First SAE CCS Fast Charging station in MD

[mczajka]

The First SAE CCS Fast Charging station in MD compatible with the Spark EV will be up very soon. It will be located at a new Royal Farms location at the corner of Rt. 5/Allentown Rd in Camp Springs, MD.

The hardware should be in by the end of the week, and I've been told there will be a soft opening Monday (6/15). I'm going to drive up there this weekend and take some photos. It will require a ChargePoint card or credit card, to use.

It's not up on plugshare yet, but as of last Monday, there were just two concrete pedestals with wires waiting for the hardware.

 

[Carney]

Exciting!

Here's a map of the upcoming stations for those Marylanders and others who may have missed it...

Or try http://energy.maryland.gov/Transportation/documents/EVIPWebsiteResults2.pdf

 

[cwerdna]

You mean CCS as in Combined Charging System.

CSS generally stands for Cascading Style Sheets (http://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/Overview.en.html).

 

[mczajka]

Sorry, keyboard challenged... CCS

 

[mczajka]

Here is some info. I got from Royal Farms a little while ago:

The dates below are tentative as they are tied to the construction turnover schedule. We are working with the local utility providers on the remaining 11 locations and hope to have a better idea within the next couple months on start-up dates. We hope this is helpful and thank you for contacting us.

Station Name Address City County Construction Status Utility Status Target Completion
RFS 204 6210 Allentown Rd. Camp Springs Prince George's Under Construction Initialized 6/8/15 (checking this one out tomorrow-hardware should be in, but may not be up until next week)
RFS 001 2620 Mountain Rd. Joppa Harford Under Construction Initialized 8/17/15
RFS 133 930 Cromwell Park Dr. Glen Burnie Anne Arundel Pending Initialized 7/18/15
RFS 217 Fingerboard Rd. Urbana Frederick Under Construction Initialized 7/27/15

 

[nikwax]

Those are all SAE CCS? I'm jealous, I think we have three in Oregon (all in Portland) and zero in Washington.

 

[mczajka]

Yes, dual CCS and Chademo.

I thought they were going to be VeeFil, but they are not.

Here are some photos I took today. No power yet, but it was fun to dream.

https://goo.gl/photos/xB2367iMJT4zSCcb8

 

[sTeeve]

Yes, dual CCS and Chademo.

I thought they were going to be VeeFil, but they are not.

Here are some photos I took today. No power yet, but it was fun to dream.

https://goo.gl/photos/xB2367iMJT4zSCcb8

Nice pics, Mark!

 

[Nashco]

Those are all SAE CCS? I'm jealous, I think we have three in Oregon (all in Portland) and zero in Washington.

There are currently 8 in Oregon; I've used 7 of them, but there is a brand new one at the VW dealer in Eugene that I haven't tried out yet. Anything you read about charging stations on the forums is likely to be outdated, so it's always best to reference plugshare:

http://www.plugshare.com/

Bryce

 

[NORTON]

I know this is far from Spark EV home grounds, but Kansas City has 13 DCFC and this is the best part, they cost the same as a Tesla at a Supercharger!



This is from KCP&L's site:
As a leader in environmental sustainability, we are excited to announce a network of more than 1,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the region, the largest electric vehicle charging station installation by an electric utility in the United States. These charging stations are capable of supporting more than 10,000 electric vehicles.

And:
>Easy-to-use charging stations that can charge any electric vehicle.
>Free charging for the first two years through partnerships with companies at host locations and with Nissan Motor Company.
>Convenient locations ensuring there will be a charging station near where electric vehicle owners live and work.

These are the glory days for EV's and this is why I went through the work to dolly home this little American EV Muscle Car !!

Not as cool as Portland but it's a start... You guys should talk to your mayor. He seems like a cool guy!!

 

[mczajka]

Got a first successful fast charge in Camp Springs, MD last night with my Spark EV. The unit may need some parts. First user tried to charge their i3 unsuccessfully. When the installer saw the post on PlugShare they immediately went into action. I called them and met Jeff from Clinton Electric at about 8 pm. Jeff came down from the PA border. We had issues parking because the place was packed with people waiting to get their world famous fried chicken. I wasn't "ICED", I was "CLUCKED." lol.

A charge was being initiated but was reporting being cancelled by the user about 1 min. in. They think it's an issue with the RFID connection/wires or the protective covering over the boards inside the unit. We got it working at about 9:30 PM last night, but it still needs more testing and still might get some parts replaced. When it finally worked, it was sweetness.

Photos:
https://goo.gl/photos/YF8F218dL5m8Gf4w5

 

[NORTON]

This same exact brand of DCFC is what is used in KC's system.
I saw on plugshare that a lot of people reported the same exact issue when this system was first used.
You could ask the tech to check with the manufacturer about what the fix was in a lot of the DCFC units used in KC.

 

[nikwax]

Those are all SAE CCS? I'm jealous, I think we have three in Oregon (all in Portland) and zero in Washington.

There are currently 8 in Oregon; I've used 7 of them, but there is a brand new one at the VW dealer in Eugene that I haven't tried out yet. Anything you read about charging stations on the forums is likely to be outdated, so it's always best to reference plugshare:

http://www.plugshare.com/

Bryce

<hijack>

Plugshare is my reference. Didn't notice the new charger in Eugene.


The station in Arlington is a curious location. It's a long way from the closest CCS.


</hijack>

 

[Homer]

Thanks for the info. Mark!

Do you know if all the Royal Farms sites are going to be chargepoint? I was wondering about that because it seemed like MD was saying some DCFC sites would be Royal Farms, some Chargepoint, and some NRG (and the prices I've seen for NRG DCFC seem especially outrageous).

 

[Nashco]

The station in Arlington is a curious location. It's a long way from the closest CCS.

It's a great location for those with Chademo (Leaf) headed east or an i3 REX headed east out of Portland. We've got great charger coverage along I-5 and the coast, but East is still pretty barren. When the Chademo stations are upgraded with CCS connectors, it'll see more use.

Bryce

 

[mczajka]

Homer, yes, all will be ChargePoint. I believe eventually some will be VeeFil (http://tritium.com.au/products/veefil/) equipment too (curious to see if these will be more reliable as they are solid state and liquid cooled - I've also confirmed compatibility with the Spark EV).

This is what Royal Farms sent to me. I believe most of the time delays are due to local utility providers and permits. There are 15 locations total, 4 of which are mentioned below.

"The dates below are tentative as they are tied to the construction turnover schedule. We are working with the local utility providers on the remaining 11 locations and hope to have a better idea within the next couple months on start-up dates. We hope this is helpful and thank you for contacting us.

Station Name Address City County Construction Status Utility Status Target Completion
RFS 204 6210 Allentown Rd. Camp Springs Prince George's Under Construction Initialized 6/8/15
RFS 001 2620 Mountain Rd. Joppa Harford Under Construction Initialized 8/17/15
RFS 133 930 Cromwell Park Dr. Glen Burnie Anne Arundel Pending Initialized 7/18/15
RFS 217 Fingerboard Rd. Urbana Frederick Under Construction Initialized 7/27/15"

 

[Homer]

Mark,

Have you tried the new DCFC in at Royal Farms in Frederick? Was thinking about going up there this month and it's just about the limit of my range without charging so I'd be happier if I could charge .

p.s. I haven't done the mod to the DCFC port.

 

[mczajka]

No, I haven't yet, but I suspect if we do another meetup at Linganore Winery (etc.) next Spring, I will try it. We had a great time up there in June. It's about 65 miles from where I live.

 

[xylhim]

The station in Arlington is a curious location. It's a long way from the closest CCS.

It's a great location for those with Chademo (Leaf) headed east or an i3 REX headed east out of Portland. We've got great charger coverage along I-5 and the coast, but East is still pretty barren. When the Chademo stations are upgraded with CCS connectors, it'll see more use.

Bryce

The oddest location of a DCFC, perhaps in the entire country, is in Ritzville, Washington. That one is literally in the middle of nowhere, rural Eastern Washington. It does give me hope that NRG might be amiable to a corridor strategy of charging, just like Tesla. I wrote them a letter to support a rollout that would support long distance travel of EVs on the West Coast by installing more dual standard SAE combo chargers.

 

[Casualsurfer]

Here's what I got from Royal Farm's public relations person for all planned Royal Farms locations with EVSE:

RFS 107
12826A Ocean Gtwy.
West Ocean City
Worcester

RFS 127
7900 Royalty Way
Salsibury
Wicomico

RFS 131
2703 Ocean Gtwy.
Cambridge
Dorchester

RFS 204
6210 Allentown Rd.
Camp Springs
Prince George's

RFS 096
500 Mechanics Valley Rd.
North East
Cecil

RFS 001
2620 Mountain Rd.
Joppa
Harford

RFS 185
18 Mount Carmel Rd.
Parkton
Baltimore

RFS 062
1818 Baltimore Blvd.
Westminister
Carroll

RFS 133
930 Cromwell Park Dr.
Glen Burnie
Anne Arundel

RFS 217
Fingerboard Rd.
Urbana
Frederick

RFS 112
3505 Washington Blvd.
Baltimore
Baltimore

RFS 076
3901 Ten Oaks Rd.
Glenelg
Howard

RFS 169
6201 Pulaski Hwy.
Baltimore
Baltimore City

RFS 191
11119 McCormick Rd.
Hunt Valley
Baltimore

RFS 136
115 N Bohemia Ave.
Cecilton
Cecil