Nearly 18 years after the debut of General Motors’ all-electric EV1, GM has reached an important milestone in the quest to mainstream electric propulsion: the completion of 400 vehicle charging stations throughout its United States facilities.
These car ports are designed to encourage General Motors employees to “fill up” their electric automobiles free of charge as a benefit of working for GM. Additionally, almost 20 percent of these stations are partially powered by solar panels, adding to the eco-friendly image of the EV-charging program.
“GM’s commitment to installing a workplace charging infrastructure is among the most expansive of any corporation in the U.S.,” says director of GM advanced vehicle commercialization policy, Britta Gross. “Workplace charging is one of the most important things a company can do to raise plug-in electric vehicle awareness and energize employees.”
While consumers can use almost 5,900 power ports at participating Chevrolet and Cadillac dealerships throughout the U.S., most of the 400 facility-owned stations are found in Michigan, where the majority of General Motors’ infrastructure is located.
Comments
Tesla has 94 chargers thoughout the US and we hear all about them.
GM has 6300 and no one hears about them.
Come on GM, tell someone.I do realize these are not 30 second superchargers but what if they said that they could leave their car at a dealership to charge while they were working and get a ride to work? Assuming of course work is close to the dealership.
The problem is scale. You can’t rely on a dealership charger because what happens when the dealer gets too many cars, from too many customers, to charge them all up? You can’t leave a car all-day, on a daily basis, and expect to get a charge unless it’s at your office.
Superchargers get the media because I can drive across California with a Tesla, and make it with only two hours of charging pit-stops or so. I can recharge while my car does on the road – that matters. It also dramatically reduces the number of stations that you need.
If GM wants to combat CHAdeMO, it needs to get a move on with Level 3 chargers. I’ve suggested formulating a network similar to Superchargers with BMW and other industry players, so people can coordinate pit stops with Level 3 recharging, and go state-by-state until you can cross the country. It’s not impossible, Tesla did it.
6.6 kilowatt charging is really needed, so Volt and Spark EV can charge by mid-day and two people can charge from one office (L2) charging station during an eight-hour work day. Today, one car occupies a Level 2 station for eight hours to charge. With 6.6 kilowatt charging, you could swap chargers at lunch with another vehicle, and both would be charged for the drive home.
Stop with the superchargers. They are far from perfect and will be a long time from being perfect solutions.
Yes you can now charge and drive from NY to CA but only if you go the way they are mapped out. Sorry no side trips to she the worlds largest ball of string on the way.
Also the Superchargers station are great now as there are so few Tesla vehicles out there. Now if they meet the goals they have stated the cars would soon out number the chargers in a short time. The reality is they are building stations but no where at the rate needed to meet the volume of cars they are planning nor what is needed for normal living away from a city hub.
This is a growing segment but it is a slow growth segment. It will still take more time, money and changes to get this to where it is viable. Electric cars are not going to dominate the market anytime soon as there is still a great need for growth here. It will be part of the market but not the majority of the market for a good while longer if ever in our life time
Yes you can cross the country in a Tesla but it is not much different than the old Goodyear Wingfoot Express trucks of the teens that proved you could drive a truck cross country. It could be done but you had many limitations and it was years before it became a normal average everyday thing. But you have to start somewhere.
Scott, you make it sound as if 80% of Tesla owners do not charge at home! Draw a 140 mile circle around your home and
you can make that round trip and never think about a Supercharger location or a public/private Level 2 or Quick Charger
location.
Embarking on longer trips inter-state is quickly becoming less of an issue in all of the states wherein politicians who’ve
been bought are not working for state auto dealer associations to shut Tesla down. My state of Washington now has
3 Supercharger locations effectively covering the traveled areas. Foes of electrics will shout from the hills that one
who buys a Tesla in the Midwest will have limited long-trip options. OK, so how many people in Montana and the
oil-county-Dakotas would even care? Supercharger growth is expanding at a bristling rate on the East and West coasts,
where people actually buy Teslas. Three years from now, Supercharger buildout will reach the stage where this entire
subject is a non-issue.
You also must remember a Supercharger adds 100 miles to the range of a Model S in the time it takes to use the restroom.
On long trips, a chance to stretch one’s legs is oft considered a bonus, not a liability. Superchargers go in near foot and shopping outlets. If you get bored surfing the net or checking your stocks on your gigantic center console iPad, you can
grab a bite or a coffee. Contrast this to your weekly trip to the local gas station! I recently watched a video with dozens
of example of people erupting into flames after not grounding themselves on the metal gas pump! Some folks sadly have
slid out of their velour or velveteen seats causing static electricity, only to suffer massive burns and death from the gas
fumes emitted around their gas hose! If you find the pain in your wallet after gas fillup, and the stink, danger and
hassle of waiting in line a pleasant experience, knock yourself out. I prefer the electric revolution.
Some readers missed out on the point that the vast majority of these GM charging stations are FOR EMPLOYEES and
at GM factories and installations. Providing a Volt or SparkEV with software directing GM drivers to dealer locations for
free charging would be a great start. Increasing the range of their electric-assist cars would add to the solution. Just
remember, most EV, EREV and PHEV owners do over 80% of their charging at home.
One also have to remember that Tesla Superchargers usually have 4, 6, 8 and sometimes up to 12 charging bays. If remember correctly that puts them to about 586 charging bays for about 94 Supercharger stations.