1,000 Electrify America Chargers Coming to 200 TA Rest Stops Across the U.S.

[Pitbull2o08]

This is pretty major for the midwest.

Sponsored

 

[Pitbull2o08]

Someone needs to make a deal with Loves, would really help the midwest deadzones.

I agree. Maybe we should pull our money and go private. I love Love's.

 

[Zprime29]

I hope the render they provided is not the final implementation. Would be great if they rotated them 90 degrees and made them drive by instead of pull in stalls.

 

[lancersrock]

I agree. Maybe we should pull our money and go private. I love Love's.

i drive from Omaha north on I29 and also NW on a highway, a true 150kw charger at loves would be a weekly and sometimes daily stop for me. Both would be the only chargers above 70kw on my travels.

 

[Amps]

Maybe somebody will light a fire under Royal Farms' butt to fix (upgrade/replace) the broken chargers they have. Royal Farms has a monopoly on broken DCFC in the DelMarVa charging desert.

 

[queuewho]

Hershey. Beside Troegs if possible.
Harrisburg. Near PizzaBoy if possible.

Dang man, you hit all my favorite spots

 

[Tony Burgh]

Dang man, you hit all my favorite spots

You may have a problem I understand.

 

[Replika]

It's my belief that filling in the dead zones around the US will do a lot more to attract EV new owners than clustering dozens of sites around a metro area. Drivers want to be able to go anywhere. Instead it seems like they are catering too much to historically eco-conscious renters (and hey I'm one of them, but still..)

Looking at Texas (my state), outside of the metro areas it's not easy to get around. Texas actually has quite good EV adoption numbers already, but my point is they need to think more broadly in choosing the sites. Mainstream adoption means catering more to the mainstream of the US.

 

[Texas Dan]

I guess they are trying to compete for the NEVI money. Some of TA stations are very near existing EA stations which will prevent them from getting NEVI money. Texas so far has been painfully slow to start spending their NEVI money so if that’s any indication you’re going to have to be VERY patient if you’re counting on TA chargers

 

[luebri]

I guess they are trying to compete for the NEVI money. Some of TA stations are very near existing EA stations which will prevent them from getting NEVI money. Texas so far has been painfully slow to start spending their NEVI money so if that’s any indication you’re going to have to be VERY patient if you’re counting on TA chargers

Texas is not alone.

I dont know of a single ounce of NEVI funded charger construction that has actually been started much less completed in any state in the entire USA. Some states are obtaining bids for their first wave of bid selections.

From my research, I'd be surprised if any charger/location (that was not already privately planned prior to NEVI) is planned and installed as result of NEVI in 2023 in all of the US.

 

[Replika]

It's probably a little more complicated due to state politics.

I took a look at Plugshare and Round Rock is fully out of order for upgrades. Hope nobody had to get a fast charge today. Waco has been a bit iffy too recently.

I would like to see Lubbock, i35 and i37 south of San Antonio (Corpus?), something around Big Bend, Lincoln National Forest/Carlsbad Caverns area, i25 to ABQ, something in the dead zone of i20 east of Dallas, i20 west could use a couple more locations to get station distance under 120 miles. We also need better coverage going from from Houston to DFW/Austin/SA.

Just diverting 10% from cities could fill in so many dead zones across the US. They could really lean into that in the marketing too. "Drive electric, go anywhere!"

 

[Amps]

I dont know of a single ounce of NEVI funded charger construction that has actually been started much less completed in any state in the entire USA.

I don't either. I received this canned email yesterday from the Virginia NEVI contact at VDOT (I made comments during the comment period):

VDOT is currently working with state and federal stakeholders to develop a competitive grant solicitation to award NEVI Formula Funding in order to build out electric vehicle infrastructure along Virginia's federally-designated alternative fuel corridors. The solicitation is dependent on the upcoming release of the Federal Highway Administration NEVI Final Rulemaking, which will establish program standards and requirements. We anticipate the grant solicitation will be open for applications beginning in late Spring or early Summer 2023. Additional updates will be provided as the solicitation process develops. If you have specific questions, please feel free to reply to this email.

 

[cwstnsko]

This is pretty major for the midwest.

Depends on which 200 stations they choose to install the chargers at.

 

[BoomerRocco]

Depends on which 200 stations they choose to install the chargers at.

According to this article TravelCenters of America buys 1,000 Electrify America DC fast chargers - The Verge :

The first installations are slated for locations in Texas and Ohio, according to TA’s senior director of communications​

 

[thecoloradokid]

It's probably a little more complicated due to state politics.

I took a look at Plugshare and Round Rock is fully out of order for upgrades. Hope nobody had to get a fast charge today. Waco has been a bit iffy too recently.

I would like to see Lubbock, i35 and i37 south of San Antonio (Corpus?), something around Big Bend, Lincoln National Forest/Carlsbad Caverns area, i25 to ABQ, something in the dead zone of i20 east of Dallas, i20 west could use a couple more locations to get station distance under 120 miles. We also need better coverage going from from Houston to DFW/Austin/SA.

Just diverting 10% from cities could fill in so many dead zones across the US. They could really lean into that in the marketing too. "Drive electric, go anywhere!"

It boils down to economics. While the Feds may help cover costs to install new chargers, there needs to be on going revenue derived from charger usage to provide for maintenance. A charger in the middle of no where, like Lubbock for instance, will struggle with weather extremes and low usage. No large scale charging operator wants to install a low use charger in the middle of no where and then contract for regular maintenance. It does not make economic sense when they could install a charger on I-45 between Dallas and Houston, or I-40 between Dallas and Amarillo, or I-35 between Dallas and San Antonio that would get used a lot more.

Not trying to pick on remote rural areas, but we are a long ways from those parts of the country getting access to reliable fast chargers. Like the wireless and cable companies, the fast charger operates will be very hesitate to install chargers in remote rural areas, and will only do so if installation costs are covered, then the chargers are further subsidized to cover ongoing maintenance.

Sponsored