San Francisco introduces free, solar-powered EV charging
- Thread starter SSi3
- Start date
Help Support BMW i3 Forum:
WoodlandHills
Well-known member
At $45,000 for a simple Level 2 charger it's a waste of money and just some sort of PR stunt promoting the company. For that sort of money a DCFC could have been built AND a Level 2.....
stumbledotcom
Well-known member
You missed the point. First, the city didn't pay $45K. It's a PR event as you suggest; the units will be in place only for the remainder of 2015.
Second, the cost is somewhat mitigated because no infrastructure is required. No grid connection means it can be installed anywhere there's a sunny parking space. And it's completely solar-powered so there's no incremental cost for electricity. Given the five-figure quotes I've gotten just to trench and run conduit/cable in the short term parking lot of our condo, it's not so outrageous. Seems like a plausible solution when infrastructure is a significant hurdle.
I used the unit at the Stonestown mall this afternoon. It's plopped in the middle of the lot, no lights or other electric source around. Happy to have another option because the four conventional L2 chargers there are constantly in use and/or vandalized.
Second, the cost is somewhat mitigated because no infrastructure is required. No grid connection means it can be installed anywhere there's a sunny parking space. And it's completely solar-powered so there's no incremental cost for electricity. Given the five-figure quotes I've gotten just to trench and run conduit/cable in the short term parking lot of our condo, it's not so outrageous. Seems like a plausible solution when infrastructure is a significant hurdle.
I used the unit at the Stonestown mall this afternoon. It's plopped in the middle of the lot, no lights or other electric source around. Happy to have another option because the four conventional L2 chargers there are constantly in use and/or vandalized.
