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One problem with conductive charging outlets is that there isn’t really a set standard. The chart here shows a few examples of what you might see in your house and garage, and there are a number more available. In my garage, I happen to have 5‐20 (20 amp, 120v) and 6‐20 (20 amp, 240v) plugs available to charge my electric car.
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This is an old Avcon conductive unit that has both 120v outlets and 240v, 40 amp service. This particular unit is located near Alameda Point, and is still somewhat operational. There is another Avcon 600 on Bayfarm Island, but that unit has been turned off for some time.
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Over time, EV manufacturers and industry tried various methods that they thought would be best as the single standard for charging electric cars. Many years ago, AVCON charging stations were all the rage. They are J1772 compliant, but with a different plug. Some people are resurrecting these units by replacing the Avcon ‘claw’ with a Yazaki‐style J1772 connector. Some Avcon stations are more picky about the kind of charger they will work with, and required a performance factor better than 96%. Many chargers used in shade tree conversions don’t have the best efficiency ratings, and would not work when folks installed a J1772 inlet on their converted EV
installed a J1772 inlet on their converted EV.
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Here is an example of an older paddle charger. Paddle chargers were brought to the market to answer fears that it was unsafe to plug in a conductive plug outside. I guess they forgot about the millions of plug‐in vehicles that use conductive plugs every day of the year – Recreational Vehicles… COSTCO used to have these kind of paddle chargers installed near their tire shops, but most (if not all) were removed under the direction of Costco corporate, and not replaced.
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This eclectic collection of EVSE is located at the Center Street garage in Berkeley. Along with the paddle charger and AVCON unit, there are 15 amp 120v and 240v plugs. The last time I was at this location none of it was working, which is quite common with old EVSE.
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In order to make things easier, EV manufacturers and industry are finally beginning to settle on a single standard for charging electric cars – J1772 – which was actually present in the old AVCON chargers, but used a different plug.
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This photo shows a level 3 and J1772 level 2 side by side. The J1772 plug is plugged in on the right.
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EV manufacturers offer J1772 units for installation at home, but these units often cost thousands of dollars. Cheaper alternatives are available, depending on your abilities and the needs of your car’s charger.
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This is an example of a J1772 charging station for home use. The GE Watt Station can be either hard wired or ordered as a cord‐and‐plug unit, and is UL certified for indoor or outdoor use. If it is used as a cord‐and‐plug appliance, you only need to have a NEMA 6‐50 plug installed in your garage or parking space – much cheaper than getting a permit for a hard‐wired ‘Electric Vehicle Charging Station’. This is a 7.2 kW unit – 30 amps @ 240v. Others are available with equal or lower kW ratings, such as 15a @ 240v, or only as ‘permanently mounted’ units, so check the specs before you buy.
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On the public infrastructure side, there are a number of J1772 charging stations around the East Bay. Some of the new pedestals also have 120v plugs (some ChargePoint and Juice Bar) but others only have J1772 (Blink).
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Here is a typical Blink Network charging station. They are typically J1772 only, although sometimes there are 5‐15 or 5‐20 outlets nearby. These seem to have a greater foothold in San Diego and Seattle. The Blink Network requires an RFID card to use, and costs about $1.50 an hour to plug in.
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There are two BLINK network charging locations in the East Bay – One at the IKEA in Emeryville, and at a business at 333 Hegenberger, near the Oakland airport.
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There are several ChargePoint charging stations around the East Bay, with two right here in Alameda. One is located in the Alameda Theater parking garage on the first level, and another is across the street from the police station on Oak Street. Additional nearby locations are seven charging stations in the Premier lot of Oakland airport, a Walgreens near Lake Merritt, and the Sheraton in Emeryville. ChargePoint pedestals require a RFID card, or you can call an 800 number located on the charging station. Most ChargePoint
pedestals have both Level 1 (120v, 15a ‘regular’ outlets) and J1772 Level 2 plugs, but a few have only J1772 and I saw one at a McDonald’ss in San Diego that was Level 1 only.
have only J1772, and I saw one at a McDonald
in San Diego that was Level 1 only
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This photo is of a typical ChargePoint pedestal. Many are free, but a few require an extra fee to park. This particular pedestal is on Oak Street near the library, where they charge 99 cents an hour to charge. The ChargePoint station in the Alameda Theater garage does not have an additional cost above the normal hourly parking fee. In order to activate one or the other charging port, you place the RFID card near the display. Once you receive an active message, you can either pull out the J1772 plug or open the door with the 120v plug, but not both. The door is located directly above the black cord reel in the photo. If a car is using the J1772 another car can use the 120v plug by presenting a different RFID card If
using the J1772, another car can use the 120v plug by presenting a different RFID card. If someone unplugs your car (or a power failure occurs) you will get a text message on your cell phone letting you know. You can set it up so that you will get a text if the charge is complete as well. In order to stop the charge, you should present your RFID card to the pedestal before unplugging. If you don’t ‘card out’, the plug may not be available to the next EV that stops by. If you arrive at a charging station that is locked out because of an active session, but no car is there, you can call the 1‐800 number on the pedestal to have them reset the pedestal.
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There are seven ChargePoint pedestals at the Oakland airport. In addition, there are a couple of old Avcon units and paddle chargers in the economy and long‐term lots – some are still operational.
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This the Oakland airport during the Ribbon Cutting for the EV charging stations there. There were so many Evs and plug‐in vehicles that they didn’t have enough room for them all in the 14 ‘electric car’ parking spaces!
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Here is a photo of a Juice Bar installation at the Oakland Lake Merritt Tower. Juice Bars are some of the cleanest installations I’ve seen, with white epoxy floors and unusually large parking spaces. Some have both J1772 and 120v plugs, but most do not have any internet‐
enabled functions like tamper monitoring or kWh reporting, nor do they have RFID cards to collect payment.
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There are two Juice Bar locations in the East Bay, one at Lake Merritt Tower Garage (ProPark) 155 Grand Ave, and another at Oakland
Expresso Airport Parking, 880 Doolittle Drive. Both of these locations charge for parking, but do not have an additional cost to plug‐in.
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This is a CHAdeMO Level 3 charger near the Davis Street Park and Ride in Vacaville. It is currently out of service, and the only Level 3 charger in the area that I am aware of. Unfortunately, the voltage present in the U.S. doesn’t quite match the requirements of this charger. It is also not UL listed, so PG&E took it off line until the problems are rectified.
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Recargo.com is one of the most up‐to‐date sites for EV charging infrastructure. Each location can be updated by registered users, and has live charging station in‐use data to see if charger is in use/available. If you haven an EV, and routinely use public infrastructure, you should think about sharing your experiences with the charging stations you use via Recargo.
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Here is a sample listing for Recargo.com. This listing shows the Alameda Theater Parking Garage ChargePoint station. www.recargo.com/sites/1699 Recargo also has a section for pictures of the charging station so you can find them more easily.
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AFDC.energy.gov shows mostly old EVSE sites, but has a few modern J1772 as well. Not well maintained, lots of out‐of‐date information.
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Electric Vehicle public charging stations are popping up everywhere, but drivers of IC
vehicles may not realize they can’t park there, or may park there out of spite. Although it was illegal to park a non‐electric vehicle in EV parking spaces, it was rare to see an IC vehicle ever get a ticket.
There is a new law that started on January 1st regarding electric vehicle parking spaces. It used to be that in order to park legally, you had to get a special sticker from the California DMV The requirement for the sticker has been removed and plug‐in
DMV. The requirement for the sticker has been removed, and plug
in vehicles (like the vehicles (like the
Volt) are now allowed to park in EV spaces. According to the new law, the vehicle must be actively charging in order to use the parking space. If not – meaning the vehicle is unplugged or indicating that the charge is complete – the vehicle is subject to being towed or ticketed.
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Electric Vehicle public charging stations are popping up everywhere, but if you rely on one to get back home, you need to do some planning ahead. Drivers of IC vehicles may not realize they are not allowed to park in EV spaces, or may park there out of spite. On the other hand, sometimes EV owners park in the EV spaces even if they aren’t charging/plugged in. Many of the new crop of Evs
Many
of the new crop of Evs have a charging station locator built
have a charging station locator built‐in
in to the navigation to the navigation
system, but they don’t always take into account factors such as being ICEd, if the charging station is actually working, or if it is simply in use by another EV. Many locations have at least a 120v plug somewhere on a wall that can be used – Don’t be afraid to ask! Interestingly, the only place I’ve been turned down was at Berkeley Bowl…
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