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After two years with the Bolt EV, the driving public has seen EVgo expand from 500 DCFC stations to over 1,000, Electrify America to appear on the scene and have 125+ stations up and running, and ChargePoint move from their small 24kW units to a more robust CPE250.
I have had my fair share of time in front of DCFC stations. In those reflective times, I wondered...
Why don't DCFC stations have....?
Parking space presence detectors integrated into the 'dispenser'. A presence detector is becoming a cheap, desirable addition to common parking meters. A driver cannot freeload into a parking space; the detector triggers a call for parking enforcement if payment is not made within a grace period.
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Add a presence detector to a DCFC, include some enforcement, and ICEing will be a thing of the past. A presence detector can also be used to prevent DCFC 'camping'. We all know the EV driver that plugs-in without charging just to grab a desirable parking spot at the mall--then stays there for 9-hours. Having a presence detector can also make idling charges much more enforceable, and therefore clear the charging space.
After all, the value of a good DCFC comes from the space in front of it. The DCFC should manage the space, and not just the charge.
Parking guidance on the DCFC screen. I do appreciate seeing a DCFC screen say 'Charger Ready', I can suffer through being reminded that Nissan and BMW are free to charge, yet why can't the screen provide distance, location and other parking guidance? Personally, the short nose of the Bolt makes it hard to judge how far to pull in and make the cable connect. At EA chargers, I have to be very precise or the cable will not flex to meet the DCFC receptacle. Video and ultrasound guidance are on the cusp of being installed in many garages. Why not at a DCFC space?
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Overhead drops for charging cables. I have seen these in Asia. It would free up room in parking garages and would address the varied location of the charge port on cars.
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Overhead fuel drops can be done for flammable fuels, why not for electricity? Again, there is no engineering requirement that a customer interface screen, step-down transformers, and AC-to-DC converters be housed in the same box.
And, in the more commonplace...
Canopies over a DCFC station. Really. Drive in my daughter's EV in California and we return to a flaming hot car when charging at Cathedral City (while nearby ICE drivers are pumping gas under a canopy). Charge in winter sleet storm at Waterford Commons, Connecticut, and I am ready for frostbite surgery. It's confounding to think about, particularly when in the same lot the property owners are placing canopies for shopping cart corrals!
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I am sure members of this forum have come up with their own ideas. I recognized that most of these solutions are essentially cheap compared to the price of dedicating 250 square feet to a charging space and installing $100,000 plus of DCFC equipment.
I have had my fair share of time in front of DCFC stations. In those reflective times, I wondered...
Why don't DCFC stations have....?
Parking space presence detectors integrated into the 'dispenser'. A presence detector is becoming a cheap, desirable addition to common parking meters. A driver cannot freeload into a parking space; the detector triggers a call for parking enforcement if payment is not made within a grace period.
Add a presence detector to a DCFC, include some enforcement, and ICEing will be a thing of the past. A presence detector can also be used to prevent DCFC 'camping'. We all know the EV driver that plugs-in without charging just to grab a desirable parking spot at the mall--then stays there for 9-hours. Having a presence detector can also make idling charges much more enforceable, and therefore clear the charging space.
After all, the value of a good DCFC comes from the space in front of it. The DCFC should manage the space, and not just the charge.
Parking guidance on the DCFC screen. I do appreciate seeing a DCFC screen say 'Charger Ready', I can suffer through being reminded that Nissan and BMW are free to charge, yet why can't the screen provide distance, location and other parking guidance? Personally, the short nose of the Bolt makes it hard to judge how far to pull in and make the cable connect. At EA chargers, I have to be very precise or the cable will not flex to meet the DCFC receptacle. Video and ultrasound guidance are on the cusp of being installed in many garages. Why not at a DCFC space?
Overhead drops for charging cables. I have seen these in Asia. It would free up room in parking garages and would address the varied location of the charge port on cars.
Overhead fuel drops can be done for flammable fuels, why not for electricity? Again, there is no engineering requirement that a customer interface screen, step-down transformers, and AC-to-DC converters be housed in the same box.
And, in the more commonplace...
Canopies over a DCFC station. Really. Drive in my daughter's EV in California and we return to a flaming hot car when charging at Cathedral City (while nearby ICE drivers are pumping gas under a canopy). Charge in winter sleet storm at Waterford Commons, Connecticut, and I am ready for frostbite surgery. It's confounding to think about, particularly when in the same lot the property owners are placing canopies for shopping cart corrals!
I am sure members of this forum have come up with their own ideas. I recognized that most of these solutions are essentially cheap compared to the price of dedicating 250 square feet to a charging space and installing $100,000 plus of DCFC equipment.
