ELECTRIFY AMERICA HITS THE 100 MARK: PROGRESS AND SITE REVIEW CHARGING CHEVY BOLT EV

EV Channels Review

The reviewer visits a new Electrify America "community" charging site in Braintree, MA, coinciding with EA surpassing 100 active locations nationwide. While acknowledging EA's rapid expansion and importance for long-distance EV travel, the review highlights significant drawbacks of this specific site and charging model. The primary concern is the slow charging speeds experienced in cold weather (35-37°F), with the 350kW CCS charger delivering only 18kW initially, making charging by the minute prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. The reviewer notes that this is exacerbated by a $1 session fee. The Level 2 charger also performed slowly, delivering only 6.3kW. While EA's highway sites offer faster charging, the "community" sites, like this one, are deemed less practical for quick top-ups, especially in adverse conditions. The reviewer emphasizes the need for drivers to factor in battery preconditioning for road trips and notes the continued presence of CHAdeMO, urging CCS users to prioritize CCS plugs. Despite the slow charging, the site's visibility and the milestone of 100+ stations are positive points.