The first one is the big expense, with the 3 phase requirements to install, additional DCFC units are incrementally less expensive, plus the potential dealership revenues, not just from charging fees, but from getting prospective customers in the dealership for the 45 minutes of charge is priceless.
Original link:
http://www.chevybolt.org/forum/42290-post10.html
I'm sorry, but your post makes very little sense.
1) "The first one is the big expense, with the 3 phase requirements to install, additional DCFC units are incrementally less expensive"
Many, many light industrial installations in the US already have 3-phase available. In an automobile garage bay with 4+ hydraulic car lifts and 220V power tools in use continually? They probably already have 3-phase installed. A 50+ kW charger all by itself costs a huge amount of $$$. Trenching and installing 4-8 gauge wiring in a code-compliant manner is also pretty darn expensive - the further away (for example, OUTSIDE the bay and AWAY from the existing lines), the more expensive it will cost.
2) "plus the potential dealership revenues, not just from charging fees"
If you think they are going to make much money from charging fees you are smoking crack. Supposing they sell electricity at .25/kWh (not cheap, not terribly expensive). Suppose they make a profit of $0.05 above the per-kWh electricity cost. 20 kWh sold for $1 profit - 20,000 kWh for $1000 - 1,000,000 kWh for $50,000 (guestimated cost
just to buy & install a 50 kW DCFC). Suppose 10 different cars a day pay to consume, each for 30 mins, at full blast (50 kW). That's 250 kWh. 1M/250 = 4,000 DAYS to simply break even. And I didn't even toss in the "on demand" charges from the utility company (the amount extra per kWh you must pay when you pull over a specified rate - and those charges can be HUGE).
Suppose instead that the dealer charges $0.40/kWh (probably close to TWICE what the user would pay by charging at home, if not more than twice) AND assume that 10 people are still willing to pay that much every single day for 30 mins of charge (instead of simply charging at home for a lot cheaper). It would only take 1,000 days to break even (about 3 years) - still not addressing the on-demand charges.
So the only realistic profits ARE the non-charging type. What type of 'potential revenues' will the dealer make? Well, not fees from servicing the vehicle (there is very little service and the customer would be going there anyway).
3) "getting prospective customers in the dealership for the 45 minutes of charge".
Anybody using the DCFC already has an EV, and on top of that has an EV with a DCFC plug. How is the business going to make money through luring people that already have an electric vehicle to their dealership? Because they'll switch? Honestly, when I switch EVs I am going to look at every vehicle available and not make a spur-of-the-moment buying decision because I was already there charging my car (or only consider the vehicle in question because I was there for the DCFC).
Would I like my close-by dealer to have a DCFC? Sure! Will I drive out of my way and pay the same or (worse) much more than I pay at home for electricity? **** no! (Unless I had to, of course - and my 'having to charge' doesn't benefit the dealer one little bit.)
The DCFC at the dealer is there for the dealer.
{Edit: wow!!! H-E-double-toothpicks is censored on this site? How completely ridiculous! }
