SPX "Free" EVSE?

[gadgeTT]

Thanks for the advise but I have called all of the suppliers that have "free" programs and none support where I live. In fact, our utility (FPL) recently started an EV pilot program and offered those members a free charging station, but the program is full. That's OK. I can afford $500 to get the Voltec charger, and we are handy enough to run a new outlet to the carport. It would have been icing on the cake, though, to get one for gratis instead. Oh well... such is the life of a bleeding edge early adopter (even though we're on the 3rd Volt model year, I still consider it early adopter material).

[larry4pyro]

I simply don't trust them. I knew I was going to buy a Volt so I had an electrician install new service panel upgraded to 125 amps at my my house and a 60 amp subpanel for my future Volt. I did this on my own nickel because I didn't know anything about the "free" EVSE program funded by the DOE. It was done as an electric vehicle installation in cooperation with my local utility and was permitted by the city.

A few months later I got my Volt and learned about the "free" Blink EVSE and $1200 installation credit. SPX sent an electrician out for an inspection and informed me that I qualified and for a small additional fee to cover work over the $1200 credit I can have me free EVSE. The additional fee was around $5000! They insisted they would have to replace my service panel with a 200 amp unit, which requires that five trees need to be removed so that the utility can run a new cable (that's the reason for upgrading to only 125 amps) and remove the new subpanel because it didn't have a neutral connection, even though it is intended to support only 240 VAC stuff like my table saw and the EVSE.

Instead I bought the Voltec unit for 500 bucks and installed it myself with wiring, conduit and a breaker the electrician left for me, and it works just fine. My experience leads me to believe the public and the DOE is being cheated under this program.

[Blastphemy]

I just got my quote for a Blink charger install: $3100. This is just $100 less than the SPX $1200 rebate and LADWP $2000 rebate combined. I strongly suspect that, if the LADWP rebate was $1500, the quote would have been for $2600; and if the LADWP rebate was $3000, the quote would have been $4100.

[2013 Volt]

I just got my quote for a Blink charger install: $3100. This is just $100 less than the SPX $1200 rebate and LADWP $2000 rebate combined. I strongly suspect that, if the LADWP rebate was $1500, the quote would have been for $2600; and if the LADWP rebate was $3000, the quote would have been $4100.

I was quoted around $2195 to install a Blink in my garage, my house is 6 years old and the electrical panel is mounted about 25 feet from the charger location. I needed a sub-panel because my 200 amp service panel was full. After the $1200 rebate, my portion was around $995. Way too high for a FREE charger.

I called SPX and the Electrician and told them both I wanted a second quote, before the end of the day, the same electrician revised his quote to $375 (after the $1200 credit) if I pulled the city permit. I agreed and the permit cost me $59. I learned from the City the contracter did not have a buisness license ($100 fee). The original quote charged me $275 for the permit. So in other words, that $275 charge for the permit would have also included their yearly $100 buisness license fee that they are to pay each year.

[cab]

I just got my quote for a Blink charger install: $3100. This is just $100 less than the SPX $1200 rebate and LADWP $2000 rebate combined. I strongly suspect that, if the LADWP rebate was $1500, the quote would have been for $2600; and if the LADWP rebate was $3000, the quote would have been $4100.

100% agree. I'll bet when the reimbursement drops to $400 at the end of the month, all of the quotes will magically drop at the same time. If the cost eclipses a $480 Voltec charger and local electrician install this program will be out of business for Volt buyers. All of the extras a Blink charger offers are non-pluses for Volt owners (with Volt Stats, the car's own displays, etc.). Most of the folks taking advantage of the Blink offer are Leaf owners (by a large margin), no doubt due to their dependence on 240V charging.

[awm]

100% agree. I'll bet when the reimbursement drops to $400 at the end of the month, all of the quotes will magically drop at the same time. If the cost eclipses a $480 Voltec charger and local electrician install this program will be out of business for Volt buyers. All of the extras a Blink charger offers are non-pluses for Volt owners (with Volt Stats, the car's own displays, etc.). Most of the folks taking advantage of the Blink offer are Leaf owners (by a large margin), no doubt due to their dependence on 240V charging.

Actually, at least in the DFW area, the local installer for SPX/Ecotality has installed more than 300 Blink stations for Volt owners under the incentive program. Even with a $500 out of pocket cost, the Blink station is still a better value than the $490 Voltec charger because it is more future proof with 7.2kW ability.

[PatsVolt]

I was lucky in that I had a 240V 40A circuit available on my 200A service. It was used for a hot tub that did not exits anymore. The rerouting of the line was the hardest part as it was no 6 wire. Adding in the subpanel was easy and did all work to code. The equipement ground (green wire) and the Neutral (white wire) have to be seperate in the subpanel. Ran No. 10 wire to the SPX through flexable conduit since it was just about 3 feet away from the panel. Nice thing about having 40 Amp is that it leaves room for future EVSE's running greater then 20 amps. I put the required 20 amp breaker in the sub P and had room for another two 120V 20amp breakers to run my compressor. Which never ran well on the 15 amp outlets in the garage, now the compressor runs winter or summer, no problem. Cost to me was about 650 dollars including the 240V SPX. Later I added surge supression to both the main and sub panels and power monitoring for the Volt and the house.

[focher]

I'm not suggesting I'm typical, but I specifically accepted my out-of-pocket hit of about $2k for the electrical work ($1.5k to a local electrician and $500 to SPX for the "hanging of the unit") because it got me the Coulomb CT-50X EVSE for free. I decided to future proof myself a bit as this does 6.6KW @ 30A and I fully expect to ultimately replace my Volt with a Tesla Model X. I also see the electrical work as something that isn't just for the EVSE, as it did add some value (exactly how much, who can say) to the house.

I will say that I shared the SPX cost with the actual electrician who did the work and he was shocked at the markup, although he didn't tell me what it was.

[cab]

Actually, at least in the DFW area, the local installer for SPX/Ecotality has installed more than 300 Blink stations for Volt owners under the incentive program. Even with a $500 out of pocket cost, the Blink station is still a better value than the $490 Voltec charger because it is more future proof with 7.2kW ability.

That number seems pretty high compared to the Q1 2012 report from the EV project: http://www.theevproject.com/download...P%20Report.pdf

An excerpt:

* Over 22 million miles recorded on EV Project vehicles
* 665,000 EVSE charging events recorded
* Over 5,000 MWHrs energy charged to Project vehicles
* 4,066 Nissan LEAFs and 427 Chevrolet Volts participating

[DallasVolt]

That number seems pretty high compared to the Q1 2012 report from the EV project

I was told the same thing by the installer as awm. Over 300 Blink stations in DFW, all for Volts. The guy may have not know the difference between a Leaf and Volt, but I assumed he did given that he was seeing one or two a day.