Meijer – Ypsilanti

Introduction

Trip to visit all the southern lower Michigan Tesla Supercharger sites open to non-Tesla vehicles.  This trip took place on July 21, 2025

Business/Location Name	Meijer
Address	3825 Carpenter Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
Network	Tesla
Station Details	12 Stalls (3 sets of 4 dispensers, total 750kW site power)
Cost	$0.50 per kWh (from 8am to 11pm), $0.26/kWh otherwise, $0.38 ($0.19) per kWh for membership

The Meijer in Ypsilanti station was the 1st charging stop on my trip to check the southern lower Michigan Tesla sites.  This is one of two sites in Michigan that support Magic Dock so that any EV with CCS can charge without the driver needing to bring their own adaptor.  I have been to this location before to charge with Voltron but have not completed a site review.  Based on the usage chart in the Tesla app, this site sees steady use but is not overly busy.  (This station opened in November 2022).  

Accessibility

This Meijer site is in the parking lot of the superstore business.  The site is 2.6 miles from I-94 at exit 181 and 1.7 miles from US-23 at exit 37.  Since I was coming from the north, I took the US-23 exit and followed Carpenter Rd south.  Nearing the intersection with Ellsworth Rd, the Meijer is on the east side.  The charge points are easy to locate once you have navigated to the Meijer parking lot, in the southwest out lot.  The stalls are placed on the edge of the parking lot.  No pull through parking stall.

Amenities

Dining options include: IHOP, Applebee’s, KPOT Korean BBQ, Steak ‘n Shake

Shopping options include: Meijer, Target, Lowe’s, Goodwill

Car-related services (windshield cleaning, air):  Meijer gas station in same parking lot

Concentration

This is a standard 12 stall V3 location.  The dispensers are arranged along a row of perpendicular parking, with the power cabinets and the transformer at the northwest corner.  One end dispenser may support alternate parking arrangements for vehicles whose charge port locations don’t work the best with the short V3 dispenser cables.

Location

This site supports I-94 east/west interstate and the US-23 north/south highway.  At about 40 miles to Detroit and 44 miles to Jackson, this is about the mid-point between these 2 cities.  Flint is 60 miles to the north and Toledo, OH is 50 miles to the south.

50 Mile Loop:

100 to 150 Mile Range Estimate:

Speed

The currently installed V3 power cabinets can produce up to 500V and 600A.  The power cabinets are connected by the high voltage DC bus, and thus can share power among all the dispensers.  Of course, this 500V limitation reduces the peak charging speeds for some 800V architecture vehicles, but the 600A output works well for lower voltage higher amperage vehicles.  Since I am on this trip with Elektra, the 200A, 80kW limit of the vehicle will not be stressing these units at all.  The transformer here is 750kVA, which could support 3 cars all charging at the maximum 250kW or power split to maybe 75kW to each of 10 cars.

Summary

I arrived at 7:31 am, with 82% battery and found 2 other vehicles charging at this site.  Over this first 27 miles, I averaged 4.0 mi/kWh, which is great for highway traveling in Elektra.  A sleepy site on an early Monday morning, including the Tesla in the corner spot that was plugged in and had window screens in all around.  While I was there taking my few pictures and confirming the transformer site power, one other Tesla arrived to charge. I expect most sites to be slow on a Monday, but this would turn out to be one of the least busy stops.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: -

Total kWh: -

Time: -

Average Charge Speed: -

Cost per kWh: -

Having arrived at this site with 82%, I opted not to charge here.  I have successfully charge at full speed at this site before.

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
32	B	4	7	21

Alternatives:

Roundtree Place – 2539 Ellsworth Rd, Ypsilanti, Michigan, 48197 - $0.56/kWh – 350kW x 6

(Electrify America)

BP – 4975 Washtenaw Ave, Ann Arbor 48108 - $0.30/kWh – 125kW x 2

(ChargePoint)

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Bank of America – Grosse Pointe Woods

Introduction

This is a site review from part 3 of the ongoing series to follow the EVgo expansion in the metro Detroit area.  This part visits new Pilot/Flying J locations and then follows up on some of the existing stations.  Visits done on June 23, 2025

Business/Location Name	Bank of America
Address	19700 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236
Network	Electrify America
Station Details	6 Stations (350kW shared power)
Cost	$0.56/kWh

I visited the Grosse Pointe Woods EA station as part of my travels on Pilot/Flying J and EVgo sites, but it so happened that this new EA station fit relatively well into my travel plans.  This was the newest EA site in Michigan until the Ann Arbor site opened in July 2025 and my first to visit one that is collocated with a bank. (This station opened in March 2025). 

Accessibility

This site supports I-94 at exit 224B is in the parking lot of the bank.  A full 1 mile from the highway through residential streets, this is not a convenient travel stop.  The units themselves are in the middle of the parking lot.  The chargers are not hidden and are easy to find once you arrive at the address.  There is no pass thru or trailer friendly parking here.

Amenities

Dining options: Salvatore Scallopini, Da Edoardo, Chicken Shack, Jimmy John’s, Little Caesars, The Big Salad, Mack Avenue Diner

Shopping options: Maria Lamia Boutique, Mack Avenue Boutique, Knotty by Nature, etc

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

Concentration

This is the latest standard 6 station layout for EA.  These new sites power share with each set of 2 units sharing power from one cabinet. Each cabinet is capable of 350kW output with dispensers having a single cable.  The parking is angled pull in, which makes rear mounted port locations a little more difficult.  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 supports I-94 in metro Detroit.  While relative location to the highway would make this more of a community charging hub than at travel stop, support of onward travel is possible.  From here, Port Huron is 50 miles northeast, Lansing is 100 miles northwest and Toledo is 75 miles southwest.

50 Mile Loop:

150 Mile Estimated Coverage:

Speed

Electrify America has chargers that support the fastest speeds available today.  This site is set up with Gen 4 BTC Power units are that are all listed as 350kW.  These newest units support power sharing, so the 350kW is shared among 2 stalls.  With 2 sets capable of the maximum output there is plenty of power to support charging at this site.  The 1000kVA transformer provides all the power the site needs.  (Units made in the Philippines: Aug/Sept. 2024)

Summary

I arrived at a completely empty station.  Plenty of bank traffic on a Monday afternoon, but no EVs there charging in the peak heat of the afternoon.  Even with the heat Voltron handled the charging session well hitting peak charging speeds in the 230kW range and taking in 15kWh of electricity in just 5 minutes.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $8.40

Total kWh: 15.0293 kWh

Time: 5 minutes

Average Charge Speed: 164kW

Cost per kWh: $0.56

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
23	C	4	2	17

Alternatives:

Beyond Juicery - 21110 Mack Ave, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236 - $0.50/kWh(+$0.50) - 160kW x 4 

(Red E Charge)

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com

Pilot – Smiths Creek

Introduction

This is a site review from part 3 of the ongoing series to follow the EVgo expansion in the metro Detroit area.  This part visits new Pilot/Flying J locations and then follows up on some of the existing stations.  Visits done on June 23, 2025

Business/Location Name	Pilot Travel Center
Address	2424 Wadhams Rd, Smiths Creek, MI 48074
Network	EVgo
Station Details	2 Stations (2 Dual Output – 350kW)
Cost	$0.49/kWh

I visited the Smiths Creek Pilot Travel Center station as part of my travels to continue to review the ongoing expansion of EVgo sites.  This is not part of the Detroit area EVgo build out, but is part of the nationwide partnership between EVgo, GM and Pilot/Flying J.  (This station opened in February 2025).

Accessibility

This site is along I-69 at exit 196.  The site is 0.3 miles from the I-69 exits.  The units themselves are on the north side of the parking lot and alongside the building.  The spots are wide, covered and designed for charging with a trailer attached.  However, they are still only pull-in parking, no pull-through stalls.

Amenities

Dining options: Subway

Shopping options: None

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

Concentration

This is the new standard 2 station layout for EVgo at the Pilot/Flying J partner locations.  With just 2 stations this site can still support up to 4 vehicles charging simultaneously. Depending on charge port location you can pick which side is best to pull up towards.  There is a benefit that just 2 units can provide high-power charging to 4 vehicles at once, but the risk is that one station going down could impact 2 stalls of charging.

Location

This site is toward the eastern end of I-69.  From here, Lansing is 120 miles west, Detroit is 60 miles south and London, ON is 75 miles (120km) to the east.  This site is not in an urban area, so it should mostly see travel usage.  

50 Mile Loop:

150 Mile Estimated Coverage:

Speed

EVgo is supporting maximum CCS charging speeds.  The high-power Delta units are capable of both max 1000V and can do 500A.  These newer Pilot/Flying J sites are NEVI compliant supporting up to 350kW (and at least 150kW) on all 4 ports.  Here the transformer is rated at 750kVA, which means the site can do full power to all stations.  The sites are well equipped to handle both road trip traffic. These Delta charging units here should be available to serve the electric car community for years to come as the infrastructure build out continues.

Summary

This site was a Michigan NEVI Round 2 site selection for a very low bid.  While this site does exist, these units are not Build America, Buy America compliant, so all this hardware will need to be replaced to make this site NEVI compliant.  There was an Equinox EV charging when I arrived and there most of my quick stay.  As I was about to leave, I was excited to see one of the first generation of the battery electric revolution a VW eGolf.  These cars did not get imported in a large quantity and only for a couple of years so it is always a treat to see one in person.

What I paid for this stop:

Total Cost: $8.78

Total kWh: 16.894kWh

Time: 5 minutes

Average Charge Speed: 203 kW

Cost per kWh: $0.49

Total Score (Max 44)	Score	Accessibility	Amenities	Usability
32	B	6	5	21

Alternatives:

SpeedyQ - 2020 Water St, Port Huron, MI 48060 - $0.43/kWh(+6% tax) - 62.5kW x 2 

(ChargePoint)

Port Huron Plaza - 2830 Pine Grove Ave, Port Huron, MI 48060 - $0.42/kWh(+$0.30) - 160kW x 4

(Red E Charge)

Questions or Comments:

dantheevman@gmail.com