Expressway EZ Mart – Indian River

Introduction

This is a site review from my trip to cover the lake shore route from the middle of the mitten northward.

Business/Location Name	Expressway EZ Mart
Address	6174 M-68, Indian River, MI 49749
Network	ChargePoint
Station Details	2 linked 62.5kW Stations or 125kW linked
Cost	$0.35/kWh (2pm to 7pm), $0.30/kWh (7pm to 2pm)

The eighth planned stop of this trip was in Indian River, MI.  These chargers are run by this small convenience store.  Right off I-75, this is a well-positioned travel site for supporting the I-75 North/South Corridor.

(This station opened in January 2021).  

Accessibility

This station is off I-75 at exit 310; to the west of the highway on M-68.  The two ChargePoint chargers are placed just to the right of the building, helping to make them visible.  Being on the edge of the parking lot the spots are unlikely to be used by other cars.  Parking is “nose in”, there is no pull-through parking for anyone pulling a trailer.

Amenities

There is a basic set of amenities for a highway exit supporting this location.

Dining options include: McDonald’s, Burger King

Shopping options include: Family Dollar

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  Marathon Gas Station at this location

Concentration

This is a baseline 2 charger site for ChargePoint.  This station is the pull/back into configuration, easy charging with Elektra’s front port location or when backing in with Voltron to charge.  Not much room for expansion at this site, but maybe other businesses can support if the future demand requires.

Location

This is the 2nd farthest north stop on I-75 in the lower peninsula with the stations in Mackinaw City being the only ones further north.  Being right on I-75 provides easy access to anyone on this route headed north or south.  From here it is about 30 miles north to Mackinaw City, 60 miles south to Grayling, 90 miles southwest to Traverse City and 150 miles south to Bay City. 

50 Mile Radius:

150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

These ChargePoint shared power chargers represent a decent destination charging solution. 62.5kW single unit output pairs well as a destination solution, not so much for a road trip.  High voltage vehicles that can reach the paired 125kW power output can use these more for road trips.  The 125A and 200A current limits based on the operating mode will have most EVs charging slower than drivers might expect.  The 500kVA transformer at the site is over-sized for the equipment but can definitely support future expansion if needed.

    

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 70% battery and 183 miles remaining on the GOM (guess o’ meter).  I had averaged 3.4 miles/kW on the drive.  With temperatures now approaching the upper 60’s, I was still not using much HVAC.  The efficiency was impressive given the 75mph highway speeds between the previous stop and this one.

At this stop, I was only able to get about 90kW charging speeds.  This would typically indicate that 1 of the 4 power modules in the 2 CPE250 charging units was not working correctly.  A very long and frustrating call to the ChargePoint support line followed.  The person I was talking to was saying that the voltage was low because of a weak cell signal in the area.  I can now understand why the ChargePoint CEO listed that they are working to make reported errors easier.  Another way to improve would be to move the support line staff to the US, instead of having it outsourced to India.  

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $3.01

Total kWh: 8.593 kWh

Time: 6.5 Minutes

Average Charge Speed: 79.32 kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.35

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
24	C	4	4	16

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Odawa Casino – Mackinaw City

Introduction

This is a site review from my trip to cover the lake shore route from the middle of the mitten northward.

Business/Location Name	Odawa Casino
Address	1080 S Nicolet St, Mackinaw City, MI 49701
Network	ChargePoint
Station Details	4 linked 62.5kW Stations or 125kW linked paired
Cost	$0.48/kWh (9am to 8pm), $0.42/kWh (8pm to 9am)

This was the seventh planned stop of the trip and the second in Mackinaw City, MI.  These chargers installed by the city are now run by the company Hion who operates several stations in the northern lower peninsula.  The site is well maintained, but I did find one of the connectors laying on the ground at arrival.

(This station opened in November 2021).  

Accessibility

This station is in the casino parking lot 0.5 miles from the US-23 route that follows the coast and 0.5 miles from I-75 at exit 337 when headed northbound, exit 338 when headed southbound.  The four ChargePoint chargers are placed away from the main road in the parking lot, thus making them not immediately visible.  The dedicated spots are very unlikely to be used by other vehicles.  Parking is “nose in”, there are parking spots on both sides of the chargers, but placement with power poles and transformers eliminate any chance for trailer friendly charging.

Amenities

For a destination stop, and public parking site, the surrounding amenities are limited.

Dining options include: None

Shopping options include: Mackinaw Mall General Store

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  None

Concentration

This is an expanded 4 charger site for ChargePoint.  The station is the pull/back into configuration, easy charging with Elektra’s front port location or when backing in with Voltron to charge.  The number of stalls matches the current expected vehicle traffic.  For those with longer stays, the site could add several Level 2 charging options.

Location

This is the northern most ChargePoint site in the lower peninsula.  The parking lot offers lots of space and limited traffic while charging.  From here it is about 60 miles north to Sault Saint Marie, 150 miles west to Escanaba (and the next available CCS charging) and 230 miles south to Lansing. 

50 Mile Radius:

150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

These ChargePoint shared power chargers represent a decent destination charging solution. Elektra will not pull more than the single station max output (62.5kW) unless the battery is low and at optimum temperature, Voltron does a better job of taking the rated power.  The 125A and 200A current limits based on the operating mode will have most EVs charging slower than drivers might expect. This site can support 62.5kW from each port at the same time with the 300kVA transformer supplying power.

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 80% battery having just left the Tesla Supercharger.  Based on cost, I should have charged here instead.  I would have likely gotten a faster charge (120kW vs the 100kW limit at the Tesla site) and it would have been cheaper $0.49 per kWh vs $0.53 per kWh.  I will have to do more cost study in the future.  The speed benefit goes the other direction for any car that is 400V architecture and can charge at over 200A.  For those vehicles paying more at the Tesla site for a faster charge might make sense.

I did meet and talk with the only other person I met charging on this whole trip at this site.  The driver was coming from the upper peninsula and stopped to charge his Bolt before heading further south.

Also, while I was here a Wrangler 4xe pulled in.  I had to regrettably inform him that he would not be able to charge his hybrid at this station as it only served high power charging and did not have J1772 Level 2 charging available.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $ -

Total kWh: - kWh

Time: - Minutes

Average Charge Speed: - kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: - 

I did not charge here as I had just finished charging at the nearby Tesla Supercharger

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
25	C	4	1	20

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Star Line Ferry Parking – Mackinaw City

Introduction

This is a site review from my trip to cover the lake shore route from the middle of the mitten northward.

Business/Location Name	Star Line Ferry Parking
Address	801 S Huron Ave, Mackinaw City, MI 49701
Network	Tesla
Station Details	8 load-balanced 250kW Superchargers with Magic Dock.
Cost	$0.53/kWh

The sixth planned stop of this trip was in Mackinaw City, MI.  This was the first Supercharger in Michigan to get the Magic Dock.  This is the northernmost point in the lower peninsula to be able to fast charge.  Now with the ability of almost all EV to charge here, it makes trips into the Upper Peninsula easier with a quick and easy spot to charge. 

(This station opened in June 2020).  

Accessibility

This station is in the ferry service parking lot 0.2 miles from the US-23 route that follows the coast. Interstate access is 0.4 miles from I-75 at exit 338 when headed southbound and 0.9 miles from exit 337 when headed northbound.  The eight Tesla chargers are placed away from the main road in the parking lot, thus making them not immediately visible. Parking is backing in, as it is for most Tesla sites, and there are parking spots on both sides of the chargers.  Not really a trailer friendly spot to stop and charge.

Amenities

For a destination stop, and public parking site, the surrounding amenities are limited.

Dining options include: Rusted Spoke Brewing Co.

Shopping options include: Mackinaw Mall General Store

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  None

Concentration

This is a minimum 8 charger site for Tesla.  The station is the pull/back into configuration Due to the short cables and Tesla port locations most other vehicles will have a challenging time to reach and connect with the Magic Dock attached.  The number of stalls matches the current expected vehicle traffic.

Location

This is the northern most Tesla site in the lower peninsula.  The parking lot offers lots of space and limited traffic while charging.  From here it is about 60 miles north to Sault Saint Marie, 150 miles west to Escanaba (and the next available CCS charging) and 230 miles south to Lansing. 

50 Mile Radius:

150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

The Tesla chargers are a unique solution.  They are capable of 250kW, but only by producing high currents at the lower 400V range.  This would work well with Elektra being a 400V class vehicle and only able to pull 200A.  This site works well for Rivian, Mercedes, BMW and other cars that reach high charging speeds with high currents.  On the other hand, the 800V class of vehicles are limited by their ability to handle the lower input voltage limitations of these stations.  Voltron will only charge at 100kW here as limited by the vehicles input at the 400V range.  There is plenty of power on site with a 750kVA transformer.

    

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 76% battery and 198 miles remaining on the GOM (guess o’ meter).  I had averaged 3.8 miles/kWh on the drive.  With temperatures in the mid 60’s, I was not really using HVAC.  Using the Tesla app to start the charge, the only trick to make sure to select the correct charging post.  The Tesla cables are very short, and you need to park very close to make sure the cables will reach.  I did have some difficulty getting the magic dock to release, but it did come out and I was able to charge without issue from there.

Tesla has opened their network to allow charging of other vehicles here, it only remains for Rivian to open their network and there will be a total of 18 charging stalls in all of Mackinaw City to support an ever-growing electric vehicle fleet.  Maybe next year for an upper peninsula site review trip, I will be able to stop and charge at the Rivian site.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $1.73

Total kWh: 3.281kWh

Time: 2 Minutes

Average Charge Speed: 89.5 kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.53

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
33	A	5	3	25

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com