Site Review Scores

Saturday, October 3, 2026

Troy Marketplace - Troy

Introduction

I took a trip to visit several local charging sites that I haven’t had a chance to review in the past couple of years. Winding my way across some newer sites in the metro Detroit area. I had the opportunity to visit this newly opened Rivian Adventure Network (RAN) site.  Site visit was conducted on July 7, 2026.


Troy Marketplace

780 E Big Beaver Rd, Troy, MI 48083

Rivian Adventure Network

8 Stalls (4 sets of 2 dispensers, each share 300kW; total 1200kW site power)

$0.51 per kWh, $0.43 per kWh for Rivian vehicles 


The Troy Marketplace station was the only new RAN site since my previous trip to cover all the RAN locations in MI. This is also the first RAN site in MI that has J3400/NACS plugs, and only these. (This station opened in June 2026).  




Accessibility

The Troy Marketplace site is in the parking lot of the strip mall.  The site is 0.4 miles from I-75 at exit 67.  North from the exit and on the southwest corner of Rochester Rd and Big Beaver Rd.    Eight stalls in 4 spots on either side of the perpendicular parking.  The 4 middle spots are mostly blocked from being pull-through by a light pole in the middle of the parking spots.  The two rows on the end, covering 4 parking spots, do allow for some pull-through.  This busy shopping center parking lot would not be my first choice to bring a trailer.  The spot on one end is larger and clearly marked as the accessible charging stall.




Amenities

Dining options include: Mission BBQ, Burger King, First Watch, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Poke Poke, Beyond Juicery, Olga’s Fresh

Shopping options include: Men’s Wearhouse, J. Crew Factory, Nordstrom Rack, REI, PetSmart, Bath & Body Works

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


Concentration

As the Rivian Adventure Network has expanded, they have moved to larger sites.  While all the other sites in MI are 6 stall sites with 2 power cabinets each splitting power across 3 dispensers; at this newer site we have 8 stalls with 4 power cabinets each splitter power across only 2 dispensers.  This means more consistent high-power delivery even when the station is busy.



Location

This site supports metro Detroit and the I-75 travel corridor.  Quite a popular location for charging in Michigan.  Connecting major cities including Grand Rapids – 160 miles WNW, Grayling – 190 miles N, and Toledo – 75 miles S.


50 Mile Loop:


150 Mile Range Estimate:



Speed

Rivian has evolved the site design making for a more consistent power delivery experience.  There are eight dispensers that are configured in pairs(A/B).  Each power cabinet can then split power between two linked dispensers.  Each set shares a combined 300kW output.  The dispensers have liquid cooled cables with NACS/J3400 connectors supporting 600A, while the dispensers are still rated at a maximum of 500A.  Unless the site is full, most vehicles on the market today are going to arrive and get all the power they can request.  At this site the transformer is slightly oversized at 1500 kVA and would allow all 4 power cabinets to be delivering 300kW at the same time.






Summary

The Rivian Adventure Network continues to expand and evolve.  I found it interesting that even though most of the Rivian vehicles on the road today are CCS this site was installed with no CCS connectors.  I expect that this site can be used by local mall visitors, but there are lots of options in this area.  


(Charging cables are rated for 600A)


(Reasonable rates for Rivian and non-Rivian users)

(Current Rivian R1S using the J3400 to CCS adaptor since there are no native CCS cables at this location)


I did not charge at this location due to the short distances of each stop on this trip.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: 

Total kWh: 

Time: 

Average Charge Speed: 

Cost per kWh: 


Total Score (Max 44)

Score

Accessibility

Amenities

Usability

35

A

4

6

25


Alternatives:

BP/Concord Market - 32751 Concord Dr, Madison Heights, MI 48071 - $0.50/kWh(+$0.50) - 240kW x 4 (Red E)

Arcturus – 3150 Livernois Rd, Troy, MI 48083 - $0.40/kWh(+$0.49) – 62.5kW x 2 (ChargePoint)


Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com


Saturday, September 26, 2026

BP - Southfield

Introduction

I took a trip to visit several local charging sites that I haven’t had a chance to review in the past couple of years. Winding my way across some newer sites in the metro Detroit area. Site visit was conducted on July 7, 2026.


BP

28995 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, MI 48034

Red E Charge

8 Stalls (6 CCS and 2 NACS/J3400; 4 – 240kW dispensers)

$0.49 per kWh


The BP – Southfield station was the 2nd charging stop on this trip.  This site is on the southwest corner of 12 Mile Rd and Telegraph Rd, on the south side of the gas station/convenience store.  The dispensers are on the edge of the parking lot closest to the Jax Kar Wash.  (Site opened in February 2024).  




Accessibility

The BP site is an intersection corner location with the EVSE arranged all in one row.  Based on exit routings this is between exit 8 and exit 10 on I696.  Coming from the east 2.4 miles from exit 10.  Coming from the west 2.5 miles from exit 8.  In parallel, one can use exit 18 from M-10.  North of the highway along Telegraph Rd (M-24).  There are two dedicated CCS units in the middle with the end units split NACS/J3400 and CCS (the NACS plugs are on the side that makes the most sense for Tesla vehicles and the normal back in parking.  No dedicated accessible parking location with all dispensers up on the curb.  Pulling a trailer through this parking lot would be a challenge with no easy way to interact with the charger.





Amenities

Dining options include: Chinatown Express, Star Deli, Bar 7 & Grill, Five Guys, Potbelly, Taco Bell, Panera Bread

Shopping options include: Meijer, Lowe’s

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air): BP gas station


Concentration

This site has 4 dispensers and 8 total ports.  Seeing 8 cars charged here all at the same time would be quite interesting.



Location

This site is close to I-696 and thus is available to support any vehicles traveling this corridor that need a high-power charge.  This location can support travels to Port Huron, Lansing, and the Detroit Metro area.  This site provides a nice mix between supporting high power charging for those travelling and ports to support locals that may not have access to home charging.  The site is also relatively close to local amenities making it a productive location to stop.


50 Mile Loop:


150 Mile Range Estimate:


Speed

The Autel MaxiCharger units used here can go up to 240kW.  The power can be split and dispensed in 80kW increments.  Cables are 300A nominal with a boost to 400A, enabling vehicles requiring a high charging current to achieve reasonable, but not peak speeds.  These units were made in Vietnam and have proven to be quite reliable thus far.  At this site there is a 750kVA transformer, which is less than what a full site could pull, but the likelihood of that is small and I am sure the site has smart design to limit overall draw as the limit of the transformer is reached.




Summary

Next stop on this charging site review trip was the BP gas station at the corner of 12 Mile and Telegraph.  Quite the busy intersection with lots of commuting and business traffic.  This location is one of the larger Red E Charge locations with 8 total ports.  This site makes for a good local stop to top up while in the area.  Amenities provide various food and shopping options.




I did not charge at this location on this trip.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: 

Total kWh: 

Time: 

Average Charge Speed: 

Cost per kWh: 


Total Score (Max 44)

Score

Accessibility

Amenities

Usability

33

A

3

6

24


Alternatives:

Marvel Technologies – 28275 Telegraph Rd, Southfield, MI 48034 - $0.56/kWh - 350kW x 4 (EVCOH)

Chase Bank – 28660 Northwestern Hwy, Southfield, MI 48034 - $0.61/kWh ($1.00 session) – 350kW x 6 (EVgo)


Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com


Thursday, September 17, 2026

Great Lakes Crossings – Auburn Hills

Introduction

I took a trip to visit several local charging sites that I haven’t had a chance to review in the past couple of years. Winding my way across some newer sites in the metro Detroit area. I had the opportunity to visit two newly opened Electrify America sites.  Site visit was conducted on July 7, 2026.


Great Lakes Crossings – Auburn Hills

4000 Baldwin Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326

Electrify America (EA)

6 Stations (350kW x3, 1050kW total site power)

$0.60/kWh 10:00–22:00, $0.40/kWh 22:00–10:00 


I visited the Great Lakes Crossings EA station as part of my travels.  This site adds EA stalls to this large mall property on top of the existing 4 ports available from EVgo.  Even at close to midday on a Tuesday, this site was seeing consistently usage with 2 stalls in use.  (This station opened in December 2025). 




Accessibility

This site supports I-75 at exit 84. The units are situated at the far edge of the parking lot from the mall, at least a 3-minute walk to the nearest entrance.  0.6 miles from the highway with multiple entrance to the mall parking lot options.  The units themselves stand out as there is nothing else in this part of the parking lot.  Since the address is generic for the mall it helps to know the chargers are in the southwesterly corner.  There is no pass thru or trailer friendly parking here.




Amenities

Dining options: McDonald’s, Dos Amigos Cantina, Chili’s, Cuppicino, mall food court

Shopping options: 2nd & Charles, Dollar Tree, all available mall stores

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


Concentration

This is the latest standard 6 station layout for EA.  These new sites power-share with each set of 2 units sharing power from one cabinet. Each cabinet is capable of 350kW output with dispensers having a single cable.  The parking is pull in with the long cables easily reaching most port locations.  There is a benefit that there are 6 units, but power sharing can limit speeds if multiple cars are plugged in at the same time.  This strategy matches how Tesla builds out the Superchargers.



Location

This site supports I-75 at the far northwestern edges of Detroit.  From here: Flint is just 35 miles north, Port Huron is 65 miles northeast, Lansing is 90 miles west and Toledo is 95 miles south.


50 Mile Loop:


150 Mile Estimated Coverage:


Speed

Electrify America has chargers that support the fastest speeds available today.  This site is set up with Gen 4 BTC Power units that are all listed as 350kW.  These newest units support power sharing, so the 350kW is shared among 2 stalls.  With 2 sets capable of the maximum output there is plenty of power to support charging at this site.  The 1000kVA transformer provides all but absolute peak site power demands.  (Units made in the Philippines: March 2025)



Summary

I found it interesting that Electrify America would add charging at a location that already has high powered charging.  The EVgo stalls at this mall are down the way and much closer to the entrance of the building.  The EVgo units are also in a much higher traffic area that makes parking, especially if you must back into the spots, more difficult.  Additionally, the Delta units at this location have tended on the less reliable side.  The usage clearly indicates that the demand was more than the 4 EVgo spots were able to supply.  Great to see the charging offerings continue to follow the demand.


(A long walk to anything from this charging location)


I did not charge at this location due to the short distances of each stop on this trip.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: 

Total kWh: 

Time: 

Average Charge Speed: 

Cost per kWh: 


Total Score (Max 44)

Score

Accessibility

Amenities

Usability

31B4621

Alternatives:

Great Lakes Shopping Center - 4000 Baldwin Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326 - $0.61/kWh max (TOU) - 350kW x 2; 100kW x 2 (EVgo)

The Auburn Mile Shopping Center - 850 Brown Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326 - $1.00 + $0.32/min – 50kW x 2 (Jule)


Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com


Thursday, September 10, 2026

Oakland Plaza – Troy

Introduction

I took a trip to visit several local charging sites that I haven’t had a chance to review in the past couple of years. Winding my way across some newer sites in the metro Detroit area. I had the opportunity to visit two newly opened Electrify America sites.  Site visit was conducted on July 7, 2026.


Oakland Plaza

272 John R Rd, Troy, MI 48083

Electrify America (EA)

10 Stations (350kW x5, 1750kW total site power)

$0.60/kWh 10:00–22:00, $0.40/kWh 22:00–10:00 


I visited the Oakland Plaza EA station as part of my travels.  This is the newest EA site in Michigan, opened in December 2025.  This is also the largest site in Michigan.  Even at close to midday on a Tuesday, this site was seeing consistently usage with 3 or 4 stalls in use.  (This station opened in December 2025). 




Accessibility

This site supports I-75 at exit 65 is in the parking lot of shopping plaza.  0.8 miles from the highway just east along 14 Mile Rd.  The units themselves are on the southern edge of the parking lot.  The chargers are not hidden and are easy to find once you arrive at the address.  There is no pass thru or trailer friendly parking here.




Amenities

Dining options: Paris Banh Mi & Bakery, Burger King, Sonic, Chipotle, Pizza Hut, Jersey Mike’s, Long Horn Steakhouse, Taco Bell, Witch Topokki

Shopping options: Rally House, Michaels, DSW, Barnes & Noble

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


Concentration

This is an expanded 10 stall/port location.  These new sites share power between each set of 2 units from one cabinet. Each cabinet is capable of 350kW output with dispensers having a single cable.  For this installation the cabinets are placed next to the dispenser, each is supporting.  The parking is angled pull in, which makes rear mounted port locations a little more difficult.  The longer cables on this latest generation hardware removes most concerns about cables reaching charge ports.  There is a benefit that there are 10 units, but power sharing can limit speeds if multiple cars are plugged in at the same time.  This strategy matches how Tesla builds out the Superchargers.



Location

This site supports I-75 in metro Detroit.  The location makes a good stop for both local support of drivers that don’t have home charging and for travelers.  From here, Port Huron is 60 miles northeast, Flint is 55 miles north, Lansing is 90 miles west and Toledo is 75 miles south.


50 Mile Loop:


150 Mile Estimated Coverage:


Speed

Electrify America has chargers that support the fastest speeds available today.  This site is set up with Gen 4 BTC Power units that are all listed as 350kW; each can support the maximum 500A current.  These newest units support power sharing, so the 350kW is shared among 2 stalls.  With 5 sets capable of the maximum output there is plenty of power to support charging at this site.  The 1000kVA transformer is quite undersized for a site that is capable of 1750kW total output power.  If all ten stalls were in use each would need to be limited to less than 100kW power.  (Units made in the Philippines: June 2025)





Summary

I arrived with 58% battery remaining after quite a bit of travel and many previous travel stops.  The parking lot here has angled parking which means that traffic should flow in only one direction.  That means if you are going to follow normal traffic flow you should find a charger to pull beside with the charger on the side of the vehicle as the charging port.  If the site is busy and these are not available and you need to go back into a spot, then you are working against the normal flow of traffic.  Seems like none of this was taken into consideration when designing this site.



I did not charge at this location due to the short distances of each stop on this trip.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: 

Total kWh: 

Time: 

Average Charge Speed: 

Cost per kWh: 


Total Score (Max 44)

Score

Accessibility

Amenities

Usability

34A4525

Alternatives:

BP/Concord Market - 32751 Concord Dr, Madison Heights, MI 48071 - $0.50/kWh(+$0.50) - 240kW x 4 (Red E Charge)

Troy Marketplace - 780 E Big Beaver Rd, Troy, MI 48083 - $0.51/kWh – 300kW x 8 (Rivian Adventure Network)


Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com


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