The Adventures of Elektra, and Voltron: EVs in Michigan: November 2021

Friday, November 5, 2021

Walmart - Novi, MI

Introduction

A review from my road trip to visit all the Electrify America (EA) sites in Michigan

Business/Location Name	Walmart Novi
Address	26090 Ingersol Dr, Novi, MI
Network	Electrify America
Station Details	4 Stations (2 - 350 kW, 2 - 150 kW)
Cost	$0.31 per kWh

The Walmart Novi EA station was the 8^th and final stop on my lap around Michigan. This site is at I-96, exit 162.

Accessibility

I-96 exit 162 onto Novi Rd, south from the highway. The Walmart charging site is in the middle of the parking lot, less than a mile from the highway. This site offers easy access while road tripping, but the location of the chargers is not immediately obvious.

Amenities

Dining options include: Red Robin, Olive Garden, Famous Dave’s BBQ, Chipotle, Panda Express, Potbelly, Bonefish Grill, Masala Indian, and many others

Shopping options include: Walmart, T.J. Maxx, Hobby Lobby, Cycle Gear, and many others.

There are no gas stations for car-related services (windshield cleaning, air), but there is a Mobil station within a quarter of a mile at the corner of Novi Rd. and Grand River Ave.

Concentration

This is a standard 4-station layout for EA. They’re arranged in the pull-up-to configuration, which makes charging with Elektra’s front port location easy, but those with fender locations may struggle having to stretch the cables to make a connection.

Location

While the Roseville Walmart site covers the east side of the metro Detroit area, this Novi site covers the northwest side of the metro Detroit area. The location is centrally located and supports charging on the I-96 corridor.

Speed

Electrify America has the fastest chargers available today. The site supports both 350kW and 150kW stations and seems well-equipped to handle the current number of electric cars on the road, as well as the anticipated future growth.

Summary

After a fairly quiet day of charging stops and having just left a couple of different cars at the previous site, I was not expecting to see any cars at my last stop. I was proven wrong as a couple of VW ID.4 vehicles were visible as I pulled into the last stop. The vehicle drivers were test engineers from VW that had driven the cars up from the VW factory area in Tennessee that day. They had traveled a similar 700 miles to mine that day and I was the first other person they had seen charging all day long. I was happy to see a diversity of electric vehicles using the infrastructure. I arrived with 43% and 108 miles and left with 58%, ending my road trip.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $3.61

Total kWh: 11kWh

Time: 11 minutes

Average Charge Speed: 60 kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.31

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
31	B	3	7	21

Roundtree Place - Ypsilanti, MI

Introduction

A review from my road trip to visit all the Electrify America (EA) sites in Michigan

Business/Location Name	Roundtree Place
Address	2539 Ellsworth Rd Ypsilanti, MI
Network	Electrify America
Station Details	6 Stations (2 - 350 kW, 4 - 150 kW)
Cost	$0.31 per kWh

The Roundtree Place EA station was the 7th and next to last stop on my lap around Michigan. This site is at I-94 exit 181, 0.8 miles north of the highway.

Updated to the latest Electrify America Hardware (02/2023)

Accessibility

I-94 exit 181 onto Michigan Ave, northeast from the highway. Turn left onto Hewitt Rd and then left again onto Ellsworth Rd. The site is in the middle of the parking lot for the Roundtree Place, a rather disappointing little strip mall. Less than a mile from the highway, this site offers easy access while road tripping.

Amenities

Dining options include: Popeyes, Taco Bell, Chicken Shack, Koney Island, Blazin’ Burgers, Macheko, Dunkin’, Hong Kong Chinese Food, Wendy’s

Shopping options include: Ollie’s, Big Lots, Harbor Freight

There aren’t any close options for your standard car-related services (windshield cleaning, air).

Concentration

This is a denser 6-station layout for EA. These are in the pull-beside layout, which is easier for cars that have the charging port on the side fender, but more difficult for those with the charging port in the front. From the picture you can see it was easiest for me to connect Elektra to a unit with the screen away from the car.

Location

This site is well positioned to support the I-94 corridor. It’s towards the east, 52 miles to the next EA station along I-94 in Roseville, MI and to the west, 110 miles to the next stop along I-94 in Portage, MI. To the north, the Bay City, MI stop is just 120 miles away. 192 miles south is a stop in Dayton, OH.

Speed

Electrify America has the fastest chargers available today. The site supports both 350kW and 150kW stations and seems well-equipped to handle the current number of electric cars on the road, as well as the anticipated future growth

Summary

Having seen almost no other cars charging, I was surprised encountering 2 vehicles at this stop. When I arrived, I was shocked to find another Kia Niro EV! The friendly driver purchased the 2021 Kia Niro EV new in May of 2021 and had already put nearly 21,000 miles on the car.

We discussed the local charging infrastructure and some of the more secret free charging locations. While we were talking, a Nissan Leaf pulled in. With what looked to be a new owner, myself and the other Niro owner helped get the new electric car connected and educated the driver on some of the basics of EV ownership. I arrived with 18% battery, 42 miles range, and 25 minutes later left with 55% battery, 150 miles range which was way more than what I needed to get to the final stop.