Introduction
A review from my road trip covering some of the Detroit area EVgo locations, recently opened in 2022.
Business/Location Name | Meijer - Warren |
Address | 29555 Mound Rd, Warren, MI 48092 |
Network | EVgo |
Station Details | 4 Stations (2 x 350kW, 2 x 100kW) |
Cost | $0.35 per minute |
The Meijer Warren EVgo station was the 3rd stop on my trip covering the new opened locations in the metro Detroit area. This site is adjacent to the GM Warren Technical center, thus supporting any GM employees commuting to work. (This station opened in April of 2022)
Accessibility
This stop is 2.0 miles north of I-696 at exit 22 (Mound Rd). Meaning it does support this major east/west interstate. However, this site has most likely been placed to best support GM employees in the proximity to the Technical Center campus. These units have been placed at the northern edge of the parking lot for the Meijer, thus they are outside of the high traffic areas keeping the area free of non-EVs. The station layout does not support easy charging while pulling a trailer.
Amenities
Dining options include: Five Guys, Starbucks, Buffalo Wild Wings, Qdoba, Chili’s, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Estia Greek Street Food, Oasis Mediterranean Cuisine
Shopping options include: Meijer, Aldi
Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air): Meijer gas station nearby
Concentration
This is based on the new standard station layout for EVgo with two 350kW Signet units and two 100kW Delta units. This station has the 100kW units that you can pull up to them, but weirdly the units are facing away from the parking spots, which makes charging difficult as the cables need to be pulled around the units to be connected. The two 350kW are placed in a front to back arrangement so the parking arrangement will be very dependent on vehicle charge port location.
Location
While this site is located along the heavily traveled I-696, this is not a road trip route but more of a commuter route. I am scoring this more as a destination or local support charging location and not the more beneficial travel charging location. Distances to reference cities are Part Huron - 55 miles, Saginaw - 110 miles, Grayling - 210 miles, Lansing - 90 miles, Toledo, Oh - 75 miles.
Speed
EVgo has made a big step up from their original EVSE offerings. By offering at least 2 units that support 350kW, and to my knowledge supporting up to 500A, they are now offering a competitive solution to the fastest options available in the market today. EVgo is also balancing the need for many EVSE with the need for fast units by also offering two of the 100kW Delta units at this site. These units are capable of 200A. Both options outclass the 50kW 100/125A BTC units that were installed as part of the original install.
Summary
I helped someone get their Mach-E charging at this location. It took multiple connection and card swipe attempts, but eventually we got it to work. They were paying by credit card and not using any app. I don’t know if the issues were with the car or the station, I suspect something with the EVgo stations. Charging with the roaming apps on ChargePoint and Shell Recharge I did not have any issues getting a session started and getting expected speeds. Note this is also the only stop on this trip that offered collocated Level 2 charging at 6.6kW. These level 2 units are set to be free for the first hour and then $2.00 an hour after that, which is the standard cost of a level 2 unit at a Meijer, no matter if they are provided by ChargePoint or Shell Recharge.
What I paid for this stop:
Roaming Session from ChargePoint
Total Cost: $0.00
Total kWh: 4.06 kWh
Time: 4 minutes
Average Charge Speed: 60.9 kW (calculated)
Cost per kWh: $0.00
Roaming Sessions on Shell Recharge
Total Cost: $0.00
Total kWh: ?? kWh
Time: ?? minutes
Average Charge Speed: ?? kW (calculated)
Cost per kWh: $0.00
>Roam sessions not recorded or billed
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