WHY I Invest This Much Time Future DC rapid charge stations are one of the topics I enjoy covering for CleanTechnica. Even though the typical EV driver hardly ever uses one in practice, it nevertheless has a significant impact on whether someone decides to purchase an EV. If you’re debating whether to get an electric car, you probably want to know whether you’ll be able to take it anywhere, even if you just use it infrequently. If a buddy gives you a website like Plugshare or ABRP, you may see that additional stations are being built, which will increase the utility of your automobile and make it a more prudent investment.
Future charging stations aren’t a major concern for a purchase choice in states like California where EV charging stations are now very popular. Once you’ve waited in line a few times, it doesn’t seem like such a huge issue, but having any means of transportation is still preferable to being unable to reach your destination in a timely manner.
Future stations will make a significant difference for residents of areas like eastern New Mexico or west Texas, where vast tracts of country are devoid of DCFC stations. It makes a significant difference in what you can accomplish with the car to be able to travel to the closest electrified interstate corridor as opposed to being unable to travel more than half the distance from home. This is helpful for “city slickers” as well since you might wish to visit a rural location even if you don’t live there.
We try to keep an eye on the information the EV enthusiast community unearths about where we can expect future stations. That is why I have previously worked with companies like Electrify America to encourage them to publish more information on upcoming chargers (something they seem to have lapsed on again in recent months). The more we can spread the information that more charging stations are coming, the faster EV sales will take off globally.
FOR SOME OF US, THE UPCOMING STATIONS IN EASTERN NEW MEXICO WERE BIG NEWS I wrote on the region’s promising charging infrastructure expansion a little over a year ago. All of the major towns (by local standards) had a station coming, in addition to the larger routes moving forward receiving some love.
The majority of the new stations, which will be positioned at Allsup’s convenience stores around the state, will be built by Francis Energy. Some individuals may just view this as excellent news for lovers of Allsup’s burritos (granted, they aren’t exactly healthy, but they taste delicious!). The fact that Allsup’s stores are dispersed around the state, making them a great partner for hosting DCFC stations, was actually a blessing.
Because #Dieselgate funds are being used for all of this, EV enthusiasts with a keen eye for public records quickly discovered the general location of these planned stations. However, it didn’t follow that Francis or Allsup’s would be prepared to construct each station that year or the following. Only a few of the stations have been installed thus far, and Plugshare commenters are growing impatient.
The fact that the wiring had largely been completed but that construction had abruptly stopped in some places with conduit and wire protruding out of the ground for months was particularly frustrating for some drivers.
The reason why the stations have not yet been built. After learning about all of this, I contacted Francis Energy, and it turns out that they generally have a good explanation for why station construction has been delayed. The Coronavirus lockdowns and “important business” items peaked almost immediately after the #Dieselgate money were revealed. Supply chains have been troublesome even after vaccines became commercially available and things started to open up. In order to build entire stations and other sections at the Allsup’s stores, Francis has had a difficult time coming up with ideas.
The speed with which users on Plugshare learned about the planned stations added to these delays. Francis calls this “premature,” which may not be the right word to use, but it was information that surfaced much earlier than stations would have been anticipated even during normal hours. Because of the early information and the supply problems, the wait seems exceptionally long.
WHEN COULD MORE STATIONS BE EXPECTED TO GO ONLINE? Francis Energy reports that they have made some progress in clearing the backlog and are beginning to receive additional materials to resume construction. It is reasonable to anticipate the launch of five additional stations before the end of 2022 (about 2.5 months from now), with the launch of other stations to follow early in 2023.
They were unable to provide us with precise location information for the following five stations, but for any EV sleuths out there, you might go and take a look because they claimed some were already under construction.
For those who live in and travel to eastern New Mexico, even 5 more charging stations would make a significant difference, especially if those locations receive them first.
MORE WILL FOLLOW. It’s critical to remember that the services offered by these upcoming new stations to EV drivers will be extremely modest. They’re significantly better than nothing, but there’s still space for improvement given the two stalls per site and the generally modest speeds.
Thankfully, that is taking place. Although details are still being worked out, in the upcoming years more stations with four stalls and 150 kW speeds will be installed throughout Texas and New Mexico using money from the Infrastructure Bill (also known as NEVI). Texas intends to allocate one county’s worth of funding each county, whereas New Mexico is adopting a more corridor-based strategy. In any case, Francis’ initial buildout won’t be the only option available in the coming years.
The best action EV drivers can do right now is to follow proper charging protocol. If you don’t really need the extra range, don’t charge past 80% (charging slows down after 80% anyhow), don’t leave your car in the spot once it’s finished charging, and only charge at DCFC stations if you have no other option for charging for regular local driving. While we wait for more infrastructure, all of these actions can help us all gain more benefit from what is already available.
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