Jackson County Airport

 

Introduction

Welcome to my Charging Site reviews.  One of the reasons I decided to start a blog was to share information about Electric Car Charging locations.

 

Business/Location Name	Jackson County Airport
Address	3606 Wildwood Ave Jackson, MI 49202
Network	Red E Charge
Station Details	3 - 50kW Stations, 2 - Level 2 Stations
Cost	$0.35 per kWh

I decided to investigate another I-94 corridor charging site in Jackson, MI.  The site can be found off the Airport Rd exit. The chargers are at the Jackson County Airport, a bit of a distance from the highway at this exit.  This stop is the first site I’ve visited that is not a ChargePoint network site. 

Instead, this site is operated by a company called Red E Charge.  They claim on their website to be “Michigan’s largest public EV charging network”.  Red E Charge doesn’t have their own application for a smartphone like most other charging networks.  Each charger has a QR code that links you to their website to start charging and pay for your charge.  Speaking of payment, at this site the rate is $0.35 per kWh.  Unlike ChargePoint, which typically has been charging by time, many networks will charge you for energy you actually use.

 

 

Accessibility

This station is on the southeast edge of the airport parking lot and is not readily visible since it’s about 2 miles off the highway.  The parking spots are diagonal, making the reach of the already short cables likely to be more of a stretch to vehicles with plugs on the sides.  This was no problem for Elektra with her front charging port.  The airport has a nice sized parking lot, so it’ unlikely that a car that was not charging would be parked in these spots.

 

Amenities

There’s not much to speak of in the way of amenities at this stop.  Stopping here would likely be for a restroom break or to charge your car.  There are no overhead coverings for the chargers, so they could easily become icy or blocked by snow in the winter-time.  There are a couple of options for stops from the highway exit to the chargers, but once you’re at the chargers, nothing in a walkable range.  Also, there are no standard automotive amenities at this stop.  No washing windows, airing up tires, or accessible trash cans to be had here.

 

Concentration

The 3 DC Fast Chargers and 2 Level 2 outlets are sufficient for this site.  Those traveling and using this site will likely not face any problems with finding an available charger if choosing this site.

>Level 2 Charger - A couple of Enel X networked chargers<

 

Location

I don’t think this is a great location for a charging site.  It’s a bit off the highway, and not even noticeable from the main road.  This site may help some travelers on the I-94 corridor, but I don’t see it being a heavily used location.  I may be wrong, and this location may end up being very popular.  I will hope so, since diversity in the charging networks will help to maintain competitive pricing and service.

>No noticeable road facing signage.  You wouldn’t know this was here if you were not looking for a charging stop<

 

Speed

These Tritium DC fast charging units can do up to 50kW charging.  This is good for the existing Bolt EV and other older EVs that have smaller battery packs and slower charge rates.  Newer EVs all have faster charging and larger batteries.  As an example, with the new Mach-E charging at 100kW for some other stations, if that vehicle were to charge here, it would take twice as long.

Summary

I will likely not be using this stop again unless there were a critical need to charge while traveling this part of the I-94 corridor.  The distance from the highway, the lack of amenities and the lower speeds make this a less than desirable stop.  

Since this is my first time charging with a Tritium charger, I was surprised by how loud the high pitched hum was that these chargers make.  We could hear the charger from halfway across the parking lot.  I definitely wouldn’t want to sit and listen to that noise the whole time I am charging.  Fortunately, on this day the weather was nice and we could get out and explore the area allowing us to get away from the noise of the chargers.

 

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $2.55

Total kWh: 7.28

Time: 9 minutes

Average Charge Speed: 48.53 kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.35

 

Total Score (Max 44)	Score Percentage	Accessibility Total	Amenities Total	Concentration	Location	Speed
15	34.1	3	0	6	4	2