Finding a working charging station, a nightmare!

[Instinctive]

Right, they should, but do not. I've been in parking garages in the EU that have a little red or green light above each space, so you can see an empty spot from a distance. Likely using a buried wire loop sensor.

Not just the EU. Most major airports and malls with parking garages have them now.

 

[hmp10]

Well, I take back everything I've said recently about the Electrify America situation improving. This evening I was coming back from the Miami Airport and looking to charge before I hit the road back across the state.

I went to the Sheridan Street EA station just off I-75 and found only one of its three charge stations working. A VW ID.4 was charging there, and the guy said he had been plugged in for 42 minutes and only increased his charge level from 20% to 48%. I looked at the station, and he was drawing 39 kW. As there were two other cars waiting for his spot, I decided to try another EA station about seven miles away on University Drive.

When I got there, two of its four charge posts were out of commission. A BMW i3 was charging at one, and a Mach-E was charging at the other. There was also a Level 2 charger there, so I thought I'd plug into it to pick up a little juice while I was waiting. I plugged the cable in, but apparently the Lucid complimentary charging doesn't extend to EA Level 2 charging. So I swiped my credit card, but the reader wouldn't register it despite several more attempts.

At this point, the Mach-E driver told me he was about to pull off, so I lined up to pull in as he departed. Just as I was about to get out of the car, a red "Unavailable" notice popped up on the screen he had just vacated. I plugged in, anyway, but nothing happened. So now this location, too, was down to only one functioning charger. At that point, the i3 driver called out that she was leaving in a few minutes. I had noticed she was parked oddly in the space, at about a 45º angle, but I lined up to jump into her space.

This charging location had the charge posts located at the head of the parking space, as with Tesla Superchargers. That's when I realized why the BMW was parked at that angle. The charging cable was too short to reach the Lucid charge port, even though I had driven one wheel up onto the concrete parking chock to get as close to the station as I could. Fortunately (!?!), as the adjacent space had a non-functioning charger, I was able to pull the car in perpendicular to the two spaces in order to reach the charge cable.

In total, I blew almost two hours just trying to get a charge session started. As I was pulling off after finally getting a charge, a guy pulled up in a BMW i5. He asked why I was parked sideways, and I told him about my frustrating evening. It turns out he, too, had come from the Sheridan Street station I had first tried and was having the same kind of evening I was.

In talking to the drivers of the ID.4, an Ioniq 6 waiting for his spot, the Mach-E driver, the i3 driver, and the i5 driver, I found that every single one of them was absolutely disgusted with Electrify America.

Sorry, folks, but Electrify America sucks, and it ain't gettin' any better. Their reputation is probably below Comcast's right now, and all the way down there with Boeing's.

And . . . note to Lucid: you need to rethink your charge port location. It's hard enough to find a functioning charger along the road. Having a charge port that many cables won't reach doesn't help. (This also happened to me at the one ChargePoint station I have tried.)

 

[kort6776]

how about using the non EA chargers? I recently drove from Boca up to Jax. I needed a charge around Cocoa, plugshare rated the EA charger there low and the comments complained about down units and charge speed, plugshare also showed a charger at a 7/11 about 12 miles before the EA unit that was slower but the comments said it was very reliable. I choose the 7/11 unit. no waits, no dealing with hinky connection issues and the unit put out 140kwh, not the fastest but fast enough. it was well worth the $16 it cost. YMMV

 

[hmp10]

how about using the non EA chargers?

I actually had enough charge to get home without charging on the Miami side. But as we have another road trip coming up soon, I wanted to check out the current state of Electrify America.

Also, the one time I tried a ChargePoint charger, it was no better. I had some time one day to kill in an airport cell phone lot, so I looked up the nearest non-EA charger and found one about 4 miles away. While I was looking at the screen the station status switched from "occupied" to "free", so off I headed. When I got there I found only one charger. When I pulled into the parking space I found the cable would not reach my charge port. Fortunately, there was no one else around, so I was able to angle the car across two spaces.

I then downloaded the ChargePoint app, opened an account, and tried to initiate charging. After several failed attempts, I was finally able on the second try to get a customer service person on the line. She walked me through everything I had already done, but still no luck. After about 10 minutes of trying different things, I asked her why she couldn't just initiate the charge from her end as she had my account information. She said she could -- leaving me wondering why she hadn't said so several minutes earlier. I heard her clicking her keyboard, then a long pause, followed by, "oh, I'm sorry. That station is out of service."

I have found that the only really safe time to try out CCS chargers is when you don't actually need a charge. I'm back to wondering if we should do our upcoming trip in our Honda Odyssey.

A friend bought a Chevy Bolt EUV and had to use public chargers while waiting to get his garage wired for home charging. (He was doing this through a GM complimentary program, and the waiting period was more than two months.) He opened five accounts in order to be sure he was covered because, naturally, none of the providers would allow anything as straightforward as a credit card swipe. The only charging station he found always to be problem-free was the one operated by our local utility, Florida Power & Light.

I've been hoping for some time that Lucid would cut loose from Electrify America in its promos, as I think the association only damages the Lucid brand. And, as Lucid is not on the list of brands that will soon gain access to Tesla NACS charging, I'm worried that Gravity buyers -- of which I hope there will be many more than Air buyers -- will become embittered when they find out that Lucids cannot really road trip relying on the EA network.

 

[hydbob]

I actually had enough charge to get home without charging on the Miami side. But as we have another road trip coming up soon, I wanted to check out the current state of Electrify America.

Also, the one time I tried a ChargePoint charger, it was no better. I had some time one day to kill in an airport cell phone lot, so I looked up the nearest non-EA charger and found one about 4 miles away. While I was looking at the screen the station status switched from "occupied" to "free", so off I headed. When I got there I found only one charger. When I pulled into the parking space I found the cable would not reach my charge port. Fortunately, there was no one else around, so I was able to angle the car across two spaces.

I then downloaded the ChargePoint app, opened an account, and tried to initiate charging. After several failed attempts, I was finally able on the second try to get a customer service person on the line. She walked me through everything I had already done, but still no luck. After about 10 minutes of trying different things, I asked her why she couldn't just initiate the charge from her end as she had my account information. She said she could -- leaving me wondering why she hadn't said so several minutes earlier. I heard her clicking her keyboard, then a long pause, followed by, "oh, I'm sorry. That station is out of service."

I have found that the only really safe time to try out CCS chargers is when you don't actually need a charge. I'm back to wondering if we should do our upcoming trip in our Honda Odyssey.

A friend bought a Chevy Bolt EUV and had to use public chargers while waiting to get his garage wired for home charging. (He was doing this through a GM complimentary program, and the waiting period was more than two months.) He opened five accounts in order to be sure he was covered because, naturally, none of the providers would allow anything as straightforward as a credit card swipe. The only charging station he found always to be problem-free was the one operated by our local utility, Florida Power & Light.

I've been hoping for some time that Lucid would cut loose from Electrify America in its promos, as I think the association only damages the Lucid brand. And, as Lucid is not on the list of brands that will soon gain access to Tesla NACS charging, I'm worried that Gravity buyers -- of which I hope there will be many more than Air buyers -- will become embittered when they find out that Lucids cannot really road trip relying on the EA network.

By the time Gravity is shipping en masse,the SC network will be open to Lucid.

 

[hmp10]

By the time Gravity is shipping en masse,the SC network will be open to Lucid.

I thought they are saying it will now be 2026 at the earliest before the Tesla network opens to Lucid. Or do you mean it'll be 2026 before the Gravity is shipping in larger volumes?

 

[hydbob]

I thought they are saying it will now be 2026 at the earliest before the Tesla network opens to Lucid. Or do you mean it'll be 2026 before the Gravity is shipping in larger volumes?

Oh, I though the SC network was opening up in Q1 2025 to Lucid. I take it back then.

 

[hmp10]

Oh, I though the SC network was opening up in Q1 2025 to Lucid. I take it back then.

I may be wrong. I just tried to find the article that I thought said Lucid was not on the list Tesla recently released of brands able to use its network, but I couldn't find it. Lucid itself has said that its cars will be able to use the Tesla network in 2025.

 

[kort6776]

I actually had enough charge to get home without charging on the Miami side. But as we have another road trip coming up soon, I wanted to check out the current state of Electrify America.

Also, the one time I tried a ChargePoint charger, it was no better. I had some time one day to kill in an airport cell phone lot, so I looked up the nearest non-EA charger and found one about 4 miles away. While I was looking at the screen the station status switched from "occupied" to "free", so off I headed. When I got there I found only one charger. When I pulled into the parking space I found the cable would not reach my charge port. Fortunately, there was no one else around, so I was able to angle the car across two spaces.

I then downloaded the ChargePoint app, opened an account, and tried to initiate charging. After several failed attempts, I was finally able on the second try to get a customer service person on the line. She walked me through everything I had already done, but still no luck. After about 10 minutes of trying different things, I asked her why she couldn't just initiate the charge from her end as she had my account information. She said she could -- leaving me wondering why she hadn't said so several minutes earlier. I heard her clicking her keyboard, then a long pause, followed by, "oh, I'm sorry. That station is out of service."

I have found that the only really safe time to try out CCS chargers is when you don't actually need a charge. I'm back to wondering if we should do our upcoming trip in our Honda Odyssey.

A friend bought a Chevy Bolt EUV and had to use public chargers while waiting to get his garage wired for home charging. (He was doing this through a GM complimentary program, and the waiting period was more than two months.) He opened five accounts in order to be sure he was covered because, naturally, none of the providers would allow anything as straightforward as a credit card swipe. The only charging station he found always to be problem-free was the one operated by our local utility, Florida Power & Light.

I've been hoping for some time that Lucid would cut loose from Electrify America in its promos, as I think the association only damages the Lucid brand. And, as Lucid is not on the list of brands that will soon gain access to Tesla NACS charging, I'm worried that Gravity buyers -- of which I hope there will be many more than Air buyers -- will become embittered when they find out that Lucids cannot really road trip relying on the EA network.

get the FPL app, they have some decent units, stay away from evgo and the chargepoint units both of which make EA look good.

 

[hmp10]

get the FPL app, they have some decent units, stay away from evgo and the chargepoint units both of which make EA look good.

The problem is that FP&L chargers are located only where I don't need them, as I have home charging, and the Lucid has enough range to get me most places I go in Florida and back.

BTW, I left out one anecdote from my already-too-long post. When trying to use the L2 EA charging cable at University Drive I called Electrify America for help. The call went from bad to worse. Finally, I asked the customer service person if there was any EA station I could go to in the Miami area that was actually fully functional. She responded by saying their current problems were due to "heavy utilization". In other words, their system was broken because people were using it. The call finished on a very bad note with me screaming at her that the system was broken because equipment was failing and they weren't fixing it, at which point I hung up on her. It was infuriating.

 

[Rogue]

The problem is that FP&L chargers are located only where I don't need them, as I have home charging, and the Lucid has enough range to get me most places I go in Florida and back.

BTW, I left out one anecdote from my already-too-long post. When trying to use the L2 EA charging cable at University Drive I called Electrify America for help. The call went from bad to worse. Finally, I asked the customer service person if there was any EA station I could go to in the Miami area that was actually fully functional. She responded by saying their current problems were due to "heavy utilization". In other words, their system was broken because people were using it. The call finished on a very bad note with me screaming at her that the system was broken because equipment was failing and they weren't fixing it, at which point I hung up on her. It was infuriating.

Screaming at someone is rarely the way to get the response you want. Calmly explaining the importance of a route with follow-ups has netted improvements in our Alabama route. Maybe those were already scheduled, but my conversations with the representatives made it seem that was not the case.

There's enough suffering in the world to not add onto to it whenever possible. The representatives likely have minimal influence, but a good interaction is more likely to inspire above and beyond service than berating them over the phone.

 

[hmp10]

Screaming at someone is rarely the way to get the response you want. Calmly explaining the importance of a route with follow-ups has netted improvements in our Alabama route. Maybe those were already scheduled, but my conversations with the representatives made it seem that was not the case.

There's enough suffering in the world to not add onto to it whenever possible. The representatives likely have minimal influence, but a good interaction is more likely to inspire above and beyond service than berating them over the phone.

Yes, there is enough suffering in the world. And Electrify America contributes enough to mine to allow for a little screaming. I have dealt with EA for almost two and a half years and have learned that nothing will get the response from them I want -- i. e., reliable charging stations. Electrify America is the prevalent CCS charging supplier along interstate routes between cities. Not being able to rely on them for road trips, needing to pay for charging that was already included in the price of my car, and needing to consider taking an ICE vehicle instead are pretty big deals. If screaming makes me feel a bit better, so be it.

 

[hmp10]

Look, folks. When you ask an employee of Electrify America a question such as "why are so many of your charging stations inoperative" and you get an answer that it's because of "high utilization", you immediately know several things.

First, that is not an question they intend to answer honestly.

Second, it is a scripted answer that customer service reps are instructed to give.

Third, it oozes with condescension, essentially signaling to the customer that he is an idiot who should accept being fobbed off with a meaningless answer.

Fourth, the employee deserves no more respect than he or she has given you by regurgitating a hollow phrase when asked a legitimate question.

I don't know how many people remember Lily Tomlin's classic telephone operator Ernestine. It became an iconic representation of what customer service could be like when companies don't care. And I was on the phone with Ernestine at Ma Bell last night. You can tell this is a company with its origins in the dieselgate scandal.

 

[segbrk]

Fourth, the employee deserves no more respect than he or she has given you by regurgitating a hollow phrase when asked a legitimate question.

I'm sorry, but please, respect your fellow human. No one deserves to be screamed at. That person is probably just doing what they're told and has no idea what the issue is nor any ability to fix it.
Back to the topic at hand though, keep an eye out for your state's NEVI awards. The first round has just been announced for Virginia and only one of them is going to EA. I'm excited. Competition is coming. And Ionna hasn't even started rolling out yet, that'll be huge.

Virginia Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment - PublicInput

The Commonwealth of Virginia is investing a projected 100 million in federal funding over the next five years to install public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Virginia. Information on Virginia s Deployment Plan federal EV infrastructure grant opportunities EV and Local Government...

publicinput.com

 

[hmp10]

That person is probably just doing what they're told and has no idea what the issue is nor any ability to fix it.

Yes.

 

[Andretex]

I actually had enough charge to get home without charging on the Miami side. But as we have another road trip coming up soon, I wanted to check out the current state of Electrify America.

Also, the one time I tried a ChargePoint charger, it was no better. I had some time one day to kill in an airport cell phone lot, so I looked up the nearest non-EA charger and found one about 4 miles away. While I was looking at the screen the station status switched from "occupied" to "free", so off I headed. When I got there I found only one charger. When I pulled into the parking space I found the cable would not reach my charge port. Fortunately, there was no one else around, so I was able to angle the car across two spaces.

I then downloaded the ChargePoint app, opened an account, and tried to initiate charging. After several failed attempts, I was finally able on the second try to get a customer service person on the line. She walked me through everything I had already done, but still no luck. After about 10 minutes of trying different things, I asked her why she couldn't just initiate the charge from her end as she had my account information. She said she could -- leaving me wondering why she hadn't said so several minutes earlier. I heard her clicking her keyboard, then a long pause, followed by, "oh, I'm sorry. That station is out of service."

I have found that the only really safe time to try out CCS chargers is when you don't actually need a charge. I'm back to wondering if we should do our upcoming trip in our Honda Odyssey.

A friend bought a Chevy Bolt EUV and had to use public chargers while waiting to get his garage wired for home charging. (He was doing this through a GM complimentary program, and the waiting period was more than two months.) He opened five accounts in order to be sure he was covered because, naturally, none of the providers would allow anything as straightforward as a credit card swipe. The only charging station he found always to be problem-free was the one operated by our local utility, Florida Power & Light.

I've been hoping for some time that Lucid would cut loose from Electrify America in its promos, as I think the association only damages the Lucid brand. And, as Lucid is not on the list of brands that will soon gain access to Tesla NACS charging, I'm worried that Gravity buyers -- of which I hope there will be many more than Air buyers -- will become embittered when they find out that Lucids cannot really road trip relying on the EA network.

I live in south Florida also. Please use plug share and it has ratings on the chargers. The Sheridan charger is not good. Best EA charger is on Broward Blvd in Fort Lauderdale. But i have used some others just fine. I have a charge point charger at home so I only charge with DC charger when I am close to them. Anyway, check plugshare and it will tell you the rating, how others have charged and how many are open.

 

[hmp10]

The Sheridan charger is not good.

That's what the driver of the ID.4 at Sheridan Street told me. He is a local and said that station has been notoriously unreliable for a long time.

That's makes the situation even more inexcusable, though. This is a station along a major interstate route. Why has EA done nothing to address such a long-standing problem?

I really have to wonder what EA's commitment to its business actually is and whether Lucid should continue to associate its brand with it.

 

[scal_air]

Not that it would make you fell any better, but EA is pretty good in California. Of course there is always room for improvement and there are individual incidences but on whole they have been improving...

 

[hmp10]

Not that it would make you fell any better, but EA is pretty good in California. Of course there is always room for improvement and there are individual incidences but on whole they have been improving...

That seems to be a consensus that has arisen from other posts here about Electrify America: it's not bad on the West Coast but is far less reliable on the Eastern Seaboard. The problem for Lucid is that Florida is its second-largest market.

Due to my recent charging escapade, for the first time I'm wondering about the placement of the Lucid charging port. It was an issue the one time I tried ChargePoint, it was an issue at the second EA station I tried Saturday night, and it will be an issue once Tesla Superchargers open to Lucid (at least until Tesla lengthens the cables at the stations that will be enabled for other brands). Tesla has already put out a notice to drivers of other brands that they may find positioning their cars difficult and that they should be mindful of not aggravating other customers by blocking their access to adjacent chargers. There is no way a Lucid can be charged at current Tesla Superchargers without blocking an adjacent charger. It's sometimes hard enough to reach a Tesla with a charging port in the rear taillight.

Maybe there's still time to address this with the Gravity. If Lucid doesn't, it may be an issue that comes back to bite them later given how many people seem to be chomping at the bit for Tesla Superchargers to open up. (Having been a Tesla customer for nine years, I'm not one of them. It's a company I want to have as little access to my personal information as possible.)

 

[Cosmo Cruz]

I'm plotting out various options to visit the Total Eclipse. The line of Totality goes mostly thru the backwards-leaning parts of the US, so finding a charger, let alone one that works, may be fraught, and likely every EV on the East Coast will be in line for the one working "Chad's-MOM" 35 kW charger, with a short cable.
But the wife knows I'm going hell or high water, so she insists I get the Tesla adapter. Going to spend the day sorting thru the posts here to get up to speed on what adapter we've agreed is least likely to result in a fire. If you could be so kind as to lead me to which one that is, I'd be grateful.