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
Questions or Comments:
dantheevman@gmail.com
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