Teamwork Makes The EV Charging Dream Work – CleanTechnica

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Recently, I took a little road trip. To some people, an 800-mile trip is a big one, but compared to what I did a few months ago (4200 miles pulling a trailer with a Bolt EUV), it’s small. On that last big trip, I noticed that the EV charging scene has changed. Instead of having to deal with whatever station is available, I had the opportunity to get picky and choose stations that better fit my own needs. Later on the trip, I realized the importance of having stations closely-spaced along major highways, because you never quite know what the ideal spacing will be for any given driver trying to avoid breaking their charging stride.

Now (at least outside of places like California), I’m seeing another interesting thing emerge as the charging network evolves: synergy between competing companies! It turns out that the little town of Lordsburg, New Mexico is proof that a diverse set of companies is a much better path forward than letting one company or one way of thinking dominate everything.

What Happens After There Are Stations Every 50 Miles

One big goal for EV charging today is to have stations no further than 50 miles apart along major highways. This is literally written into the Infrastructure Law that gave us the NEVI program that’s supposed to deliver a better EV charging experience. In many areas, there’s currently little to no EV charging, even along the major roads, so having a four-stall 150 kW station will be a huge improvement. But, anyone who’s seen holiday weekend traffic swamp a four-stall station knows that a LOT more will be needed.

But, what happens when government money runs out and the charging network keeps growing to serve increasing demand? That’s something we’re just starting to see in southern New Mexico and parts of west Texas and southern Arizona.

At present, there are stations in El Paso, Las Cruces, Deming, Lordsburg, and Safford that support all EVs. Lordsburg’s only fast charging station is Electrify America, and Deming has a V2 station (Tesla only). Along this route, there’s already at least four stalls spaced 50-70 miles apart, making it passable for all but the lowest range EVs when everything is working well.

Because there are already stations serving each town, the NEVI program isn’t going to add much more. There are some odd decisions to add some capacity, but for the most part, the government’s job forcing Electrify America to build, using Dieselgate money, and then using NEVI funds is about done.

What we’re seeing happen next is pretty cool, and Lordsburg is a great example.

Once construction is done, every exit in the little town that grew out of a railroad tent city will have a charging station. Coming from the west, the first exit already has an Electrify America station. The middle exit has a Tesla Supercharger with V4 dispensers and likely a V3 cabinet under construction, and this will add twelve stalls to the city’s capacity. Finally, the last exit has a GM/EVgo station under construction with four stalls.

The lazy way to look at this is in terms of number of stalls. Four EA stalls, 12 Tesla stalls, and 4 GM/EVgo stalls means the town will have 20 stalls. This is awesome, as there will be soon be 5x as many stalls as the town has right now. This will better serve traffic coming through on I-10 or departing the interstate to take the back road to Phoenix (more on that in another article soon).

But, when we look at the stations in terms of more than numbers, we can see something even cooler: the different approaches to serving EV drivers. Electrify America has a pretty standard four-stall station (the first the town ever had), laid out for people to nose-in or back-in and get a charge. Because there’s nothing behind the stalls, it’s possible to charge here without unhooking a trailer. The gas station’s convenience store has drinks, snacks, limited food, and restrooms.

The Tesla station has similar amenities as the Electrify America station, being located at a Circle K store. But, the station layout is in more of a U shape, with drivers entering from the west and charging on the south, east, and north sides. Space is tight, so nobody with even a small trailer is going to have much luck charging here without unhooking. But, it’s very space efficient and will serve most EV drivers extremely well without taking up much land.

The last station is a lot nicer for most drivers, but comes at a cost. The upside is that there are four stalls, and the station could fit three large electric pickup trucks pulling max load. If some cars are not towing and others are, it could accommodate four. Pilot and Flying J bathrooms are great. Food is great. Snack options are great. Really, you can’t find a better place to wait while charging. But, EVgo fees at these sites are usually around 60 cents per kWh, so you get what you pay for.

The Advantages Of Multiple Charging Companies

It’s easy to bag on Electrify America. It’s also easy to bag on Tesla’s station in Lordsburg, as it has no pull-through spaces. It’s easy to criticize EVgo and GM for charging a lot for fast charging. Depending on which one serves your needs best, it’s easy to just say, “Why can’t my favorite company just do ALL charging stations? They’re the best, after all. We don’t need these losers mucking up the market and discouraging EV adoption!”

But, after seeing three companies do differing takes on EV charging in the same small town, I’m convinced that the opposite is true. For Tesla drivers not pulling a trailer, the Supercharger will be the best. The Electrify America is going to be the best for people who prefer them or their pricing. The truck stop chargers will be best for people towing or who prefer the better amenities. No matter which you prefer, if it goes down, one of the others can probably get you a charge.

Having a variety of companies like this ends up being better. I hope we continue to see this happen along the interstates.

Featured image: a screenshot from PlugShare.com showing stations in Lordsburg, New Mexico (fair use).