Turns out you do really need DC Fast Charging

InsideEVs recently had an article titled "You don't really need DC Fast Charging" written by an author I like, Kevin Williams (I highly recommend his article on his Vinfast experience). But just because you like an author, doesn't mean you agree with all they write, and I disagree with a lot of points made in the DCFC article. Those thoughts are summarized in the comment I left on his LinkedIn post sharing the article.

In the article he states:

"I’m a young single person who can’t figure out how to grocery shop efficiently, so I visit this Kroger several times a week. It’s a newer store with amenities designed to attract the new money young professionals that live downtown; we’ve got artisan cheeses and wine tasting, but also a four-stall EVGo DC fast charging station.  [CK note - it appears to be this one, that has a 10 PlugShare score]

Yet on this particular Sunday, Every stall was full there. There was a Chevy Bolt with temporary tags splitting the 350 kW unit with an F-150 Lightning with out-of-state plates, while a Mustang Mach-E with a temp tag and a Carvana plate frame and a Honda Prologue driver puzzled over how the two remaining 100 kW units worked. All parties looked confused if not impatient; awkwardly pacing while their cars charged. Another EV waited off to the side, waiting for one of the stalls to free up."

and then he says:

"Because there’s no chance that all four of those cars needed to DC fast charge at a grocery store that isn’t all that close to a freeway. Yet that’s exactly the kind of charger that’s getting the vast majority of funding to grow our electric infrastructure."

to which my comment on his LinkedIn post stated:

“Because there’s no chance that all four of those cars needed to DC fast charge at a grocery store that isn’t all that close to a freeway" How do you know this? What if they live in multi-family that doesnt have L2? What if they drive over 100 miles a day for Uber? It's a common misconception that L2 isnt being focused on. IT IS! The same 30C tax credit applies to L2, utility programs often have just as good L2 programs as DCFC programs. We need them both.

So aside from the fact that he's making judgement about the EV drivers without knowing anything about them (it doesn't appear he actually walked up and asked them why they were using DCFC): He's using a full and popular DCFC station WITH ONE PERSON WAITING as an example of why we dont need DCFC!???

Here are the all the issues I have with the article:

Issue #1: Baseless assumptions about EV drivers

(Covered above)

I like Kevin Williams, but making a deduction on the need for DCFC charging infrastructure based on observations of the types of cars and body language of the drivers is….tenuous at best.

EV Drivers are made up of people from all walks of life:

• single folks who don't go into an office and have complete freedom of their schedule

But also:

• single mothers or fathers
• city dwellers who don't have access to an L1 or L2 at their multi-family property but have to go in an office (where charging isn't provided) and who don't have time to constantly hunt for L2 chargers (see point 2)
• folks living in suburbs or rural areas with long commutes
• retirees who drive from Michigan to Florida and back once a year
• ride-share drivers who sometimes drive hundreds of miles a day

And I dont think its fair to tell any of the above that they don't need a DCFC station...because sometimes they absolutely do.

Issue #2: His essential claim that if renters don’t have a L2 charger where they sleep, relying on L1 and Public L2 charging can meet the majority of EV driver’s needs

Kevin stated that he did not have an L2 charger where he rents.  He states:

“Yet, over my two weeks with the Kona, I didn’t find myself in want of any more capability from any part of the charging process. I drove the Kona 1,070 miles over 14 days; that’s an average of 535 miles per week, 48% more than what the average American drives per week in a gas-powered car. The Kona satisfied all of my driving needs in those two weeks, including two different 125-mile round-trip jaunts. My secret? ABC: Always. Be. Chargin’.”

Whenever I saw a plug or an outlet of any kind, I plugged it in. For the two weeks I had the Kona, I used it the same way I would have used my i-MiEV. If I wanted to work from home at a coffee shop, I’d probably choose one that had charging nearby—not always, but maybe 50% of the time. If I went to hang out with friends, chances are there was a public charger nearby I could use while I was hanging out. And of course, at home, I’d plug into my Level 1 charger until I needed to use the car again. These individual charging events never got me to 100%, but it didn’t matter. I had no plans to drive the full breadth of the Kona’s range that week. Even the 150-mile round-trip mini-excursions didn’t phase the car. About 40% of the Kona’s charging was done on public Level 2 stations, while the rest was done at home on “too slow” Level 1. “

Kevin’s strategy is “Always. Be. Chargin’” works fine if you:

• work from home or
• live in a city or
• don’t have kids swallowing up the time you might normally use to drive around and find an open L2 near a coffee shop you’re going to visit. 

I touched on this in the first issue, but it's not practical to have an EV if you don't have L2 where you sleep/work OR you don't have DCFC....unless you don't have kids (because kids suck up time) and work from home.

Issue #3: The claim that DCFC is bad because it’s expensive

“DC fast charging is naturally more expensive, and the stations themselves are pricier and more logistically difficult to build out. That means they can’t be made available at every commercial outlet. Those costs, plus the additional strain on the grid, are passed to the consumer in the form of high recharge costs. Here at InsideEVs, some of our DC fast-charging during vehicle testing can easily touch more than $50, occasionally leading us to wonder if this is really an upgrade over a car that runs on a tank of gas.”

DCFC is often a necessity that EV drivers NEED.  

Whoever claimed that DCFC should always be cheap is an idiot.  I’m sorry, but we need to dispel with this ridiculous line of thinking yesterday.  DCFC does not need to be cheaper than gas. 

DCFC needs to work reliably to get EV drivers from point A to point B and fuel them until they can get to a cheaper L2.

Or, CPO's can offer individuals like rideshare drivers memberships and discounts...which they do.

Issue #4: “You don’t need a fast charger”

Kevin quotes the Executive Director of JD Power’s EV practice: 

“You don't need a fast charger,” said Brent Gruber, the Executive Director of JD Power’s Electric Vehicle Practice. [It’s] like drinking from a fire hose: If you have the time, you might as well hook up to a Level 2 charger and take advantage of that.”

I’m sorry, but it’s a bit elitist for folks who have the ability and time to always use L2 to tell others without that ability that they don’t need a DCFC.  

Let me tell you someone who has road tripped with two tiny kids (ie diapers and breastfeeding and all that).  

You don’t always need a DCFC, but when you need a DCFC, YOU NEED A DCFC.  

I challenge anyone who disagrees with me to take a trip in a 200 mile range EV from Atlanta to Savannah in the summer without using a DCFC.  Have fun getting a room at the Courtyard in Dudley, GA off I-16 because you need to use their 8 year old crusty charger to charge for 12 hours to finish the trip. (don't rely on this, cause I made it up)

Issue #5: It’s L2 vs. DCFC (or EV Charging zero-sum game)

“DC fast charging infrastructure is improving, but we’re learning that its improvement is at the detriment of Level 2 charging. Conversations with both Gruber and Adams revealed real concern that America’s outside focus on establishing DC fast chargers has allowed level 2 AC charging to fall by the wayside.”

I take issue with this flaw more than the others.  There’s this perception - mainly by people who don’t do this for a living - that it’s a zero-sum game.  That there’s only so much money / electrical capacity / real estate for EITHER DCFC OR L2.  This is hogwash.  

Sona Energy Solutions designs and installs and operates EV Charging SOLUTIONS for commercial customers. 

• We work with multi-family owners who need L2 for their tenants. 
• We work with QSR who want DCFC for their customers. 
• We work with Grocers who are interested in BOTH.  

We craft the appropriate solution for the type of business and the customers or tenants who park their EV at that business!  

I do this for a living, and I promise you, it’s not a zero-sum game. There are:

• tax incentives
• state grants
• utility incentives
• financing options
• etc

For both DCFC AND L2. All it takes is working with an expert like myself to find the appropriate solution for the EV driver’s use case.  

Anyone who claims different is simply ignorant to process of designing, selling, installing and operating EV Charging equipment.

We need BOTH L2 AND DCFC if our goal is to convert gas drivers to EV. HARD STOP.