GM, Pilot, & EVgo Made The Best EV Charging Station I’ve Visited Yet

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Numbers can solely take you to this point. It’s straightforward to match numbers and specs in a desk, crunch them in a spreadsheet, and inform folks that you recognize about one thing. However, in the actual world, there’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Information and figures can provide you some information, however you’ll be able to solely achieve knowledge by expertise.

That is principally what I skilled not too long ago on the first operational EV charging station from GM’s partnership with Pilot/Flying J truck stops and EVgo to put in 2,000 charging stalls at 500 areas throughout america. I made a decision to make use of one simply exterior of Knoxville, Tennessee alongside I-40.

Don’t get me incorrect, although. The specs are nice at these new stations.

On prime of lots of in planning, building, or completion, the websites supply speeds of as much as 350 kW for automobiles that may pull that a lot energy from them. That alone means both quick charging of smaller batteries or affordable charging occasions for large batteries like we’re seeing within the vans and SUVs with the largest batteries now.

One other massive factor these stations have going for them is the structure. They’re all beneath canopies, giving each the stations and the individuals utilizing them safety from the solar and the rain. Most, however not all, of them are laid out with pull-through areas, so it’s straightforward to cost up and get going once more with out having to hook up a trailer or problem with looking for a approach to pull up with out unhooking.

Maybe extra importantly, the station has a pleasant, lengthy cable that may attain EVs of any plug configuration/place, and hooked as much as a trailer or not. This alone was massively handy in comparison with older Electrify America and most Tesla stations.

The stations themselves, run by EVgo, are able to plug and cost. Even my Bolt EUV was configured for that, so I solely wanted to plug the car in to cost. Utilizing an app or a bank card isn’t an enormous deal most often, however this further little bit of comfort is sweet.

One other massive factor was the facilities. On the station itself, there have been squeegees and fluid, identical to at a fuel station. So, I used to be in a position to clear off my windshield with no need to go over to the fuel station facet. Which may appear to be a small factor, however when you think about that Pilot/Flying J truck stops have clear bogs, showers, meals, and quite a lot of drinks, it’s a nicer place to spend a couple of minutes than a Walmart parking zone or some random purchasing heart in an enormous metropolis that isn’t near the freeway.

Between all of these items, it was a station that I can actually say was the very best one on my 1800-mile journey. Every thing was straightforward, easy, snug, and hassle-free.

About the one draw back to the station was the price of utilizing it. EVgo costs are excessive in comparison with most different EV charging stations, and even with a reduction I get from having a Lyft driver account it was 57 cents per kWh! However, the a lot better charging atmosphere makes it value just a few further bucks to make use of.

Pictures by Jennifer Sensiba.