DC Fast Charging Experience

Discussion in 'Kia Niro' started by MartyDow, Oct 24, 2019.

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  1. MartyDow

    MartyDow Active Member

    DCFC at Royal Farms Chargepoint 50 kW charging station in Urbana, Maryland. Required assistance from good Samaritan to initiate charging session because charger screen was not wheelchair accessible. Are DCFC stations not required to be ADA compliant? I really hate to think that if I go on a long trip I'm going to have to flag down a total stranger every time I need a charge...

    Arrived with warm pack at 37% SoC, ambient temp 64 degrees f. Charging ramped up quickly to 48/49 kW, continued uninterrupted to 77% SoC, at which point it began throttling aggressively; unplugged at 80% SoC after charging dropped to 22 kW. Charge time 35 min; charge cost $10. Charging curve was consistent with what has been reported elsewhere on this site.
     
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  3. ericy

    ericy Well-Known Member

    I don't know about the ADA part - in the future I will keep my eyes open to see what barriers might be in place at any other charging stations I use.

    I used the Royal Farms in Milford DE the other day. Also Chargepoint - my charging experience was sort of similar, except I stopped at 60% and it only cost me 5$ for 25 minutes. I was paying $0.20/min - you were apparently paying $0.29/kWh. This is the first one I have seen in the area that charges by the kWh and not by the minute. I went inside to wait while charging, and used BlueLink to monitor the progress and turn on the climate so that the car would be warm when I got back to it.

    For now, I am sticking with Chargepoint as much as I can - there is a free 50kW charger in Merrifield VA that I have used - it is also Chargepoint and you need the app to start charging. I am trying to avoid EA as the 100kW chargers will charge me $0.60/min, and their 50kW chargers are getting harder to find.
     
  4. TandM

    TandM Active Member

    I have no idea on the ADA but I will ask a couple reps that I know from EVSE companies to see if they have any insight.

    Chargepoint does have an app that allows you to start the charge so perhaps that is something to look into so that accessing the screen isn't needed.
     
  5. MartyDow

    MartyDow Active Member

    So, I could have started the session from the app? Why didn't I think of that? Thanks for the suggestion...
     
  6. TandM

    TandM Active Member

    Yup, with Chargepoint, EV Go, and Electrify America you can initiate the session on their app. There might be other companies that allow for it as well.
     
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  8. Francois

    Francois Active Member

    In Canada, both Flo and Electric Circuit also allows you to initiate the charging through their app.
     
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