OT: Are car charging stations profit centers?

[mistermo]

I know ZERO about electricity. I had an electrician install mine, but have friends who installed their own. I would love to take an electrics for dummies class. Seems like it would be fun to learn and is likely very logical. Maybe I'll search for a local trade school or community college class.

[Spaghetti Legs]

As noted earlier, I use a NEMA 14-50 (for RV use outlet) instead of the Tesla charger. You can buy it at a hardware store and if you're handy with doing your own electrical work, easy enough to install. I've paid an electrician to do mine since it involved drilling through walls of the house and I also didn't want to fry my expensive car (would be hard to do though). First time it cost $300 with the breaker box inside the house right next to the driveway. Second house involved a bit of run to the parking spot and a much thicker wall to drill through, so cost about $800.

When I first got it, hardly any Superchargers around, so I made an adapter, using a dryer plug, and when visiting my Mom and a friend out of town, would charge on their dryer outlets.

A few years ago, Tesla made a lot of noise about reducing traffic at the Superchargers around LA, it was suspected that it was people doing their regular charging rather than road trippers. Not sure what came of that.

[pdonk]

Originally Posted by mistermo

I know ZERO about electricity. I had an electrician install mine, but have friends who installed their own. I would love to take an electrics for dummies class. Seems like it would be fun to learn and is likely very logical. Maybe I'll search for a local trade school or community college class.

Rule 1 - make sure the power is off before you start working
Rule 2 - make sure the power is off before you start working
Rule 3 - a circuit tester is your best friend - never trust the panel, unless you've personally done 1 and 2 and know the circuit.

After that, it is just variations of those themes - not meant to denigrate any electricians, just what I have learned from my step father and trial and error.

Hardest thing for me is rewiring 3 way switches to work properly.

[merlinmurph]

Originally Posted by pdonk

Rule 1 - make sure the power is off before you start working
Rule 2 - make sure the power is off before you start working
Rule 3 - a circuit tester is your best friend - never trust the panel, unless you've personally done 1 and 2 and know the circuit.

After that, it is just variations of those themes - not meant to denigrate any electricians, just what I have learned from my step father and trial and error.

Hardest thing for me is rewiring 3 way switches to work properly.

Ha! I know very little, i.e. just enough to be dangerous, which is a bad thing when it comes to electricity. Like someone else said previously, I'd like to find a course that gives one a basic understanding. I only do the simplest of things.

Kind of a cool story: I was skiing with an old college bud ('76) two years ago that is now a dentist. We kinda know each other, not really, but catch up skiing sometimes. So, he's telling me that after he graduated, he got his electrician's license and has maintained it ever since. Huge respect.

[BobbyJones]

And tape over every breaker that you shut off.....put a sign on them as well if you have a multiperson household.

This I know the hard way. Don't buy into the "This will only take a minute" mindset.

Originally Posted by pdonk

Rule 1 - make sure the power is off before you start working
Rule 2 - make sure the power is off before you start working
Rule 3 - a circuit tester is your best friend - never trust the panel, unless you've personally done 1 and 2 and know the circuit.

After that, it is just variations of those themes - not meant to denigrate any electricians, just what I have learned from my step father and trial and error.

Hardest thing for me is rewiring 3 way switches to work properly.

[bikinchris]

Originally Posted by robt57

I wonder if that is a 3 phase device... or if they just run a 115kv high voltage wire to it's internals.

#holy_smokes either way...

Supercharging stations just bypass the car's built in AC/DC convertor.

[Brian Smith]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

Bonus would be that we could use them too if/when that becomes the norm.

Do you have any employees who might benefit from a lower car commuting expense of EV usage, but who maybe aren't ready to pay the premium prices for an EV with a giant battery? If so, you could use the generous government business incentives to install a very low cost solution, that might save them thousands, which you won't otherwise have to give them in a raise to maintain a standard of living.

Your customers probably won't be relying on it, nor benefiting as much from it as someone who is there for multiple hours, and they don't probably want you to profit from them just showing up and charging.

It's sensible that you're thinking about it while the opportunity to rework the location exists.

[SoCalSteve]

Originally Posted by Tickdoc

Just a thought that we have space in out parking lot for a car charging station or two where an ATM used to stand. Are they profitable as a side income? Who pays for them and how much do they cost? I would think that there would be a lease to use system for them but just unsure how that industry works.
Bonus would be that we could use them too if/when that becomes the norm.

Reach out to Chargepoint. They allow you to set the price below-at or above the electric rate you are charged by your electric company. The EV owner sets up an account with them, there is an app as well. The EV owner charges at whatever rate you set, then they pay you that amount at the end of the month.

Chargepoint makes their money off the monthly app charge and the charger.

I set up an Electric Vehicle Charging Station project in my condo complex, we chose Chargepoint. It’s worked out really well. So far we have about 40 people with Chargepoint chargers at their parking spots. The HOA pays the electric bill and then gets a check every month from Chargepoint. The HOA does not make a profit from the residents.

[Tickdoc]

Originally Posted by SoCalSteve

Reach out to Chargepoint. They allow you to set the price below-at or above the electric rate you are charged by your electric company. The EV owner sets up an account with them, there is an app as well. The EV owner charges at whatever rate you set, then they pay you that amount at the end of the month.

Chargepoint makes their money off the monthly app charge and the charger.

I set up an Electric Vehicle Charging Station project in my condo complex, we chose Chargepoint. It’s worked out really well. So far we have about 40 people with Chargepoint chargers at their parking spots. The HOA pays the electric bill and then gets a check every month from Chargepoint. The HOA does not make a profit from the residents.

Good info and thank you. I will reach out to them and get the scoop. I talked it over with my cfo today ( my sister and I think it is something we need to take advantage of as a business draw and as a futureproofing solution.