Shell - Ann Arbor, MI

 

Introduction

A review from my road trip to visit all the EVgo sites in Michigan

Business/Location Name	Shell Ann Arbor
Address	2991 S State St, Ann Arbor, MI
Network	EVgo
Station Details	1 Station (50kW)
Cost	$0.35 per minute

The Shell Ann Arbor EVgo station was the 5th stop on my lap around Michigan (only available in metro Detroit)

Accessibility

The Shell gas station at this address is 0.6 miles north of I-94 exit 177 on State St. The charging station is located on the north side of the parking lot of the gas station which is on the northeast corner of the State St and Eisenhower Pkwy intersection. Easy to find and park.

Amenities

Dining options include: Shawarma Shop, Olive Garden

Shopping options include: Concord Center Shops

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air): Shell gas station at this location

Concentration

This is the standard single station layout for EVgo. This station is the pull up to configuration, which makes charging with Elektra’s front port location easy, but those with fender locations may need to stretch the cables to make the connections.

Location

Along the I-94 corridor, this would be one of the few sites that supports longer distance trips. 40 miles from downtown Detroit along I-94 and 40 miles to Jackson, MI. However, there are other faster charging solutions in the area.

Speed

EVgo is offering the some of the slowest DC fast chargers in this market. These units can output 50kW, but for most vehicles will charge much slower than that. While these sites would have been acceptable when first installed 6 years ago, they are not up to the standards of what is available today. Within the app this unit is listed as a BTC Fatboy 480V, which is different from all the other units in the area listed as BTC Fatboy 208V. This should be related to the input power, but also seems to impact the output power, since this is the only site that was able to put out 125A, reaching near 44kW peak charge rate.

Summary

After 2 failed charging stops, I was happy to find EVSE that was working. The fact that this model was able to charge faster was a nice bonus. Unfortunately, there are not many amenities in the area, and with this gas station more than a half mile from the freeway, it is not the easiest of on/off stops for charging during a trip. At $0.496 per kWh, this site is still way expensive compared to the other options in the area, it is a much better deal than other EVgo sites that charge even slower. Thus, demonstrating the problems with ‘per minute’ pricing; why would the electricity here be $0.15 cheaper than other locations?

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $4.82

Total kWh: 9.71 kWh

Time: 14 minutes

Average Charge Speed: 42kW (calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.35 per minute ($0.496 per kWh – calculated)

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
20	C	5	5	10