Checking Some Local I-5 Charging Sites

From News Coulomb. While shopping, I decided to check on the current statuses for several of my local charging sites along I-5 in Northern California. For the most part, there haven’t been a lot of changes. All the Electrify America sites appeared to have at least one plug working on every dispenser, and a problematic…

Site Review: Freewire BP Pulse at Arco Plumas Lake

From News Coulomb. I had a chance to drop by a recent Freewire Boost charging location at the Arco travel plaza in Plumas Lake, CA. The chargers are branded as BP Pulse, and the payment network is managed through EV Connect. The location provides a number of amenities, including a convenience store, air pump, squeegees,…

The Tesla Supercharger Network Sucks for Other EVs

From News Coulomb. This was recorded prior to Ford and GM’s announcement to adopt Tesla’s NACS plug, but the points I was making here appear to withstood the test of time. Now, Ford and GM’s motivations for adopting Tesla’s standard seem to be very different, and I’ll dive into in more detail in a future…

Site Review Marysville Rideout

From News Coulomb. I wanted to share one of the more interesting charging sites that I’ve used recently. This site is actually a L1 AC charging site: Four 120 V @ 20 A circuits with up to 8 active plugs (when charging at 8 A). While sites like this are less useful than they were…

Site Review: Tesla Supercharger, Placerville

From News Coulomb. I was finally able to complete my charging site review of a Tesla Supercharger. This location is in Placerville, California, just off of Highway 50. This Supercharger is located in a large strip mall, which hosts a number of retail stores. The site features eight V3 Superchargers; however, all of the stalls…

Can LED Headlights Increase EV Range?

From News Coulomb. While I was installing a set of LED headlights to replace the 20+ year old halogen headlights in my Ford Ranger Electric, I thought I would discuss just how much range an EV can gain by using LED instead of halogen headlights. The numbers might surprise some people, especially given the overall…

Plug-Side Chat: Charging Provider Levels

From News Coulomb. When discussing the various charging providers, I think it’s important to consider defining the various "levels" of charging providers and what those levels mean. To start laying that framework, I believe the following definitions would be a good starting point: Level 1: A charging provider that offers billing and connectivity only. The…

Plug-Side Chat: We Don’t Need Big Charging Sites

From News Coulomb. @KyleConner recently visited San Luis Obispo, California while traveling in a CCS EV, and he was concerned with the disparity in DC fast charging options between Tesla’s Superchargers and the public providers. I personally have a long history with charging in San Luis Obispo, and in fact, the EVgo charger that Kyle…

Plug-Side Chat: Why EV Trip Planners Suck

From News Coulomb. Tell us how you really feel, Eric. Well… I don’t personally use EV trip planners (route planners as they are sometimes called), and I think that in their current form, they are largely unnecessary. Most require the driver to know enough about their car and their route that the trip planner itself…

Plug-Side Chat: Should “Slow-Charging” EVs Exist?

From News Coulomb. I’ve been seeing more and more comments by auto journalists recently claiming that EVs need to charge as fast as they possibly can. They are essentially making the claim that slower charging EVs shouldn’t exist. In my opinion, this is wrong. All of the collected data we have shows that most Americans…

Plug-Side Chat: What Makes a Charging Site Compelling?

From News Coulomb. In a recent video, Kyle @OutofSpecReviews interviewed Arcady, CEO and Founder of Freewire, and I wanted to respond to a point that they made during the video. According to Arcady, Freewire’s business model is to install a single charger and expand in response to demand. The problem with that model, in my…

Driving the Chevy Volt: My Bolt EV Battery Died

From News Coulomb. So after six years, it finally happened. My Chevrolet Bolt EV’s battery died. These batteries will typically last about three years, so this battery exceeded its lifespan by nearly double. Last year, I also replaced the 12 V AGM on my Chevrolet Volt, and it was a similar age. It’s possible that…

Site Review: Electrify America, Baker

From News Coulomb. On a recent trip, I was able to use the recently updated Electrify America site in Baker, California. This site ticks off all the boxes. It is located at a convenience store travel stop, and it has both full, pull-through parking and a complete solar canopy. The site features 12 BTC Power…