From my research, it's clear that EV recharging (including signage, location information, etc.) is much more developed in other countries than it is now in the USA. I've found the EV Charger News page (http://www.evchargernews.com/), but it only shows locations with large or small paddles and/or Avcon charging receptacles. Furthermore, it appears that EV charging stations in Europe include several recharging options, such as paddles, bars, and 3-prong plugs), whereas EV charging stations where I live only provide facilities for cars with paddle-type plugs - not for vehicles with 3-prong plugs.
To fill this gap in my area, I have just started a "public" Google map of plug-in locations that I am finding around the Greater Sacramento (Calif., USA) Area. You can see the beginnings of that map at this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps/...
Questions:
1. Is anyone aware of any existing link that shows "available to the public" locations of 3-prong plugs in the US? Or any other website that might provide the info that any Vectrix owner might want regarding public recharging locations?
2. If you, too, are occasionally having trouble finding a nearby plug-in location, do you think a Google map like this one might be helpful in your area?
3. Is there a better way to let all Vectrix (and other 3-prong plug EV) owners to know where they can easily plug in and "top up" their charge?
I've owned my Vectrix for about 10 days now and I love it! I've put on 250 miles and I'm beginning to venture out to greater distances away from home. The farther I go, the more important it is to know where I can recharge when I need to.
Lastly, it seems that one of the most common concerns of people who are considering buying a Vectrix (or any similar plug-in EV) is the issue of range. If we had better info on all the publicly available recharging points, it seems that we could overcome that "buying objection" and get more people out there riding with us on PEVs.
What do you think?
What do you think?
One thing I think is: is there any reason to limit this to vectrix owners? Last I checked Vectrix's use the same 120vac plugs the rest of us use.
- David Herron, The Long Tail Pipe, davidherron.com, 7gen.com, What is Reiki
I also wondered why it had to be a 3 prong plug when only 2 are required. They make these little devices to connect 3 prong devices to a 2 prong outlet.
Grandpa Chas S.
Thanks, reikiman. Your post says, "One thing I think is: is there any reason to limit this to vectrix owners? Last I checked Vectrix's use the same 120vac plugs the rest of us use."
I agree. There is no need to limit this to Vectrix owners. As I indicated in 3 different places in my original posting, this kind of info would be useful to owners of other kinds of PEVs as well.
Happy Riding to All, Patrix
Thanks, Grandpa Chas S.
Building codes in this area have required for many, many years that all publicly available outlets be female 3-prong plugs. I think you'd be hard pressed to find "outside" 2-prong female outlets in the Greater Sacramento Area.
However, if the only thing you could find was a 2-prong outlet, it sure would be nice to have a 3-prong to 2-prong converter, wouldn't it ! ! !
I'll certainly add "2-prong" outlets to the map, if I ever find any...
Happy Riding to All, Patrix
There is a website called EV Charger Maps, http://www.evchargermaps.com/, that has all of the types of chargers already mentioned. First type in the zip code in the field in the lower left-hand corner, then uncheck the all of the boxes in this same field, except the "OC" box, then click on "GO". "OC" means "Other Charger" and includes the standard 110V (as well as others). I followed this map to Lodi, CA, where I found a 240V outlet (not hot!) which you could charge the Vectrix with, if you have the adapter (which I purchased at http://www.evnut.com/charger_adapters.htm). I followed this map to Rio Vista, CA also - which had a standard 110V(hot).
Just a curiosity...I've started doing this for the city of Paris on GoogleMap and I spotted a white Vectrix scooter at a charging station. You can now navigate with LiveView in 3D and spot the exact location of each charging station. In Paris charging is free.
Open link in GoogleMap
07 Vectrix, Vego 600 mod.48V 800W, Arcade Alu E-Cycle 24VSachs Hub
Thank you, oobflyer. Very helpful...
I was already aware of http://www.evchargernews.com/ as I mentioned in my original posting, and was able to get to one of their maps for my county, but I was not aware of how to go to http://www.evchargermaps.com/ directly and turn off the options that do not apply to us Vectrix owners. Very helpful, indeed. It's made me eager to go find a few of the local charging spots I didn't have any clue about.
I also really like how EVChargerMaps allows users to post comments about each individual EV charger location, including when they were there, whether or not the facilities were working, whether or not they were well-signed, whether or not ICE vehicles were taking up the EV spot(s), etc., etc. They also have something called the "Precisifier" feature, that allows users to suggest (with greater precision) exactly where the facilities are located - you use their Precisifier feature, then send them an e-mail suggesting the clarification, then they decide if, how and when to add it to their website. There seems to be a lot of very useful "functionality" built into EVChargerMap's web pages.
HOWEVER, it is clear to me that EVChargerNews and EVChargerMaps focuses first and foremost on Paddle locations for cars, and as almost an afterthought, they add Other Chargers (OC) as an option for those of us with "standard outlet" plug-ins. As evidence of this, EVChargerNews and ...Maps do not have any locations that are OC-only. In other words, none of the places on my map are shown on any of the EVChargerMaps. Maybe I should try to approach them to add OC-only locations to their maps, news, etc. That's probably the best way to go since they already have all the software, links, etc. in place. No sense in duplicating things or making things more complicated unnecessarily.
FURTHERMORE, you need to have a Calif Dept of Motor Vehicles ZEV Decal ($17) (http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg4048.pdf) to use many (all?) of the locations shown on EVChargerMaps - signs at these locations in my area prominently say, "Vehicles without CA DMV ZEV Decal will be towed at owners expense"). All of the locations on my map are free - no decals necessary. The good news is that some infrastructure is out there that is not yet in the "knowledge base" - we have more options than are currently shown on EVChargerNews/Maps.
I think I'll continue to build my map, including any publicly available locations that are OC-only, free, no decal necessary. Separately, I'll find out how to contact EVChargerNews/Maps to see if they are willing to expand the scope of their site. I hope they are. I think that "standard" plug-ins are where things are going, and it only makes sense that they structure their websites to help ALL of us. I'll let you all know what happens after I contact EVChargerNews/Maps...
Well, it's time for me to go out and try to find some of those locations I didn't know about - thanks again to oobflyer ! ! !
Happy Riding to All, Patrix