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Yes, I live in Palo Alto (near you) and I convinced my apartment complex to install an EV charger: 2 chargers, and conduit for 4 more. I'm mystified why you ar

Yes, I live in Palo Alto (near you) and I convinced my apartment complex to install an EV charger: 2 chargers, and conduit for 4 more. I'm mystified why you aren't counting the 2 chargers that your apartment complex does provide. For all I know we live at the same place. I'm happy, you're unhappy. Given the large battery in a Bolt, do you really need to charge every day?!

ianai 9y ago
“Happy you’re unhappy”. 2 charging spaces that are first come first serve are probably impossible to use.
- greglindahl 9y ago
  In my case, the 2 spaces are not impossible to use, I've used them. (The complex has 280 bedrooms.) Also, when they become more contended, the capacity can be tripled. (They're waiting until it becomes needed.) Sounds like you didn't even try. Edit: I don't think I've ever gotten 4 downvotes on HN for anything before, but it's fair to say that this is hardly the most arguable thing I've said!
CaliforniaKarl 9y ago
Yes, it sounds like you live not too far away. I'm either south or south-west of you. Congratulations on doing the planning for additional capacity! From what I can tell, there were no such provisions made for future expansion of the two spots available to me. Also, to be clear, I'm not unhappy, I'm thinking ahead. Right now I do not have a car, and I don't anticipate needing a car for some time. So this discussion is theoretical right now. As for not needing to charge every day, no, I probably don't. But, I would prefer to not have to think about it. I can understand why people harp on battery exchange: If I was running low on gas on the way into work, there are multiple opportunities for refueling on the way in to work, at the expense of not taking the time to find the best price nearby. With an EV, my options would be more limited: Hope that a charging spot is available at work; or turn around, start charging at home, and take the bus into work. There are times when it would become kind of a Russian roulette game. Am I being alarmist? Yup! But for me right now, I would own a car because I want more flexibility than what I get using the bus. VTA's Route 22/522 schedules & delays are already variable enough that if I HAVE to be at work by a certain time, I need to either leave much earlier, or take a Lyft. I don't want to substitute one set of stresses for another, which is what would happen if I did not have a confirmed charging point on one end of my daily commute. Finally, to head off one set of comments: I've noted the approximate for the different commute modes available to me: By bus regularly takes 45 to 60 minutes, with the data points (actual travel times) being all over the range. By car would be more around 30 to 45 minutes. By Caltrain would be 50-60 minutes, with little variability.

ianai 9y ago

“Happy you’re unhappy”. 2 charging spaces that are first come first serve are probably impossible to use.

greglindahl 9y ago
In my case, the 2 spaces are not impossible to use, I've used them. (The complex has 280 bedrooms.) Also, when they become more contended, the capacity can be tripled. (They're waiting until it becomes needed.) Sounds like you didn't even try. Edit: I don't think I've ever gotten 4 downvotes on HN for anything before, but it's fair to say that this is hardly the most arguable thing I've said!

CaliforniaKarl 9y ago

Yes, it sounds like you live not too far away. I'm either south or south-west of you. Congratulations on doing the planning for additional capacity! From what I can tell, there were no such provisions made for future expansion of the two spots available to me. Also, to be clear, I'm not unhappy, I'm thinking ahead. Right now I do not have a car, and I don't anticipate needing a car for some time. So this discussion is theoretical right now. As for not needing to charge every day, no, I probably don't. But, I would prefer to not have to think about it. I can understand why people harp on battery exchange: If I was running low on gas on the way into work, there are multiple opportunities for refueling on the way in to work, at the expense of not taking the time to find the best price nearby. With an EV, my options would be more limited: Hope that a charging spot is available at work; or turn around, start charging at home, and take the bus into work. There are times when it would become kind of a Russian roulette game. Am I being alarmist? Yup! But for me right now, I would own a car because I want more flexibility than what I get using the bus. VTA's Route 22/522 schedules & delays are already variable enough that if I HAVE to be at work by a certain time, I need to either leave much earlier, or take a Lyft. I don't want to substitute one set of stresses for another, which is what would happen if I did not have a confirmed charging point on one end of my daily commute. Finally, to head off one set of comments: I've noted the approximate for the different commute modes available to me: By bus regularly takes 45 to 60 minutes, with the data points (actual travel times) being all over the range. By car would be more around 30 to 45 minutes. By Caltrain would be 50-60 minutes, with little variability.