McCormick – Whitehall

Introduction

This is a site review from my trip to cover the lake shore route from the middle of the mitten northward and the trip home. Site reviews completed on August 20, 2024.

Business/Location Name	McCormick Gas Station
Address	1845 W White Lake Dr, Whitehall, MI 49461
Network	ChargePoint
Station Details	2 linked 62.5kW Stations or 125 kW from one station
Cost	$0.45/kWh

This was the ninth planned stop of day two of the trip. . These chargers are run by this small convenience store.  This is an excellent example of a small highway supporting site that enables travel in an EV throughout the state.

(This station opened in July 2021).  

Accessibility

This station is along the divided highway portion of US-31 at exit 126.  The gas station is less than half a mile from the exit.  The two ChargePoint chargers are placed behind a couple of buildings so they are not immediately obvious when arriving at the destination.  The spots are placed such that they are unlikely to be blocked by other traffic.  The stations are designed for pull through parking, but there isn’t much space on either side, so if you are pulling a trailer, it is going to be sticking out into the driving paths on either side..

Amenities

For a site supporting the loop around Lake Michigan, there are adequate facilities.

Dining options include: None

Shopping options include: Dollar General

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  McCormick Gas Station at this location

Concentration

This is a baseline 2 charger site for ChargePoint.  This station one of the few pull through configuration, easy charging with Elektra’s front port location but need to make sure to pull Voltron in the correct direction for easiest connection.  Not much room for expansion.

Location

Having additional charging options along the coast route is good for the support of drivers taking a trip around the state.  Being right on US-31 provides easy access to anyone on this route headed north or south.  From here it is about 45 miles north to Ludington, 190 miles northeast to Gaylord and 55 miles southeast to Grand Rapids. 

50 Mile Radius:

150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

These ChargePoint shared power chargers represent a decent destination charging solution. Elektra will not pull more than the single station max output (62.5kW) unless the battery is low and at optimum temperature, Voltron does a better job of taking the rated power.  The 125A and 200A current limits based on the operating mode will have most EVs charging slower than drivers might expect. This site should have no problem supporting 62.5kW from each port at the same time with the 300kVA transformer supplying power.

    

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 50% battery and 145 miles remaining on the GOM (guess o’ meter).  I had averaged 3.2 miles/kW on the drive, not bad for almost all high speed highway driving.  When I pulled up I used my ChargePoint RFID card to start the charge  I unplugged at 66% with A Better Route Planner showing that I should arrive at the next stop with 46% battery.  

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $6.56

Total kWh: 14.58 kWh

Time: 8 Minutes

Average Charge Speed: 109 kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.45

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
22	C	5	4	13

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Wesco – Scottville

Introduction

This is a site review from my trip to cover the lake shore route from the middle of the mitten northward. Site reviews completed on August 20, 2024.

Business/Location Name	Wesco Gas Station
Address	117 Main St N, Scottville, MI 49454
Network	Red E Charge
Station Details	One 160kW Dual Port EVSE
Cost	$0.45/kWh + $0.50 Session fee

This was the eighth planned stop of the trip and the second in Scottville, MI. This is one of the many newly installed sites being opened by the Michigan based Red E Charging.  Red E Charging has also been awarded many NEVI funded sites in Michigan and other states.  

(This station opened in May 2024).  

Accessibility

This station is in the corner of the parking lot for this gas station in the downtown area.  The single Red E Charge is hidden behind the gas station building along the far edge of the property.  The unit is more easily accessed from Broadway St, than from Main St.  The corner parking is away from the building, but close to the road; even still I was blocked from charging on this visit.  The parking is “nose in”, there is no pull-through parking for anyone pulling a trailer.

Amenities

Amenities here are limited:

Dining options include: North Country Café, Brenda’s Burgers

Shopping options include: NA

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  Wesco

Concentration

This is a single Red E Charge Autel MaxiCharger capable of outputting power to both connectors at the same time.  This station is the pull/back into configuration, easy charging with Elektra’s front port location or when backing in with Voltron to charge.  

Location

Having this charger in more of a downtown area provides for more walkable options.  From here it is about 200 miles north to Mackinaw City, 125 miles northeast to Grayling and 100 miles south to Grand Rapids. 

50 Mile Radius:

150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

This Autel MaxiCharger is a step up from the ChargePoint CPE 250 units populated for destination charging. The rated 160kW is achieved by using the air-cooled cables in boost mode to provide up to 400 A for short periods of time to match the charging curves of many vehicles.  Higher voltage vehicles won’t need this current boost to get these speeds.  Not exactly sure how much power these pole mounted transformers can provide to the site, so the full 160kW speed rating could not be confirmed.

    

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 69% battery and 208 miles remaining on the GOM (guess o’ meter).  I had just topped up to 70% at the other site in Scottville.  I was not able to charge at this site because the spot was blocked by a car parked on the end and a delivery truck blocking access to pull into the chargers.  This seems like a nice stop with some walkable small downtown attractions.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $ - 

Total kWh: - kWh

Time: - Minutes

Average Charge Speed: - kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: -

Did not charge because units were blocked.

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
21	C	4	5	12

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Great Lakes Energy – Scottville

Introduction

This is a site review from my trip to cover the lake shore route from the middle of the mitten northward. Site reviews completed on August 20, 2024.

Business/Location Name	Great Lakes Energy
Address	460 US-10, Scottville, MI 49454
Network	ChargePoint
Station Details	4 linked 62.5kW Stations or 125 kW from each pair
Cost	$0.38/kWh

This was the seventh planned stop of the trip and the first in Scottville, MI.  These chargers are installed and run by Great Lakes Energy.  The site is well maintained, but no amenities.

(This station opened in July 2021).  

Accessibility

This station is in it’s own dedicated parking lot in front of the Great Lakes Energy building.  The units are placed close enough to the road to make finding the site relatively easy.  There is no risk of non-EV parking at this location.  None of the spots are marked or designed for pull-through parking, but there is enough space that the end charger could possibly be used. 

Amenities

This site is just charging, nothing nearby to support.  Access to the gas station across the busy street is not very feasible.

Dining options include: None

Shopping options include: None

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  None

Concentration

This is an expanded 4 charger site for ChargePoint.  The station is the pull/back into configuration, easy charging with Elektra’s front port location or when backing in with Voltron to charge.  The number of stalls matches the current expected vehicle traffic.  There is also a level 2 station in the parking lot, but I am not sure why you would want to stay here long enough for that to provide reasonable charge.

Location

This site is at the intersection of US-10 and US-31.  The parking lot offers lots of space and limited traffic while charging.  From here it is about 90 miles north to Traverse City 210 miles north to Mackinaw City, 125 miles northeast to Grayling and 105 miles south to Grand Rapids. 

50 Mile Radius:

150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

These ChargePoint shared power chargers represent a decent destination charging solution. Elektra will not pull more than the single station max output (62.5kW) unless the battery is low and at optimum temperature, Voltron does a better job of taking the rated power.  The 125A and 200A current limits based on the operating mode will have most EVs charging slower than drivers might expect. The 1500 kVA transformer supplying power is over-sized for the needs of this site, but good to know this site will not be power limited.

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 67% battery having just left the Red E Charging site in Ludington a few miles away.  Based on cost, I should have charged here instead.  The speed difference is not large 130kW versus 120kW but cost $0.49 per kWh vs $0.38 per kWh makes this the cheaper option.  For 400V cars, the limitation of 200A at this site will make a bigger difference in the speed against the nearby Red E Charging sites that can do 300A with boost to 400A.  So, do your cost versus time planning carefully.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $ 0.89

Total kWh: 2.34 kWh

Time: 2 Minutes 30 seconds

Average Charge Speed: 56.16 kW (Calculated), but peak 120kW achieved

Cost per kWh: $0.38 

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
21	C	6	0	15

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Wesco – Ludington

Introduction

This is a site review from my trip to cover the lake shore route from the middle of the mitten northward.

Business/Location Name	Wesco Gas Station
Address	301 W Ludington Ave, Ludington, MI 49431
Network	Red E Charge
Station Details	One 160kW Dual Port EVSE
Cost	$0.45/kWh + $0.50 Session fee

The sixth planned stop of day two was in Ludington, MI.  This is one of the many newly installed sites being opened by the Michigan based Red E Charging.  Red E Charging has also been awarded many NEVI funded sites in Michigan and other states.  

(This station opened in April 2024).  

Accessibility

This station is in the corner of the parking lot for this gas station in the downtown area.  The single Red E Charge unit is easy to spot as you approach the Wesco.  The corner parking is away from the building, but close to the road, so no fear of these spots being used for anything other than charging.  However, since the parking is “nose in”, there’s no pull-through parking for anyone pulling a trailer.

Amenities

Amenities here are limited:

Dining options include: House Of Flavors, HumaniTea

Shopping options include: Wesco, Avenue's End Mini Mall

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  Wesco

Concentration

This is a single Red E Charge Autel MaxiCharger capable of outputting power to both connectors at the same time.  This station is the pull/back into configuration, easy charging with Elektra’s front port location or when backing in with Voltron to charge.  

Location

Having additional charging options along the coast route is good for the support of drivers taking a trip around the state.  From here it is about 150 miles north to Mackinaw City, 90 miles west to Grayling and 90 miles south to Bay City. 

50 Mile Radius:

150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

This Autel MaxiCharger is a step up from the ChargePoint CPE 250 units populated for destination charging. The rated 160kW is achieved by using the air-cooled cables in boost mode to provide up to 400 A for short periods of time to match the charging curves of many vehicles.  Higher voltage vehicles won’t need this current boost to get these speeds. 

    

Summary

I arrived at this stop with 65% battery and 193 miles remaining on the GOM (guess o’ meter).  I had averaged 4.2 miles/kWh on the drive.  When I pulled up the station, I started the charge in the app.  I set the charge limit to 70% and in less than 3 minutes I had added 5% back to the battery pack.  This seems like a nice stop and close to the dock for the old coal powered steamship that can take you across the lake to Wisconsin so that you don’t have to drive all the way around the lake.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $3.00

Total kWh: 5.565 kWh

Time: 3 Minutes

Average Charge Speed:  111 kW (Calculated)

Cost per kWh: $0.45/kWh + $0.50 Session fee

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
21	C	4	5	12

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com