Site Review Scores

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Dunes View Kwik Shop – Saugatuck

Introduction

This is a site review from my trip to cover updates to the I-94 east/west corridor.  Site visits on November 8, 2024.


Business/Location Name

Dunes View Kwik Shop

Address

6397 Blue Star Hwy, Saugatuck, MI 49453

Network

Red E Charge

Station Details

One 180kW Dual Port EVSE

Cost

$0.49/kWh + $0.30 Session fee


The Dunes View Kwik Shop in Saugatuck, MI station was the 8th charging stop on my trip to check out added charging options along the I-94 corridor. This gas station just off the highway makes for a decent travel stop.  (This station opened in July 2024).  




Accessibility

This station is placed on the edge of the parking lot for this convenience store.  Located 0.3 miles from I-196 exit 41, directly on the Blue Star Highway.  The spots are marked for EV charging only.  No pull thru options here for anyone pulling a trailer, but parking spaces are wide enough to enable this if only one vehicle charging.



Amenities

Very limited amenities at this site.


Dining options include: Burger King

Shopping options include: Dunes View Kwik Shop

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


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.  This is a good destination site for charging at this destination area location.



Location

I am happy to see that the Detroit based Red E Charge continues to invest in charging throughout the state.  This site supports the west site of MI in the Douglas area.  At about 195 miles to Detroit and 145 miles to Chicago, this offers a costal stop


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 180kW 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 should be able to take advantage of the output power from these units.  The onsite 300 kVA transformer supports this unit and could support an expansion to one more in the future.


    

Summary

Built for expansion, it is good to see electric vehicle mobility supported by continually expanding infrastructure.  This site is on par with many of the other Red E Charge sites I reviewed this year. I am surprised to see how this small destination location has grown from 2 stalls to 6 stalls in just a couple years.


What I paid for this stop: (I did not charge at this site)

Total Cost: 

Total kWh: 

Time: 

Average Charge Speed: 

Cost per kWh: 




Total Score (Max 44)

Score

Accessibility

Amenities

Usability

23C5513

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com


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