Meijer Gas Station - Grand Rapids

Introduction

A review from my road trip covering a wide loop around Grand Rapids, Michigan

Business/Location Name	Meijer Gas Station – Grand Rapids
Address	3030 Walker Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI
Network	ChargePoint
Station Details	2 Stations (62.5kW)
Cost	$0.30 kWh

The Meijer Gas Station – Grand Rapids ChargePoint station was the 4th stop on my trip covering a wide loop around Grand Rapids.  This site has been open since April 2019, making it one of the oldest sites in the area.  Co-located with a very small (only 4 stall) Tesla Supercharger, this is a convenient road trip stop.

Accessibility

This Grand Rapids Meijer Gas Station site is 0.3 miles south of I-96 at exit 28.  The EVSEs are on the south edge of the parking lot.  The Tesla Superchargers here are closest to the main road and easiest to spot.  The ChargePoint units are towards the back on the right-hand side as you are facing the building.  The Starbucks drive thru lane runs near this location, increasing the vehicle traffic.

Amenities

Dining options include: Starbucks, McDonalds
Shopping options include: None
Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  Meijer Gas Station

Concentration

This is the standard double station layout for ChargePoint.  This station is the pull/back into 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

On the I-96 corridor on the north side of Grand Rapids, this site is positioned as a road trip rest stop.  Being co-located with a Tesla Supercharger shows that this is a good area for electric car charging demand.  These chargers and the Tesla units at this location are at the lower end of the power spectrum.  This site is only 6 miles to the west of my previous stop, increasing the density, but since the other site is faster, I would skip this stop in the future.

Speed

ChargePoint is offering a middle of the pack solution targeted for the early adoption phase.  These units are not paired, the current limit is 62.5kW or 150A.  While this does not match the most powerful units on the market, it will support reasonably fast charging for one vehicle.   (During my testing the right station only output 30kW, while the left unit was giving full power.)

Summary

When mapping out my route, I was originally seeing the exact location in a strange place on Google Maps.  Once I was at the actual location, I updated the location of the pin for this site.  I pulled up to the left charger and plugged in.  The charging speed ramped to 30kW, and stayed there.  Knowing that these units should charge faster than this, I unplugged and switched to the left unit, and got full speed.  I called ChargePoint and they indicated that they didn’t see any problems, however, there have been plenty of check-ins since my visit that are also reporting slower than expected charging speeds.  This is an area where ChargePoint can improve their service and EVSE maintenance. 

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $1.88
Total kWh: 6.23 kWh
Time: 9 minutes
Average Charge Speed: 41.53 kW (calculated)
Cost per kWh: $0.30

Part 1:
Total Cost: $0.43
Total kWh: 1.42 kWh
Time: 3 minutes
Average Charge Speed:  28.4 kW (calculated)
Cost per kWh: $0.30 

Part 2:
Total Cost: $1.45
Total kWh: 4.81 kWh
Time: 6 minutes
Average Charge Speed: 48.1 kW (calculated)
Cost per kWh: $0.30 

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
23	C	3	5	15