GM Launches Electric Car Charging Assistance To Help Owners Find Installers
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Charging infrastructure remains one of the largest barriers to electric car ownership, but General Motors hopes to change that.
The automaker has launched a new portal on its website that not only provides charging education, but it will also even help those interested find certified home charging station installers. The operation works with a company called Qmerit and all of it can be done from a smartphone.
The service requires those interested to enter their home address, which will check for certified charging station installers in the area, and then receive quotes. Users can send photos of the area where he or she wants the charging station installed and provide more info for installers to get an accurate quote. From there, Qmerit will schedule the appointment. The installation even includes pulling all proper permits for the work.
The Chevrolet Bolt EV has always accepted Level 1 and Level 2 charging stations, but the final model year for the Chevrolet Volt added Level 2 charging capability. Or, there are some DIY tricks to make any second-generation Volt work with a 240V outlet. DC fast charging is available at public stations for the Bolt EV, but not the Volt.
Level 1 charging is done with a basic 120V outlet, and for Bolt EV owners, is not the best way to go about charging the car. It will add about 4 miles of range per hour plugged in compared to 25 miles with a 240V outlet per hour. DC fast chargers can provide 90 miles of range in just 30 minutes.
Charging education will absolutely be necessary as GM works to introduce 20 new electric cars by 2023. The more informed consumers are, the more likely they’ll go electric for their next vehicle.
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Something crossed my mind driving around. Ever notice how many people have garages but they are so full of junk they could never get a car in let along charge a car.
As more electric cars come to market we may see a up tick in garage sales.
To me a garage that can not be used to house a car is a sin.
Many people have built outdoor pedestals for their charging equipment or mounted them to the outside of the garage. I park and charge my car inside the garage, but I purposely installed the charging equipment close to the door so the cord could reach the driveway, if necessary. I re-adjusted the garage door so there’s a slight gap for the cord to fit under it without being crushed if I want to charge a visitor’s vehicle, charge my car while working in the garage, etc. While I don’t think many people are going to switch where they park their cars, some forethought into where to install the semi-permanent charging equipment for maximum flexibility makes good sense.
“…but the final model year for the Chevrolet Volt added Level 2 charging capability.”
No, the onboard charger in the Volt (both first- and second-generation) has always supported Level 2 charging. For 2019, the onboard charger was upgraded to support 7.2 kW charging, which means substantially faster charging times on supported chargers. The upgraded charger was standard on the 2019 Volt Premier optional on the LT. A 3.6 kW charger was standard on all previous Volts and ELRs.
The “DIY tricks” you mention are hacking the included 120v charging equipment that comes with the car to work on 220v instead of purchasing dedicated hardware meant to safely support it.
If GM wants to help their EV drivers find charging stations, just train the salespeople to help customers install and configure the PlugShare app. It costs nothing but a few minutes.
I was not in market for a car but I was at a Dealership getting my breaks and rotors done. I had a Salesperson come up to me and tried selling me a New Car so I can save money on Service Bills going forward. I told him in a year I am getting a Tesla and not interested in a new car right now. He just looked at me and said, electric vehicles are the absolute worst cars you can purchase. I told him, so you wouldn’t sell me a Bolt right now if I wanted one?
He just looked at me with a Dumb look on his face, he probably had no idea Chevy sells an EV. This is why GM will not catch up to Tesla.
Drives me crazy. I would love to drive a Cadillac EV but Tesla it will be as GM isn’t even playing the same Sport at this time. It is unfortunate.
Momolos: If you think the dealer/marketing is bad with the Bolt, which I think Mary Barra is actually somewhat interested in selling, you should have seen how utterly atrocious it was for the Volt, which for some unfathomable reason she did not want to sell, even though it had, and still has, the market leading EREV technology. I have outlined in previous posts my misadventures encountered in my purchase of a 2018 Volt.
Also thanks to Caddyzig for correcting GMA’s errors in the above article on Volt charging capabilities; another testament to the poor marketing of the Volt in that even people involved in the industry never fully understood the capabilities and technological excellence of the Voltec technology.
The severe shortage of electricians is only going to make installing electric charging stations harder and more expensive. I’ve seen it first hand. My company (nor many other local ones) has been able to hire a decent worker under the age of 40. So few companies are even doing “residential work” anymore because there’s very little money in it, and most homeowners have a “put everything else on hold and get my stuff done now attitude”.
While I personally would never buy an electric vehicle, the growth of electric cars is music to my ears! At this rate, I’ll be making well over 6 figures by 2025 and it’ll be damn near impossible to get any electrical work done unless you “know a guy”.
Should have at least given Tesla some credit for doing something similar (though not as involved) for a while now. Hopefully GM is serious about increasing EV adoption and realizes inferior gas is their competition, not Tesla.
Inferior gas?