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 | Meijer |
Address | 1920 Pipestone Rd, Benton Harbor, MI 49022 |
Network | Electrify America |
Station Details | 6 Stations (350kW shared power) |
Cost | $0.56/kWh |
I visited the Benton Harbor Meijer location as part of my trip to cover newly added charging infrastructure along I-94. This was the 5th charging site review stop on my trip. This Electrify America(EA) is one of 4 sites added since my original 2021 lap of Michigan. The other 3 new sites were added: two in the Grand Rapids area, one of which I have reviewed previously and the other site I have not yet visited and one in Livonia, MI with a review coming soon. (This station opened in September 2024).
Accessibility
This site on I-94 at exit 29 is at the edge of the large parking lot, directly in line with the Tesla Superchargers. Just 0.7 miles from the highway, still it seems like a lot driving around the parking lot. The units themselves are on the northwest corner of the parking lot. I could not easily see the chargers from the main road and even from the middle of the front of the store they were difficult to find. There is no pass thru or trailer friendly parking here.
Amenities
Dining options: Wings Etc, Biggby Coffee, Joanna La Michoacana Taqueria,
Shopping options: Meijer, Aldi (across the street)
Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air): Meijer Gas Station at the other end of the parking lot
Concentration
This is the latest standard 6 station layout for EA. These new sites share power with each set of 2 units sharing power from one cabinet. Each unit is capable of 350kW output with a single cable. The parking is pull in, with no pull through parking. The longer cables on this latest generation hardware removes most concerns about cables reaching charge ports. There is a benefit that there are 6 units, but power sharing can limit speeds if multiple cars are plugged in at the same time. This strategy matches how Tesla builds out the Superchargers.
Location
This site is on I-94 about halfway between Kalamazoo and the Indiana border. This site fills in I-94 that had a gap from the new Michigan City site to the Portage site. Neither of these Electrify America locations were available when I brought Elektra home 3 years ago. Both would have made that trip much easier.
50 Mile Radius:
150 to 200 Mile Range Estimate:
Speed
Electrify America has chargers that support the fastest speeds available today. This site is set up with Gen 4 BTC Power units that are all listed as 350kW. These newest units support power sharing, so the 350kW is shared among 2 stalls. With 3 sets capable of the maximum output there is plenty of power to support charging at this site. One 1000kVA transformer provides plenty of power to the site. (Units made: Feb. 2024)
Summary
When I arrived, there was a Mach-E, Polestar 2, Ariya and i4 all charging, indicating that this site is plenty popular. Also at this location is a 12-stall version 3 Supercharger. These 12 stalls are powered by the same size 1000kVA transformer so even if there are more stalls the total power output from the 2 providers are the same. If 12 Teslas were all plugged in at the same time (unlikely) the site would have to limit the maximum power to each. Overall, a great charging location for everyone to charge.
What I paid for this stop (I didn’t charge, just stopped for the review):
Total Cost: $0
Total kWh: 0 kWh
Time: 0 minutes
Average Charge Speed: 0 kW
Cost per kWh: $0.56
Questions or Comments:
dantheevman@gmail.com
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