Surely a Charger this BIG is L3

[KBabione]

I'm visiting my father and I know where the nearest L3 chargers are. Today I took him for a doctor's appointment and, lo and behold, there's an "obvious" L3 charger in the parking lot:

It's got a gigantic video screen but I'm a little annoyed that I can't just start charging with a tap of my phone to pay for it. So I download yet another app (Jolt), create an account, enter my credit card, and finally can hit the "Start Charging" button. I do so and pull the plug out of the charger only to discover that it's a L2 charger! I didn't get much of a charge, but it didn't cost much either:

It was particularly annoying because I was wondering when I'd have to leave his appointment to unplug to avoid idle fees (I'm in a loaner so I can't see the SOC in the app) and I knew that I wouldn't need to be plugged into a L3 charger for an hour! Lesson learned - size isn't everything

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[s00n]

There’s a couple like that at the Floor & Decor here, even one at a liquor store. The screens were playing ads. I don’t know why they mess with L2 chargers in those kinda places when you’re there for 20 min or less. I don’t even bother with them anymore.

 

[azbill]

That is one of the old Volta L2 chargers, that got taken over by Shell Recharge. Under that cabinet is a simple L2 charger that looks just like one you would install in your garage. Volta used to have paid advertisements on those large cabinets.

 

[KBabione]

That is one of the old Volta L2 chargers, that got taken over by Shell Recharge. Under that cabinet is a simple L2 charger that looks just like one you would install in your garage. Volta used to have paid advertisements on those large cabinets.

Thanks - the sheer size of it drew me in. I still need to go back out and get a "real" charge!

 

[azbill]

Thanks - the sheer size of it drew me in. I still need to go back out and get a "real" charge!

Shell does install some 50kw DC chargers in a similar cabinet. but they have a CCS connector and a 30 minute limit. The L2 chargers near me have a 3 hour limit, but they are free.

 

[CharonPDX]

With pre-NACS connectors, it's easy to tell.

Does it have the two giant extra pins on the bottom? No? It's L2.

 

[SadHill]

If you go to a Six flags they have a bunch of what looks like L3 chargers because of their size but they are L2. Better that way cause you can get a full charge while you enjoy the park and not have to unplug.

 

[Zoidz]

Was that outside a Giant Food store? Looks like the ones they have in my area. They are (used to be last time I used one...) FREE. They are (were?) paid for by the advertising. Did you try just plugging with no app/payment? Yeah, it's L2. It just about covers the travel to the store and home...

 

[Rivian-E]

Was that outside a Giant Food store? Looks like the ones they have in my area. They are (used to be last time I used one...) FREE. They are (were?) paid for by the advertising. Did you try just plugging with no app/payment? Yeah, it's L2. It just about covers the travel to the store and home...

Yeah, I was gonna say…the size of the charger in this case has nothing to do with the level, it’s all about the advertising space!

 

[RickRivian]

That is one of the old Volta L2 chargers, that got taken over by Shell Recharge. Under that cabinet is a simple L2 charger that looks just like one you would install in your garage. Volta used to have paid advertisements on those large cabinets.

Thanks - the sheer size of it drew me in. I still need to go back out and get a "real" charge!

With pre-NACS connectors, it's easy to tell.

Does it have the two giant extra pins on the bottom? No? It's L2.

Was that outside a Giant Food store? Looks like the ones they have in my area. They are (used to be last time I used one...) FREE. They are (were?) paid for by the advertising. Did you try just plugging with no app/payment? Yeah, it's L2. It just about covers the travel to the store and home...

I believe all the level 2 chargers that Shell Recharge had got turned off recently across the country, they're only going to have fast chargers.

The best way to find a fast charger is PlugShare, not looking for big cabinets.

 

[KBabione]

Does it have the two giant extra pins on the bottom? No? It's L2.

Yep - and when I removed the plug from the charger that's when I noticed the 2 extra pins were there and I wouldn't have to flip down the CCS cover to charge.

 

[lefkonj]

I have seen several like that. They are that big for ads or housing of gear. Annoying

 

[BigSkies]

I have a distant relative that worked for one of those EV charging companies since acquired by an oil major.

Since the acquisition, the network has served as minor greenwashing for the oil major while being deliberately run in a way to decrease confidence in the quality of charging infrastructure.

 

[Cycliste]

After you stare at the ads without blinking for 30 seconds, the charging is free, but the timer resets if you blink, and you have to stare again for 30 seconds without blinking to get free charging. It’s kind of a Clockwork Orange setup.

 

[Taco Corp]

The Amazon Fresh (RIP) in my area had a couple of those but they were free and handy to use during the winter at 5:00 AM when I was at the gym next door to hold cabin temp on the days it was freezing.

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