Mobil - Waterford

Introduction

In the past I have done dedicated trips to review particular networks in the area.  For this trip I combined stops at many new or significantly upgraded sites.  I ended my trip at this newly opened Red E site.  Site reviews from July 7, 2026

Mobil

5761 Cooley Lake Rd, Waterford Township, MI 48327

Red E Charge

4 Stalls (One dual CCS dispenser, 1 CCS-J3400/NACS dispenser; split 360kW site power)

$0.50 per kWh

The Mobil – Waterford station was the last charging stop on this trip.  I originally planned for a longer loop, but seeing this newly installed site, I didn’t want to miss the chance to use this great hardware.  This gas station has added this EV charging amenity.  (Site opened in July 2026).  

Accessibility

The Mobil site is an.  No dedicated accessible parking location.  In a busy parking spot, even during my quick visit, one dispenser was blocked by a truck.  Pulling a trailer through this parking lot would be a challenge with no easy way to interact with the charger.  Note that the NACS cable is on the left side of the charger, which is the correct side to support Tesla vehicles.

Amenities

Dining options include: None

Shopping options include: None

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

Concentration

Here there are two dispensers.  The one closest to the road has one CCS port and one J3400/NACS port.  The other dispenser has 2 CCS plugs.  At each dispenser both cables can be used at the same time and the power will split.  The parking spaces are wide and well-marked, with 4 ports serving the needs of this location well.

Location

This site is a neighborhood gas station.  Not anywhere near a major highway.  Unlikely that this site would support road trips, but mostly local drivers who don’t have access to charging where they park the vehicle for the night.

50 Mile Loop:

150 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

The Autel MaxiCharger DH480 units used here can go up to 480kW.  The power can be split and dispensed in 80kW increments.  These units were listed as 320kW total power.  Cables are 400A nominal with a boost to 500A, enabling even 400V architecture vehicles to get their best speeds.  At this site there is a 300kVA transformer.  Even with two cars plugged in this could reach maximum site power and all four ports at an 80kW output would overdraw the supply.

(150kW at 60% is average charging speed in the Ioniq 6)

Summary

This site is an off the beaten path location, and I would not recommend using it while on a road trip.  This site is more of a local community support or opportunity charge location.  The gas station here does its best to provide amenities.  The real highlight of this stop was the chance to use the ‘new to me’ Autel DH480 and the new feature to follow the charging session on a mobile webpage linked from a QR code on the dispenser screen.  The implemented screens on this model are great and a step up from the already good MaxiCharger screens.  They have now added the available current/power to show what the car is asking for, with the onscreen notes that power delivery is in this case limited by the car.  The screen updated as the unit did the normal to bring up the first 80kW unit and then bring more power as requested and I was able to follow the car only asking for a few kW during the 80% reset time.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: Free

Total kWh: 21.61 kWh

Time: 10.2 minutes

Average Charge Speed: 127 kW

Cost per kWh: $0.45

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
19	D	3	3	13

Alternatives:

Mobil - 2400 Orchard Lake Rd, Sylvan Lake, MI 48320 - $0.50/kWh – 160kW x 4 (Red E)

Shell - 4805 Dixie Hwy, Waterford Township, MI 48329 - $0.50/kWh – 150kW x 2

(Red E)

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Napa Valley Beverage Co - Sterling Heights

Introduction

In the past I have done dedicated trips to review individual networks in the area.  For this trip I combined stops at many new or significantly upgraded sites.  This stop is like a local review of the same provider at Hampton Inn.  Site reviews from July 7, 2026

Napa Valley Beverage Co 

35030 Mound Rd, Sterling Heights, MI 48310 

EV Charging LLC (EVGateway)

4 Stalls (2 dispensers with 2 ports; each dispenser rated for 240kW)

$0.45 per kWh

This small store at the corner of a busy intersection is also trying to cram in EV charging.  I stopped by to see if the hardware and site layout here was any different than my previous review of a EV Charging LLC site. (Site opened in March 2026).  

Accessibility

The Napa Valley Beverage Co is at the intersection of Mound Rd and 15 Mile Rd.  The site is on the eastern edge of the parking lot, most easily accessed from 15 Mile Rd.  M-53 is one mile to the east and I-75 is 4.5 miles away.  Not well placed for long distance travel support.  Four ports, each dispenser having one CCS and one J3400/NACS cable.  No signage for usage of these parking spots in any accessible way, with both credit card readers mounted above a standard accessible height.  No stall designed for pull thru parking.

Amenities

Dining options include: Burger King, Johnny’s Coney Island

Shopping options include: None

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air): BP across 15 Mile

Concentration

Four ports across two dispensers.  Each dispenser seems to be able to output 240kW, however the right-side unit was not well marked.  That 240kW of power does seem to be able to split, again no clear indication of exactly at what power level this splitting is supported.

Location

While this is a destination charge point designed to support those who live locally with no at home charging, it can be used for some travel.  To the north Flint is 55 miles away, to the west Lansing is 100 miles, and to the south Toledo, OH is 80 miles.

50 Mile Loop:

150 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

Searching based on the name plate, this unit seems to be made by Chinese company Teison; their DC Pro series.  From the name plate available this unit can output up to 350A per port. I am not sure if the right unit is paired or separate from the left unit, as it seems to be from a different manufacture.  At this site there is a 300kVA transformer, hopefully these units have been configured to split the power and manage this input power limitation.

Both units use different cables and connectors.  The left uses Sinbon and the right uses Amphenol.  In all cases all the cables/connectors appear to be rated at 350A.

Summary

Seeing this site changes my feelings on the previous site of this type.  Apparently, the cable management on these units doesn’t prevent the cables from laying on the ground, or the installers haven’t figured out how to enable this.  To this end, they have opted to just place a mat for the cables to lay on and get dirty.  I am sure that dirt will quickly get on anyone trying to maneuver thick and heavy air-cooled cables, not to mention snow and ice in the winter time.  At least while I was there the parking lot was quite busy and not a lot of room to turn around for various charge port locations.

I did not charge at this location.

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
18	D	3	2	13

Alternatives:

Meijer - 29555 Mound Rd, Warren, MI 48092 - $0.61/kWh – 350kW x 12 (EVgo)

Oakland Plaza - 272 John R Rd, Troy, MI 48083 - $0.60/kWh – 350kW x 10 (Electrify America)

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

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

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