swogee wrote:
It appears that each charger is only able to charge 4 to 6 vehicles according to the info I found at the Monterey APCD website.
https://www.mbard.org/files/055c754be/8wbod11-14.pdfThere currently is no connection to utility power. The Monterey APCD approved additional funding recently to add a PG&E power connection to the charger to enable the batteries to charge when there is little sun or at night.
https://www.mbard.org/files/d383fee41/10bod09182019.pdfAt this point it would be wise to use caution when planning to charge at either of the Camp Roberts L3 chargers since they are free (there is usually a long wait) or the batteries may be depleted due repeated usage (at least until the utility power connection is made).
That's good news. There are two rest areas, so it will require two new grid connections for a total of not more than $150,000. I wonder what level of grid connection they can get for less than $75,000. The Express 250 station they're using requires 80A 480VAC 3-phase power. That is 66.5kVA input for 62.5kW DC max output. I have to wonder if they're planning for expansion for more stations or just want a connection for a battery charger for the Envision system. If that's the case, a 200A 240V single phase connection would suffice to deliver 48kVA. 150A 208V 3-phase would be equivalent and may make the battery charger more efficient.
I am really curious how much these stations will be used. They are free, but the location dictates that only people passing by will likely use them. I can see that people in cars like a Chevy Bolt might choose to charge here when traveling this corridor just because it's free and they can charge less somewhere else where they have to pay. At the same time, I would probably plan to have enough battery to make it to another DCFC in case it's occupied or low on battery.