Update 11/2022
The Top Golf location has been converted to a Volta Level 2 location.
Introduction
I will be providing another 2-for-1 review,
covering 2 sites within 10 miles of each other.
They have different layouts and features, but both offer charging at no
cost. That’s right, the mythical free DC
fast charge!
Business/Location Name | Topgolf |
Address | 500 Great Lakes Crossing Dr, Auburn Hills, MI 48326 |
Network | Volta |
Station Details | 2 - 10kW (Level 2) |
Cost | Free |
Saturday May 8th, I wanted to cover stops on the I-75 corridor, this time in the northern Detroit suburbs.
This Top Golf location is right
off I-75 near the Great Lakes Shopping complex.
Accessibility
This station is at the north end of the Topgolf
parking lot. I-75 exit 83, south on
Joslyn Rd and then west on Great Lakes Crossing Dr. The second right will bring you directly into
the Topgolf parking lot. The single
charger is placed closer to the building entrance, so there is a strong chance
that cars that aren’t charging would park in these spots. Since the parking is nose in, there is no
pull through parking for anyone pulling a trailer.
There isn’t anything within walking distance,
you’re limited to Topgolf.
You would likely only charge here if you were already going to Topgolf
or reviewing charge sites like I do for this blog. Since the charger is free, you just may have
to put up with a lack of food/shopping options to get some free electrons.
Concentration
As a free destination type charger, one unit
is sufficient. I was lucky that the ID.4
that had been using the charger was pulling away as I arrived, so I didn’t have
to wait. I guess time will tell, as the
electrical car purchases increase, so will the use of this charging station.
Location
If you consider this site a destination site
and not a travel corridor charging stop, then the location is pretty good. Even as a travel corridor site, being just
off the I-75 exit makes it a well-placed site.
Speed
This is a 48kW Tritium charger. It won’t win any awards for charging speed
but might set the bar for destination charging.
Compared to a normal Level 2 destination charging solution, this charger
could give you significant charge in quick 30- minute visit.
Summary
Ever since I started looking at electric cars,
I had heard about ‘free’ chargers, but this was my first time to actually find one
that worked at DC fast charging speeds.
While I wouldn’t plan on using this charger as part of a trip, if I was
in the area and had time to spare, I would definitely take advantage of the free
charge.
What I paid for this stop:
Total Cost: $0.00
Total kWh: 11.76
Time: 16 minutes
Average Charge Speed: 45.23 kW (Calculated)
Cost per kWh: $0.00
Total Score (Max 44) | Score Percentage | Accessibility Total | Amenities Total | Concentration | Location | Speed |
26 | 60 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
Meijer - Auburn Mile Shopping Center
Note: The 1st generation units shown in the pictures here have been updated with Jule 2nd generation units as of November 2022.
Business/Location Name | Meijer - Auburn Mile Shopping Center |
Address | 800 Brown Rd, Auburn Hills, MI 48326 |
Network | Jule |
Station Details | 2 - 62.5kW Stations |
Cost | Free |
Saturday May 8th, After my
Topgolf stop, I headed to the other side of the freeway to review another
free charger. This site is provided by
the network Jule.
This station is located behind the Meijer
gas station, adjacent to a Tesla Supercharger location. I-75 exit 83, north on Joslyn Rd and then
west on Brown Rd. A left at the first
light on Brown Rd. will bring you into the Meijer parking
lot. The dual charger setup is in the
middle of the parking lot; away from where people would usually park. Since the parking is nose in, there is no
pull-through parking for anyone pulling a trailer.
Amenities
The Auburn Mile Shopping Center
offers plenty of amenities. There are
the previously mentioned Meijer and Meijer Gas Station
and a Target and Joann Fabrics for shopping. Food options include a Panda Express
and an Olive Garden.
Concentration
Two DC fast chargers and 4 level 2 chargers
provide a reasonable layout for this location…provided they are all
working. The day I visited, I only got
one of the two chargers to work and per the earlier note, now the entire site
is offline. If this site is trying to
service the heavily travelled I-75 corridor, there is some room for improvement.
Location
The layout of this site and proximity to the Tesla
Supercharger make this site an ideal travel stop, not a destination stop. At just 0.7 miles from the freeway, it’s a
simple on and off stop. This is another
site that unless you knew it was there and were looking for it, it’s not
visible from the road. No signage within
the parking lot helps drivers to find this location either.
Speed
Various apps claim these to be 150kW
chargers. Based on the state of charge
in Elektra on this visit, I have no way to confirm this. If these chargers truly support this speed, this
would make for a good quick stop along this popular North/South travel route.
Summary
When I arrived at this site, I pulled up to
the right-hand side charger (Named Alice).
I had read on the app that this charger was not working, but I decided
to check for myself. Plugging in and
trying to start charging only resulted in continuous errors. With no screen and only simple lights, there
was no way to tell what was wrong. My
guess is that the old connector on this unit was not making a good
connection. Moving to the left charger
(Named Tanya) gave a good connection and a successful charge. This site is definitely still in beta phase,
and I would recommend that you check the availability on PlugShare before
planning to use this site.
What I paid for this stop:
Total Cost: $0.00
Total kWh: ???
Time: ???
Average Charge Speed: ???
Cost per kWh: $0.00
(With no app, or other interface, you are dependent on recording your own data, and I didn’t capture my statistics at the time.)
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