open. Food is a half mile away at Fallsgrove Village Center. Panera, Chipotle, Bethesda Bagels, Jersey Mike’s and Starbucks are among the options.

04/10/2020 – Opened
700 Fallsgrove Dr, Rockville, MD map

DCFC – 50 kW (Qty: 1)
Level 2 – 7 kW dual-port (Qty: 1)

Reported Uptime (2022 Jul to Dec):
87.8% DC1 DCFC (EVSE ID 43337 Port 1)
90.4% DC1 DCFC (EVSE ID 43337 Port 2)
99.3% L2 (EVSE ID 52167A Port 1)
99.3% L2 (EVSE ID 52167A Port 2)

$397,053.00 Construction Costs
$1,274.40 Yearly Networking Fees

Date RangekWh/dayRevenueElectric BillProfit/Loss
2022 Jul to Dec72.7$3,807.90$5,075.87-$1,267.97
2022 Jan to Jun71.3$4,126.06$3,973.56$152.50
2021 Jul to Dec61.5$3,499.06$3,467.17$28.57

Source: Potomac Electric Power Company and Delmarva Power & Light Company Semi-Annual EV Pilot Program Progress Report for the period of July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022. Maryland PSC ML 301131

Deep Creek Lake Visitors Center EV Charging

Lanny
Deep Creek Lake Visitors EV Charging

Potomac Edison Deep Creek Lake Visitors Center – McHenry, MD

This Potomac Edison EV charging station has two 62 kW ChargePoint DC fast chargers and one single port Level 2. It is located in the parking lot of the Deep Creek Lake Visitors Center in McHenry, MD. This popular vacation area is about 3 hours from the Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC area in western Maryland. The closest amenity besides the Visitors Center is a Greene Turtle restaurant via a 2 minute walk to the east. There is a Canoe On the Run coffee shop to the west about four minutes walk.

01/01/2021 – Opened
2 Vacation Way, McHenry, MD map

DCFC – 62 kW (Qty: 2)
Level 2 – 7 kW single-port (Qty: 1)

Reported Uptime (2022 Jul to Dec):
100% DC1 DCFC (EVSE ID 5580311)
100% DC2 DCFC (EVSE ID 5580321)
100% L2 (EVSE ID 5571081)

$184,656.61 Construction Costs
$1,400.00 Yearly Networking Fees

Date RangekWh/dayRevenueElectric BillProfit/Loss
2022 Jul to Dec94.6$4,593.53$13,614.83-$9,021.30
2022 Jan to Jun47.9$2,037.31$6,795.34-$4,758.03
2021 Jul to Dec52.4$2,372.17$6,019.19-$3,647.02
data from report to Maryland PSC

See also:
BGE Carroll County Commissioners – Featured Plug In Site
Potomac Edison Charging Station in Middletown, MD

BGE Carroll County Commissioners – Featured Plug In Site

Lanny
Carroll County Commissioners

Westminster, MD

The BGE Carroll County Commissioners EV charging station consists of one 50 kW DC fast charger and one dual port Level 2. It is located in the parking lot of the Carroll County Government building that houses the offices of the Carroll County Commissioners. Downtown Westminster Main Street is a .3 mile walk south on Center Street. Restaurants including Jersey Mike’s, Blaze Pizza and Tropical Smoothie Cafe is about a 5 minute walk (0.2 miles) north on Center Street.

12/10/2019 – Opened
225 North Center Street, Westminster, MD map

DCFC – 50 kW (Qty: 1)
Level 2 – 7 kW dual-port (Qty: 2)

Reported Uptime (2022 Jul to Dec):
69.0% DCFC (EVSE ID 43336)
93.8% L2 (EVSE ID 52155A)

$93,382.53 Construction Costs
$1,180.00 Yearly Networking Fees

Date RangekWhkWh/dayRevenueElectric BillProfit/Loss
Jul to Dec 20223,96121.5$1,234.28$859.11$375.17
Jan to Jun 20223,66020.2$1,148.02$709.18$438.84
Jul to Dec 20212,27812.4$666.35$469.13$197.22
data from report to Maryland PSC

Fast Charger Utilization – Columbia / Jessup Q4 – 2022

Lanny

Understanding DCFC Usage Growth

For the past several years, I have been tracking the electricity usage at the meter of several fast charger sites in the vicinity of Columbia and Jessup, Maryland. My goal was to understand how quickly the utilization of fast charging is growing, and whether some EV charging locations are experiencing more growth than others.

Charger Utilization Tesla Maryland

The data that I have collected shows some interesting trends in DC fast charger utilization over time. To give you a sense of what I’ve found, I’ve created a chart that compares the daily electricity usage at five fast charger sites in the area. These chargers are located midway between Washington, DC and Baltimore and have been selected because they represent a mix of CCS/CHAdeMO fast charging sites and a Tesla Supercharger.

Each vertical bar in the chart represents a quarter year of the average daily kWh of electricity used per individual charging dispenser at each site. By analyzing this data, I can gauge the relative utilization between fast chargers located in the same general area. It is my hope that by sharing these findings with you, we can gain a better understanding of the growth of electric vehicle fast chargers and how they are being used in Maryland.

Charger Location Map

Columbia Jessup, MD charger map

In October 2021, I released a Fast Charger Utilization Study about these chargers, followed by an update in January, 2022. With 18 months of data, we now have a more comprehensive understanding of how EV drivers are utilizing these fast chargers over time.

Read More …

Vintage 1923 Guidebook of Charging Stations in New York

Lanny
Electric Automobile Charging Stations in New York

Electric Automobile Charging Stations in New York City and Vicinity
The New York Edison Company – January, 1923

The use of electric vehicles has come a long way since 1923, when The New York Edison Company published “Electric Automobile Charging Stations in New York City and Vicinity.” This map and guidebook served as a valuable resource for tourists looking to make the most of their electric vehicles by highlighting charging stations between major cities.

Of course this was long before the advent of smartphone apps and on-board screens to find EV charging stations. This booklet serves as a reminder that the need for reliable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles existed even before the technology we have today.

ChargingStationBook

One of the most striking things about this booklet is the distinction made between public and private charging stations. Public garages were seen as the go-to option for reliable charging, while private garages were listed only to be used in an emergency. This highlights the infancy of the electric vehicle industry at the time and the fact that the infrastructure for charging was not yet fully developed.

Read More …

10 Year Anniversary of First East Coast Superchargers

Lanny

Tesla Superchargers in Newark, DE and Milford, CT Opened Ten Years Ago

Newark, DE Tesla Superchargers
Newark Superchargers. photo: @Lanny, Feb. 16, 2013

The first Tesla Superchargers on the East Coast opened ten years ago on December 21, 2012.

Tesla Superchargers 2012

The Milford Travel Plazas on I-95 in Connecticut and the Delaware Welcome Center in Newark were the seventh and eighth Supercharger Stations built by Tesla. These were the first locations outside of California, where the first six Superchargers had opened a few months earlier. These two East Coast Superchargers allowed Model S drivers to travel between Washington, DC and Boston. As of 2022, Tesla reports that there are over 4,500 Supercharger Stations open worldwide.

Read More …

Charger Reliability Transparency

Lanny
reliability report

The following letter of comment on proposed EV Charger Reliability Standards was filed with the Maryland Public Service Commission on December 12, 2022 (ML 300467)

Re: Case No. 9478 – Public Conference 44 Electric Vehicle Work Group Supplemental Reliability Summary Report

As a BGE ratepayer and EV driver, I respectfully request that the Commission require the EV Pilot Utilities to provide a detailed explanation each time that one of their public charging stations experiences a no-charge event, consumer complaint, or system alert.

The Electric Vehicle Work Group has twice delayed establishing reliability reporting standards for the EV Pilot Utilities. We should not have to wait for federal guidelines for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program to be released. We can begin collecting thorough data on each malfunctioning charger immediately without waiting for those guidelines.

Background

The reliability of public EV charging stations is crucial for providing a positive experience for EV drivers. As ratepayers, we deserve accountability for the money used to build the utilities’ public charging stations. When the Commission was considering the EV charging pilot programs, BGE assured us that they would maintain public charging stations to a high degree of reliability.

We have a regulatory obligation to maintain the charging networks much like any other distribution asset that we have. This is going to avoid situations where you have prolonged EV charger outages due to a breakdown or subsequent vandalism or any sort of things that could befall one of these chargers, and it is our goal of course as always to provide excellent customer experience for those EV chargers.

Sept. 6, 2018 Hearing Video at 2:34:38

Network Vendor Statistics

Based on the Shell Recharge Solutions Sky network dashboard, BGE reported 95% uptime (99% if “unknown” is counted) in the most recent semi-annual report. The PHI Utilities reported an aggregate uptime of 99.7% and SMECO reported an “overall uptime of over 98%.”

Potomac Edison uses the ChargePoint network and provides quarterly uptime for each charging station. They also give details on the steps taken to repair each outage. For example:

On February 21, 2022, PE notified drivers that the charging station located on the right, at the Friendsville Veterans Memorial Park, was out of service. PE and ChargePoint actively worked on resolving the issues across three site visits with technicians on February 15, 2022, March 4, 2022, and March 11, 2022 (descriptions above). The site was partially operational on February 15, 2022, (meaning 1 of 2 DCFC was operational) and fully operational on March 11, 2022, (meaning 2 of 2 DCFC was operational). PE posted outage notifications on PlugShare and the ChargePoint applications notifying customers of the extended outage at the Friendsville Veterans Memorial Park.

Potomac Edison Semi-Annual Report – August 1, 2022, ML 241711, page 14
Read More …

Sabotage

Lanny
Sabotage

Oh my god, it’s a mirage.
I’m tellin’ y’all, it’s sabotage.
– Beastie Boys

Politicians never miss an opportunity to remind us of what they’re doing “for the people.”

One such missive came this week from the Office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. A press release marked the one year anniversary of the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The BIL includes $7.5 billion of funding for a National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) plan. Companies are lining up to get a piece of the EV charging infrastructure pie.

The Congressional press release happened to quote my recent remarks to the Washington Post to illustrate “how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering results For The People in all fifty states.”

Bipartisan Infrastructure BIL

“Drivers of electric vehicles that use a different plug [than Tesla] need a network of chargers that are convenient and reliable. That’s what is exciting about the national electric vehicle infrastructure plan.”

Lanny Hartmann

The key word here is, “reliable.” Drivers of electric vehicles (The People) need chargers that are solidly reliable.

Do the politicians, government officials, and company executives who cut the ribbons to inaugurate new charging stations understand that The People often suffer once the cameras go away?

Read More …

Charging Failed – BWI Cell Phone Lot EV Chargers

Lanny

After the Ribbon Cutting

The EV chargers at the BWI Airport Cell Phone Lot are an impressive backdrop for a photo opportunity. The towering units adorned with BGE logos looked appropriately stylish and high-tech the morning of May 24, 2021. Dignitaries clutched gigantic scissors and on “3, 2, 1,” snip, the ribbon fluttered to the ground. Such was the celebratory atmosphere less than a year and a half ago.

This is another example of our work to make Maryland a national leader in electric vehicle infrastructure.

Maryland Secretary of Transportation Greg Slater – May 24, 2021 press release

I’ve been here for 20 min and still haven’t been able to even start charging.

Nissan LEAF driver at BWI Cell Phone Lot – Sept 18, 2022 (PlugShare)

30,000-Foot View / Three-Foot View

The speeches at EV charger ribbon cuttings predictably weave tales of a bright vision for electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Expanding access to electric vehicles and infrastructure is a major step toward ensuring a cleaner and brighter future for our community.

BGE CEO, Carim Khouzami – May 24, 2021 press release

The 30,000-foot view from the lectern soon gives way to the “three-foot view” of an EV driver. Three feet is about the distance that we stand from a charging station as we poke at screens and wave cards attempting to charge.

The three-foot view is the perspective of the hopeful EV driver. It’s what remains long after the shards of ribbon have been whisked away. There are no cameras to capture the event for the six o’clock news. Just a low battery and an EV driver anticipating the flow of electrons.

The 30,000-foot view is fuzzy on details. The three-foot view can be brutally sharp.

4 DC Fast chargers here. 1 down for maintenance, the other 3 have a “tower” error.

BMW i3 driver – Feb 1, 2022 (PlugShare)
BWI Cell Phone

Error Code

In my test of BGE chargers in August, one of the four chargers at BWI Cell Phone Lot did not function as expected. When I returned 11 days later for a follow up evaluation, that unit still did not function. Thirty days after the first test, the charger was working. But by that time, two different machines wouldn’t start.

Read More …