Public Charging Stations network?

Chargepoint is virtually the only provider in my area (MN). So all I ever deal with is the Chargepoint card.
In my area, the cost to charge is displayed on the Chargepoint display. I have seen price per hour, per kWh and per session. None is as cheap or convenient as charging at home, which may not be the case in your area.

As for the wide variety of public charger suppliers, I strongly suspect better/more convenient methods of payment will be adopted.
I know some Chargepoint stations can also be used without an account if you have an RFID credit card.

 

The cost of the charge will vary because it decided upon by the station owner, not the network. In my area, most that charge, charge $2 an hour.

None of the stations I've come across take credit cards by swiping. They all take Near Field Communication (NFC) devices. Of the 15 or so assortment of credit and ATM cards between my wife and I, she has the one ATM card with NFC. It's odd that we both have the same Chase checking account ATM but she has the NFC while I do not.

Without NFC, most people will have to sign up for membership or call in with their credit card every time to unlock the plug even if it was free. With so many station networks, that's what I would recommend. Secure a card or smartphone with NFC so you don't have to call in or sign up for multiple memberships.

The Target store near me recently switched from free to "free for 2 hours and then $2/hr thereafter." This helped moved that white Nissan Leaf using one of the spots as their personal fuel station. Unfortunately, my free Chargepoint card won't work anymore as I registered it with no funds. I think Walgreens and other stores should follow this model. 2 hours or even 1 hour of shopping time is all you need. It's like parking validation for the 21st century.

 

I like the "free for 2 hours and then $2/hr afterwards". I am good for the "free" portion to be the benefit of a pre-paid annual membership program that expands network locations.

To address the problem of some vehicles hogging the charging stations, we need to advocate that these vehicles graduate to 6KW+ charging for L2 connections (20 miles of range per hour of charging) versus the more common 3KW charging that most are limited to. 3KW, or less is appropriate for home charging overnight but ties up resources at shared charging locations.

 

The Chargepoint card is an NFC card. Just tap it on the designated area on the charging station to unlock the handle. You can track your charging status on their Web site (and smartphone app for iOS and Android), or check the availability of a given station.

In most of the rest of the Western world, credit card companies have all gone to NFC, which leads to problems for those of us from the U.S. (and Canada?) who want to use their cards in, say, Europe. Merchants are supposed to be able to accept the old magstripe cards, but apparently one will often run into problems, especially with automatic ticket machines like at train stations that only accept NFC cards, and there is no human to manually accept the magstripe cards.

Chargepoint has joined with several other charging station networks, such as the Blink network, to accept each other's cards at their charging stations.

 

In the Bay Area, CA. It was EV etiquette to allow disconnecting when the battery is full. People left signs in their windows indicating the courtesy. It's changed since a law was passed that made it illegal to park in an EV spot without being physically connected. I purchased a luggage lock and slipped it into the hole at the release button so that the plug cannot be removed from my car. I know this is contrary to good will but the law has forced me to into this and I will not park there longer than necessary to get a full charge.

You can setup Chargepoint to text message you when you are at full charge or disconnected prematurely. Further, my base PiP doesn't have the feature but I am aware other Plug-ins have a cellular connection and can notify the user of real-time charge status through a smartphone app.

The Chargepoint card is indeed NFC capable. The ATM card my wife uses has the Blink Network symbol on it. BTW, I call it NFC, but I really have no idea what I am talking about. See here. Smart card - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
We here in the US have not embraced this technology as much as the rest of the world, hence, my ignorance and disinterest in learning the correct terms.

 

Are you confident of your interpretation of the new law?

My understanding is that if you put a "Ok to UnPlug" sign in your windshield and your car is found parked in an EV spot unplugged, you are not considered to be in violation. That said, if you vehicle is left parked unplugged for an extended period, say more than 2 hours, and someone complains, you might be.

Locking the handle into your car and leaving it locked without actively charging is an EV sin.

 

I can't understand the fine print of the law. I have to resort to third party sources. Public EV Charging: Think Before You Plug In | PluginCars.com
But it would be nice if what you say is true.

 

I'm using Chargepoint and use their Iphone App to select the station I'm at, turn the charger on and off and monitor its progress - I don't actually have a Chargepoint NFC card, just an account and the app.

I also use their website from work to let me know when the car is charged (There is a chargepoint station an 8 min walk from my office). The local chargepoint station was set up with two parking spaces per charger and the charger installed so that the cord can extend the full length between the two spaces. I guess that way if someone overstayed, another car could park next to them, restart the charger and still use it (or legitimately claim to be next at a busy station).

 

While on the subject, it would be handy to know when the Leaf, Volt, Tesla is fully charged so you can unplug with confidence. I know that chargepoint spells it out, do all the public chargers?