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Electric Car Charging Station Recommendations

Susan Ryder

Associate, Vice-chair of RAMSA Sustainable Design Committee

Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP

LEEDuser Basic Member

0 thumbs up

April 16, 2019

Hi All -

I am looking for recommendations for a car charging station for a Catholic convent project we are working on. At this time, the client has requested either 2 charging stations or one station that can charge 2 vehicles. I've been researching chargers and am thinking that it does make sense to specify a commercial-grade charging station for this project, since it's located on a larger campus with other buildings and occupants that may occasionally want to use the station. There is for sure going to be at least one full-time resident that will be using it daily.

Our electrical engineer just passed along the "Charge Point CT4000" product data (uploaded) as one that they've spec'd before. I'm curious to see if any of you have used this on any of your projects that you could send feedback on and/or if you've specified/installed any others that you've had good success with that you'd recommend as an alternate. Given this client, we would like to make sure that it will be low-maintenance, user-friendly, and moderately priced.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Susan Ryder, Associate, Robert A.M. Stern Architects LLP

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Blake Jackson

Director of Sustainability

NORR

LEEDuser Expert

7 thumbs up

Tue, 04/16/2019 - 17:22

Hi Susan, I’ve not used that specific model; however, our “go-to” for multifamily residential projects in/around Boston is the Charge Point “CPMF25” and “Gateway” models, which meets all the criteria of LEEDv4. Best, Blake Jackson, AIA, LEED/WELL Faculty, Fitwel Ambassador Sustainability Design Leader, Associate Stantec Architecture 311 Summer Street Boston, MA 02210-1723 O: (617) 234-3194 M: (706) 280-3957 Blake.Jackson@stantec.com [Stantec] The content of this email is the confidential property of Stantec and should not be copied, modified, retransmitted, or used for any purpose except with Stantec's written authorization. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete all copies and notify us immediately. ü Please consider the environment before printing this email. From: Susan Ry

Dee Spiro

LEEDuser Basic Member

24 thumbs up

Tue, 04/16/2019 - 17:46

Hi Susan, I've used that model on two projects, and the company has been great to work with and the product is easy to use. In fact, I use them all the time to charge my EV. Be sure to check with NYSERDA as they may have a program similar to the one we have in Massachusetts that helps offset the cost of the unit and the associated equipment.

Kristian Kicinski

Associate Principal / Director of Sustainability

Bassetti Architects

LEEDuser Premium Member

7 thumbs up

Tue, 04/16/2019 - 18:04

That ChargePoint CT4000 is the same as the ones in use at University of Washington Bothell campus. The facilities guys told me they have been pleased with it.

Alex Wilson

Founder

BuildingGreen, Inc.

LEEDuser Expert

0 thumbs up

Tue, 04/16/2019 - 18:18

When I was researching EV chargers a couple years ago, Clipper Creek chargers seemed to have the highest satisfaction ratings and were affordable. We have been using one at home, and the two in a parking garage locally seem to be working well. The company offers a full range of products.

Ramana Koti

Sustainable Design Leader

HKS, Inc.

LEEDuser Basic Member

11 thumbs up

Tue, 04/16/2019 - 18:42

On a library project, we are looking at specifying the Clipper Creek Stations. We are still deciding between 120v and 240v (fast charging) options. Our consultant advised us to check for a NEMA enclosure rating that is suitable for the intended outdoor use. Ramana Koti Associate, BEMP, LEED AP BD+C D +1 404 253 1478 LORD AECK SARGENT A KATERRA COMPANY

Kristian Kicinski

Associate Principal / Director of Sustainability

Bassetti Architects

LEEDuser Premium Member

7 thumbs up

Wed, 04/17/2019 - 00:55

I'm going to stray from the OP a little. As an owner of an EV, I can tell you that 120V is worthless as a charging station. If you don't want to provide 240V, then just an exterior rated outlet will do. People can plug in with their own cords if they want a trickle of juice. 120V will add between 3 and 5 miles of range per hour. This might be useful to a plug-in hybrid owner who gets 20 miles of all-electric range before the gas kicks in. But for a battery electric vehicle with >100mi range, those few extra miles will be useful only to someone in rare danger of running out. What EV owners will be most interested in is a 50amp 240V circuit.

Kristian Kicinski

Associate Principal / Director of Sustainability

Bassetti Architects

LEEDuser Premium Member

7 thumbs up

Wed, 04/17/2019 - 01:40

Also: There is a difference between a charging station from Clipper Creek or similar products, and from commercial providers like ChargePoint, Blink, and EVgo. Typically the stations from ChargePoint et al are managed by that company. They have a financial arrangement with the property owner and then they charge ($) users for the electricity. So if I’m an EV owner, I open up my ChargePoint app and the charging station bills me, either by $/min or $/KWh. The benefit to the property owner is that their electricity is paid for, and ChargePoint et al maintains and services the charging station. With a charger like Clipper Creek, the owner installs the charger, maintains it, and probably is providing the electricity for free to users, as there isn’t a way to meter it. Not all ChargePoint stations bill the user. Some are free, but most require a user login to start charging. Anyway, thought I’d share. I was unaware of most of this until I became an EV owner.

Mara Baum

Partner, Architecture & Sustainability

DIALOG

LEEDuser Premium Member

449 thumbs up

Wed, 04/17/2019 - 03:10

Hi Susan, I’ve used these before, and they always seem fine. (They require a Chargepoint login – which I bet all EV users have – or else you can call a number to connect.). I would note that it is important to make sure that if you are providing two plugs from one box (instead of two boxes) that it’s powered to actually charge two cars at once. It’s very frustrating to have the charging slow to half speed when two cars are plugged in. This may be more of an engineering/capacity issue than a product issue. If these are intended for use overnight or all day (for someone there while working) then a Level 2 (240v) system like this one should be fine. If people are looking to charge more quickly, than this won’t do it. Mara MARA BAUM FAIA, LEED Fellow, WELL AP, WELL Faculty Principal | Sustainable Design Leader, Health and Wellness HOK 1 Bush St., Suite 200 | San Francisco, CA 94104 USA t +1 415 356 8660 m +1 415 691 9782 mara.baum@hok.com hok.com | connect | privacy policy AIA California Honors HOK with 2019 Firm Award From: Susan

Lois Vitt Sale

Chief Sustainability Officer

Wight & Company

LEEDuser Basic Member

0 thumbs up

Wed, 04/17/2019 - 07:16

We have Bosch units, two at our office that do not require any login. Also, my charging station at home is 240V, 32 amp and is classified as a Level 2 charging station. Lois Lois Vitt Sale, FAIA, LEED Fellow Senior Vice President Wight & Company 2500 North Frontage Road Darien, IL 60561630.969.7000 | d 630.739.7514 | m 630.450.1662 | f 630.969.7979 www.wightco.com

Patty Karapinar

Associate, Director of Sustainability

Architectural Nexus

LEEDuser Basic Member

0 thumbs up

Thu, 04/18/2019 - 15:17

Hi, we have used a Clipper Creek at our office for the past two years and have been pleased with it; it meets our needs well. It was also a regional product for our office, made in Auburn, CA. It is a moderately priced system, not as aesthetically designed as the Chargepoints, and are not in themselves networked or internet addressable, but which can be connected to a building management system that does have those functions. They do not have a subscription-based service that I know of. So I'd recommend it as a good value, with a good price, if you don't need the interconnectivity.