Who’s using EVgo and why - unreasonably expensive

[moosehead]

Just say no to EVho, unless you absolutely have to go.

Now you know.

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[Bbrooks676767]

This discussion would be mute if we could just use an adapter at the tesla superchargers. I have tried to charge at 3 different non tesla dcfc and failed charge at all of them. Scares me to go to far in my rivian. Have driven from Missouri to Florida and back in my model 3 with zero issues. Every Tesla charger worked at full capacity and we were on our way.

 

[Curt]

You can add a AAA membership # to your account to avoid the session fees

 

[Riviaenz]

How do you use Apple Maps? I am not aware (and can not find) an option in Apple Maps to do route planning with charging stations? Please share!

It’d be a lot easier if Rivian supported CarPlay.

Without CarPlay, the way I do it is first I map out a route with Apple Maps and then using the add a stop option search for EV Charger or Fast Charger. It’ll tend to show you all of the options around the destination but when you zoom out to view your whole route you’ll then see a lot more EVSE and Fast Chargers along the way on the map and at the bottom of the screen it will show them in list view. In the list view you‘ll have filtering options for ”Open Now”, Charging Speed, and sorting. It’s been great at finding fast chargers where alternative apps (Rivian, ABRP, PlugShare, and ChargePoint) don’t show any.

It very quickly shows you the number of chargers, and even better than most other apps, it’ll show you live availability, and ratings (from PlugShare when available).

I first learned about it when we rented a Bolt right before we bought our R1T to hold us over while we negotiated with insurance on value/price of our prior car they deemed a total loss (it ended up costing them a lot more to buy our car net of salvage than if they’d opted to repair it). With CarPlay it’s much simpler, automatic operation. Instead it doesn’t require as much pre-planning. While on route simply add a stop and it’ll automatically show you DCFC on route and you add them just as you’d do it if you were looking for gas stations.

 

[Riviaenz]

You can add a AAA membership # to your account to avoid the session fees

Cool tip! What’s a little off-putting about setting up an account though is they want your address in the guise of sending you a “membership card”. Why is it most charging networks insist on collecting as much PII as possible? Plus membership ends up meaning you keep an active balance on their account. Between 3 different networks I have more than $60 pending and you can never take them down to zero. EA is the worst in that regard. As soon as you drop below their threshold they add $10 more. ChargePoint used to be especially bad as they would determine based on your activity how much to reload for you. When I had a PHEV I would use them occasionally for $1-2 charges at a time and only at work which was about $0.50/hr. If I activated too many times in a week, I’d sometimes get auto reloads of $30+ at a time and it would often take me months to use that balance. Last year they finally switched to pay as you go which is much better for occasional use so when I see ChargePoint as a DCFC option even if it’s on the slow side I don’t mind picking them over EA. In fact I often prefer them over EA as they have been more reliable… although EA is finally getting muscled into better uptime by VW/Porsche/Audi and I’m sure even more so now that Porsche finally strong armed it’s cousins to join NACS.

 

[quartz]

I use EVGo whenever possible, because EA peeps have a habit of charging to 100% since it’s free for them.

 

[Riviaenz]

I use EVGo whenever possible, because EA peeps have a habit of charging to 100% since it’s free for them.

Yes that’s true! I almost always see VW ID.4 and Audi clogging them while they charge at ridiculously slow rates to 100%. It’s like their subtle dig/resentment to the EV world for being forced to pay penance for dieselgate.

 

[IGR]

I am one of those who prefers EVgo for the same reasons many have already mentioned here.
The only thing I don't like is that their hardware tends to malfunction a lot, and CCS plugs get vandalized for some reason.

 

[logan]

<snip>

If you're taking a long road trip, the $13 membership with EVgo pays for itself in savings. EVgo is also supposed to support plug and charge for Rivian though I could not get plug and charge to work at the two stations I visited.

FWIW, the first time I paid with the app after setting it up it did an enrollment process (where I selected the charger by name and plugged in) with my truck and then ever since it is the painless plug and charge without using the app.

 

[240vPlug]

FWIW, the first time I paid with the app after setting it up it did an enrollment process (where I selected the charger by name and plugged in) with my truck and then ever since it is the painless plug and charge without using the app.

Thanks. I'll have to give it another try on my next road trip. I enrolled my vehicles by VIN in the app a while back... Wasn't at a charging site though.

I will have to give it another shot.

 

[TexasBob]

TLDR EVGo sucks. Massively overpriced, unreliable, poj network.

Well, I will never do that again. I took my first (and last) road trip in my new R1T yesterday - 550 miles from Houston to Dallas and back. Have done that trip countless times in my Teslas. No big deal.

Stop at the RAN in Centerville (co-located with SuperCharger) all good, normal charging experience. Get to Dallas. Need a short charge to get back home. Nav says stop at nearby EVGo. Arrive. POJ half-a$$ed "station" in a bank parking lot. Two of four chargers are broken, other two have a five car deep waiting line. Okay, mistake. Go to the next closest one on the Nav (20 minutes away). Arrive in mall parking lot. All units down. Okay, nav not to be trusted. Pull out phone app. Next nearest one (and at this point the only one I have range to get to) has one functioning unit. Another 30 minute drive. Arrive and charge. $0.65 per kwh!!!! What the literal H? This is not California it is Texas. Power costs 8-12 cents for commercial users.

This CCS charging sucks and EVGo is a joke (unreliable, super-cr@ppy stations that charge a huge premium - no thank you). I have done my last road trip with the R1T until the Tesla adapter arrives unless my route happens to be completely covered by RAN chargers.

OTOH, R1T is a great highway cruiser and overall fantastic. I look forward to be able to drive it once it has access to proper charging networks.

 

[Rexbo]

$0.65 per kwh!!!! What the literal H? This is not California it is Texas. Power costs 8-12 cents for commercial users.

You know this is intentional, right? TX doesn't want EVs on their roads...

 

[TexasBob]

You know this is intentional, right? TX doesn't want EVs on their roads...

I do not think the Texas legislature has anything to do with EVGo's incompetence or extortionate pricing. Texas leg can be justly blamed for a lot of stupid stuff, but not that.

 

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

You can add a AAA membership # to your account to avoid the session fees

Can you share a screenshot how to do this? I'm poking around in the app and can't find anything about this. Do you have to do it through the website?

Used EVgo a few times, never get more than around 80wH charging rate but they have some convenient locations near me (and less likely to be broken *ahem* EA).

 

[Rexbo]

I do not think the Texas legislature has anything to do with EVGo's incompetence or extortionate pricing. Texas leg can be justly blamed for a lot of stupid stuff, but not that.

Oh, broken infrastructure is absolutely on the provider, and I think Rivian should get kudos since we rarely see or hear of a broken RAN charger.

Different states offer forms of subsidization to help build stations though, and for example CA state govt is dumping money into building more stations (on top of federal funding), which, despite electricity being more expensive than TX, mitigates build costs immediately. Until EV charging gets as much subsidization from taxpayers as oil, the need for up-front recuperation of investment by the charging networks will remain high.

I don't know how much this impacts things, but both EA and EVGo claims to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) for all power used, which would locally influence per-kWh pricing as well, depending on the local commodity market for RECs. There's a lot going into the pricing scheme so who knows just how much this changes things in the short term.

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