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

Public Parking – Cheboygan

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	Public Parking - Cheboygan
Address	403 N Huron St, Cheboygan, MI 49721
Network	Red E Charge
Station Details	Two 160kW Dual Port EVSE
Cost	$0.45/kWh + $0.50 session fee

The fifth planned stop of this trip was in Cheboygan, MI.  As I got further north surprisingly, the number of available ports increases.  From the 2 port sites that I had visited to this point, this site has 4 charging ports that can all charge vehicles at the same time.  Another easy charging session start from the app, with the car stopping the session at the selected charge level.

(This station opened in March 2023).  

Accessibility

This station is in the parking lot on block from the US-23 route that follows the coast.  The two Red E Charge chargers are easy to spot as you approach.  Since the parking is “nose in”, there’s no pull-through parking for anyone pulling a trailer.

Amenities

There’s not much to speak of regarding amenities at this stop

Dining options include: Libby’s Downtown, Subway, State Street Coffee, BC Pizza

Shopping options include: None

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  Speedway across the street

Concentration

There are two Red E Charge Autel MaxiCharger units capable of outputting power to both connectors at the same time.  This station is the pull/back into configuration, easy charging with Elektra’s front port location or when backing in with Voltron to charge.  

Location

Having additional charging options along the coast route is good for the support of drivers taking a trip around the state.  From here it is just 16 miles northwest to Mackinaw City, 55 miles southwest to Gaylord and 230 miles south to Lansing. 

50 Mile Radius:

150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

This Autel MaxiCharger is a step up from the ChargePoint CPE 250 units populated for destination charging. The rated 160kW is achieved by using the air-cooled cables in boost mode to provide up to 400 A for short periods of time to match the charging curves of many vehicles.  Higher voltage vehicles will get the greatest benefit as usual.  This site seems limited by the grid power available as I only saw about 100kW max speed and the pole mounted transformers don’t look like they can handle 160kW for one outlet, never mind supporting 4 charging ports at the same time.

    

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 68% battery and 177 miles remaining on the GOM (guess o’ meter).  I had averaged 3.7 miles/kWh on the drive.  With temperatures in the mid 60’s, I was not really using HVAC, less headwind and more crosswind allowed for better efficiency numbers on this leg.  Using the app, I had no issues starting the charge.  Even with a slower than rated charge rate, I didn’t have much time to stop as I was completed with my charge in just 7 minutes. 

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $5.67

Total kWh: 11.5 kWh

Time: 7 Minutes

Average Charge Speed: 98.6 kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.45 (with $0.50 connection fee)

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
25	C	6	4	15

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Public Parking – Rogers 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	Public Parking - Rogers City
Address	200 W Erie St, Rogers City 49779
Network	ChargePoint
Station Details	2 linked 62.5kW Stations or 125kW linked
Cost	$0.48/kWh (9am to 8pm), $0.42/kWh (8pm to 9am)

The fourth planned stop of this trip was in Rogers City, MI.  These chargers installed by the city are now run by the company Hion who operates several stations in the northern lower peninsula.  As this was an early installed station, the screens are cracked, and the touch function is very difficult to operate.

(This station opened in June 2021).  

Accessibility

This station is in the city parking lot 0.7 miles from the US-23 route that follows the coast.  The two ChargePoint chargers are placed close to intersection of Erie St and 4th St helping to make them visible.  The dedicated spots are very unlikely to be used by other vehicles.  Parking is “nose in”, there is no pull-through parking for anyone pulling a trailer.

Amenities

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

Dining options include: Tradewinds Bakery, Chee Peng Chinese, MI Northern Espresso

Shopping options include: Family Dollar

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

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.  This site could add a couple more if the volume of cars charging here would warrant the increase in the number of stalls.

Location

Having additional charging options along the coast route is good for the support of drivers taking a trip around the state.  This public parking lot offers lots of space and limited traffic while charging.  From here it is about 60 miles north to Mackinaw City, 75 miles southwest to Gaylord 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 300kVA transformer here easily supports the power needs and could support a second set of CPE 250 units if needed in the future.

    

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 50% battery and 134 miles remaining on the GOM (guess o’ meter).  I had averaged 3.3 miles/kWh on the drive.  With temperatures in the mid 60’s, I was not really using HVAC, but there seemed to be a strong headwind from the NNE which managed to keep the efficiency numbers for this leg of the trip lower than expected.  In 14 minutes, I was back to 80% and ready to proceed to the next stop.  While charging, a nice guy stopped by and told me that I was only the second person that he had ever seen trying to use these units.  The charging is there, now we just need to get more cars and drivers out there to show how it works.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $12.77

Total kWh: 26.598 kWh

Time: 14 Minutes

Average Charge Speed: 114 kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.48

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
18	D	4	2	12

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

I made a video

 

I have seen a couple of series following other CPO build outs.  I thought I would try my hand at providing some insight and commentary.  This adds to my state by state mid-west NEVI award tracking and will follow Francis Energy as they build out the many awarded sites.

Marathon – Alpena

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	Marathon
Address	906 W Washington Ave, Alpena, MI 49707
Network	ChargePoint
Station Details	2 linked 62.5kW Stations or 125kW linked
Cost	$0.45/kWh

The third planned stop of this trip was in Alpena, MI.  This site is owned by GPM Investments, which is important because this company has been awarded several NEVI sites in Michigan and other states.  I planned my stop at this location as it was the next available fast charger on the lake coastal route.

(This station opened in July 2023).  

Accessibility

This station is in the parking lot for the gas station along the M-32 route, this is just west of US-23 that follows the coast.  The two ChargePoint chargers are placed close to the road helping to make them visible.  The dedicated spots are very unlikely to be used by other vehicles.  Parking is “nose in”, there is no pull-through parking for anyone pulling a trailer.

Amenities

There’s not much to speak of regarding amenities at this stop.  I wouldn’t recommend stopping here unless you absolutely need the charge.

Dining options include: None

Shopping options include: None

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  Marathon

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.  This site is limited to these units and given the lack of amenities; I wouldn’t recommend adding more.

Location

Having additional charging options along the coast route is good for the support of drivers taking a trip around the state.  A gas station off the main route will work but is not the best option.  From here it is about 100 miles north to Mackinaw City, 70 miles west to Gaylord and 140 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. Elektra will not pull more than the 62.5 kW a single station will output unless the battery is low and the battery is at full 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. 

    

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 67% battery and 188 miles remaining on the GOM (guess o’ meter).  I had averaged 3.6 miles/kWh on this leg of the drive.  With temperatures in the mid 60’s I didn’t need the heat on, so 98% of the energy was used for driving and only 2% for accessories.  This is the first time I learned the lesson on where not to place EV chargers at a gas station.  Note to site owners don’t place the chargers where they will be blocked by the tanker truck filling the storage tanks.  I talked to the friendly truck driver who informed me that he was going to be at least another hour filling the tanks and that he had warned the station owner not to place the chargers where they would be blocked.  

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $ - 

Total kWh: - kWh

Time: - Minutes

Average Charge Speed: - kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: -

Did not charge because units were blocked.

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
19	D	4	3	12

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com