Best (largest 300+kW network) DC Fast Charging Network in PNW?

[jebinc]

Hello,

For the Pacific Northwest (or US in general), which of the following Public networks would you say is the best, from a coverage, charging speed, price, convenience and reliability perspective?

Electrify America
EVGo
ChargePoint
Other (Please specify)

Also, is "A Better Route Planner" the best app to use for the Rivian, or is something else better (including the build in UI system)?

Thanks for sharing your experiences and opinions on this. I will be driving my new R1T six hours home on Monday and want to get set up for that. I am familiar with EVs and EV charging, but I'm on the Tesla SuC Network (Have a Plaid and MYP).

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[CommodoreAmiga]

I use ABRP and PlugShare when pre-planning trips on my phone/computer. I use the Rivian nav (mostly) when driving. Sometimes I'll use PlugShare to find my preferred charging stop on a trip and manually set that destination in the Rivian nav.

I've had mostly positive experiences with EA stations and so I tend to prioritize those on my trips. EVGo is a close second place, for me. My fastest peak charge was at an EVGo station. EA gives me the highest sustained average across multiple locations.

ChargePoint is a dumpster fire and I actively avoid them, at this point. I've never successfully charged at a ChargePoint DCFC.

 

[mindstormsguy]

Use ABRP if you want route planning, and use Plugshare to confirm a station is good before you head there. The best network is the one that has a charger where you need it.

EA ha the most fast chargers. 150kW - 350kW. EVgo used to be mostly slow DC chargers (50kW), but in the Seattle area and California, they’re starting to build some nice 350kW stations. Chargepoint is almost always a 50kW station.

But it depends. ABRP will consider each specific station, and how fast it charges, to get you where you need to go quickly.

 

[jjswan33]

I've also used EA extensively in the PNW (and the SW and the Mountain west and the Midwest). Get their $4 monthly pass+ membership as it pays for itself in a single R1T DCFC.

I have not ever use EVGo. 2 times I have stopped at one and prices were nearly 2X of EA so a just moved on.

Chargepoint I have also used, in certain locations it is the only option right now, usually limited to 50-100kW speeds. But in places like Madras it's the only option for now.

Like @CommodoreAmiga mentions always check Plugshare for where you intend to charge on a trip. Usually recent user experiences can be a guide if the station are up and running.

 

[mindstormsguy]

The thing about 50kW stations is that they’re comparably cheap to build. Nobody wants to charge that slowly, but if you’re in a less-traveled area, that might be all that’s out there. Chargepoint seems to have made that their niche.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

The thing about 50kW stations is that they’re comparably cheap to build. Nobody wants to charge that slowly, but if you’re in a less-traveled area, that might be all that’s out there. Chargepoint seems to have made that their niche.

My problem is that ChargePoint often only has ONE 50kW station in a location, and it's a crapshoot if it will be blocked or not, and when they're not blocked it's usually because it doesn't work (in my experience).

I went on a trip last weekend and stopped at two different CP DCFC locations in two different towns... Both were blocked and I was unable to charge. Made it to an EA station on whatever the electron-equivalent to "fumes" is and pulled 200+kW.

 

[jjswan33]

The thing about 50kW stations is that they’re comparably cheap to build. Nobody wants to charge that slowly, but if you’re in a less-traveled area, that might be all that’s out there. Chargepoint seems to have made that their niche.

CP actually sells all sorts of stations up to 350kW. It is up to the operator to decide what they want to buy/offer. 50kW chargers make a lot of sense for things like shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters etc where you want to spend an hour or two.

 

[mindstormsguy]

CP actually sells all sorts of stations up to 350kW. It is up to the operator to decide what they want to buy/offer. 50kW chargers make a lot of sense for things like shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters etc where you want to spend an hour or two.

Yeah, I've seen that on their website. I've never seen one in the wild though. 75 and 100kW, I have. But I have never used a CP charger faster than that. They're unicorns I think.

 

[jjswan33]

Yeah, I've seen that on their website. I've never seen one in the wild though. 75 and 100kW, I have. But I have never used a CP charger faster than that. They're unicorns I think.

I think that is just because the operators (in my experience usually local energy companies) don't want to pay for the high end equipment. I expect with the nationwide charging expansion happening over the next couple years that will change. I see you are in Seattle so I agree I have not seen a CP over 62.5kw in the PNW.

 

[domoplaytime]

This is a great thread, thank you all. Can folks offer any guidance on whether to initiate a charging session through the car versus the charging provider phone app? Is it best to always reboot the car before attempting to charge or only after spending 45 minutes on the phone with the charging provider support staff?

 

[joelster]

I have been driving up and down I-5 a bunch since getting my R1T in June, from Eugene to Bellingham. Early on I subscribed to EA and it has actually worked out great. The added bonus is that I've gotten to see some of the nicest Wallmart parking lots in the PNW!

 

[jebinc]

I have been driving up and down I-5 a bunch since getting my R1T in June, from Eugene to Bellingham. Early on I subscribed to EA and it has actually worked out great. The added bonus is that I've gotten to see some of the nicest Wallmart parking lots in the PNW!

And, “the people of Walmart”!

https://www.peopleofwalmart.com/

Yeah, it’s “a thing”… similar to “Florida man”.. ?

 

[jjswan33]

This is a great thread, thank you all. Can folks offer any guidance on whether to initiate a charging session through the car versus the charging provider phone app? Is it best to always reboot the car before attempting to charge or only after spending 45 minutes on the phone with the charging provider support staff?

I first try to use the mobile wallet on my Iphone. I have both Chargepoint and EA in there so I just plug in and then tapper the reader on the unit. Side note: One mistake I have seen newbies make is trying to tap the mobile wallet on the credit card reader.

If for whatever reason the mobile reader isn't working on the unit I will go to the backup of trying to activate through the app

If I plug in two to three times and try multiple units and keep getting "Unplug and Try Again" on the Rivian's info screen then I will do a hard reset before I ever try calling service.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

This is a great thread, thank you all. Can folks offer any guidance on whether to initiate a charging session through the car versus the charging provider phone app? Is it best to always reboot the car before attempting to charge or only after spending 45 minutes on the phone with the charging provider support staff?

I always use the charging providers app.

I never reboot the vehicle before charging. I never did that proactively.... And the couple times I couldn't get a charger to work with my R1T the reboot didn't help, so I view it as a complete waste.

 

[domoplaytime]

BKM

Sounds like you have worked at Intel at some point ? Kudos for your R1T LE! Thanks for the guidance.

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