The Adventures of Elektra, and Voltron: EVs in Michigan: Clark Gas

Introduction

Site review from my trip through the thumb of Michigan.

Business/Location Name	Clark – Marlette
Address	2897 Main St, Marlette, MI 48453
Network	ChargePoint
Station Details	2 Stations (62.5kW/125kW linked)
Cost	$0.50 per minute

The Clark – Marlette ChargePoint station was the 5th stop on my trip to explore the charging sites in the thumb of Michigan. (This station opened in February 2021).

Accessibility

This Marlette Clark site is located just off the main north/south road through town (Main St) also M-53. The units themselves are placed off of Chard St, and hard to spot. Feels like you are driving through someone's driveway in order to get to the chargers. The Clark gas station is the best local landmark. The EVSE placement does not allow for pull-through parking.

Amenities

Dining options include: Subway

Shopping options include: Autozone, Family Dollar

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

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

This site is in the middle of the thumb of Michigan

50 Mile Radius

150 - 200 mile driving radius

Speed

ChargePoint is offering a middle of the pack solution targeted for the early adoption phase. These units can output 125kW or 200A. When not paired, or when both are in use 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.

Summary

After driving through rain to get here, I thankfully found a gap in the rain to do my charging. The charging units themselves are hidden away in a corner and there doesn’t seem to be any nearby lighting. I don’t think this would be the best place to charge at night. This was a nice smooth and fast charging stop. I spent 8 minutes charging, mostly at the peak rate to get the most out of these per minute stations.