350KW EVGO charger maxed at 70KW and is my only option, any idea why? Rivian no help.

[2022R1S]

Trying to learn how to charge my R1S. The closet DC fast charger to me is 17 miles away. They have EVGO 350kw units and 150kw units. I tried two different 350kw chargers at that location the other day and both maxed out at 70KW. Called rivian support but they were no help. I charged there for over an hour and never got above 70KW. Any ideas why it? I appreciate the help.

Sponsored

 

[sub]

Trying to learn how to charge my R1S. The closet DC fast charger to me is 17 miles away. They have EVGO 350kw units and 150kw units. I tried two different 350kw chargers at that location the other day and both maxed out at 70KW. Called rivian support but they were no help. I charged there for over an hour and never got above 70KW. Any ideas why it? I appreciate the help.

What was the temperature outside? What was the charge % when you arrived?

If your battery was cold or your battery was more than 50% full, then you just can't expect it to charge very quickly.

If the battery was warm and empty, then the most likely explanation is that the EVGO chargers were malfunctioning, which sadly is not unusual for a non-Tesla fast charger.

 

[2022R1S]

I started at 1%. it was cold outside around freezing. for the first 10 minutes or so it was only at 12kw then jumped p to 70kw. Thanks for the reply. I may have to just try it again another time and see if its any different.

 

[2022R1S]

Answered my own question with some more research. Found some reviews of other people complaining of slow charging here also. This place charges by the minute too so takes long and costs more.

 

[Riviot]

I started at 1%. it was cold outside around freezing.

 

[JohnB R1T]

This place charges by the minute too so takes long and costs more.

What max charge level did you set? The charging curve flattens significantly above 75-80% and you really don't gain much speed (over a level 2 48 amp) from a DCFC beyond that. Some states require "per minute" billing because they don't allow anyone but an electric utility to "sell electricity"...so the pay-for-use-chargers aren't "selling electricity"... they are charging for the "service of providing electricity"...by the minute.

It costs me 4 x as much to charge at a DCFC two blocks from my house as it does for me to charge at home (per kWh delivered...by the same provider) if I stop at 80% (more per kWh beyond that).

 

[gombater]

Was the other charge port being used? EVgo can charge 2 vehicles simultaneously on the 350KW chargers, but the charge rate gets cut down pretty far. I use a EVgo charger for DCFC [closest to me] and if the temp is above 60 and I start lower, say around 20/30% I can max out the speed [for a little bit] Post latest software update I was able to max out for 9 min or so at 218 kw before it started throttling down. If someone plugs in on the same unit next to me will drop to less than 100 kw no matter where I am on the curve....

 

[2022R1S]

No both 350kw charger were vacant so I was able to try them both.

 

[zer0t]

I've not had good luck with a local evgo charger near me with my Taycan at all. Always slow and never achieves speeds over 75kW. There are two 350s at my local station as well. They seem to have connection problems as well.

 

[Goose]

A) why are you not charging at home?
B) did you set the charger as a destination so the car would precondition the battery?
C) again, why are you not charging at home?

 

[MoreTrout]

Most likely the cold temps. I have been to one EVGO station near my father's house a couple of times with no issues. One was on Xmas morning when temps were <0 and the truck had been outside all night, so took about 20-30 min to get above 20 kW then IIRC got around 120 max. On the same station last summer it shot right to 200+ until the battery overheated and throttled.

Be glad you have per min charging for now. Even at slower speeds it's still significantly cheaper than what EVGO charges per kWh. The EA station I occasionally use is per min, has been nearly flawless, and ends up costing even less than my home rates which are around 13c/kWh here.

I've also become a believer in the need to review each and every charging session. I use Plugshare which I'm pretty sure is the most popular one out there. Like EA, if you ask EVGO they would probably tell you the unit was "online" and working fine too. I refuse to join the cesspool of the Twitter world, but if you have an account then OutofSpec Kyle is making a good effort to start something similar through his Rate my Charge program.

 

[2022R1S]

Thanks for the replies. I live a ways out from the city and I'm still deciding if I can deal with all electric and if I should keep the rivian. I have the home charger but decided to wait on install until I decide to keep the rivian and I have other cars to drive so letting it charge on 110 for a couple days is not an issue. My main car is in the shop so for the first time I had to rely on the rivian. I left the house in the morning with 85% and by the time I got home that night I was at 0%. Actually got to 0% about a mile from home but still made it. That leads me to believe I need to have a way to charge up in town so I found the fastest rated charger and tried it out the next day but it was very disruptive to my day as I expected at 200kw I could get a decent charge in 30 minutes and be on my way. I ended up having to stay there for 90 minutes. Unless I can find a way to reliably charge in town at around 120-150kw then this probably is not a good fit for me.

 

[Sgt Beavis]

Have you called EVGo support on the off chance it hasn’t been reported?

Still, that charge rate sucks.

 

[diurnate]

Check that they actually are what EVGO lists them as - don’t trust the app. You can look directly on the cabinet. Also check out PlugShare and see what other people are getting and their notes. In DC virtually all their chargers are listed as faster than what the cabinet says and they deliver.

 

[BoltEVowner]

We need a "Gasbuddy" equivalent. Maybe EVcharger Buddy! Price per minute sometimes beats price per kWh if you are getting a decent kW speed. Right now it's a crap shoot. Just finished a trip to Tampa area and wanted to try EVgo because have a $500 credit I got from GM for the purchase of my Chevy Bolt EUV. EVgo was $0.99 plus $0.54 per kWh during peak hours...pretty pricy, but since I had a large credit balance, was essentially free for me. Started out around 200 kW, but dropped below 100 in middle of the session. Wouldn't select EVgo from a price standpoint if it was my dime in the future.

On the way home, Plugshare shows a "wrench" icon over the FPL charging station in Lake City, Florida, but it was open and mostly working, with one pedestal having a broken charger plug. But plugged in, got great speed to start, and was just $0.30 per kWh. There are a number of these going up around the state of Florida, and I would choose one of these over EA or EVgo at this point from a speed and price point.

I use Plugshare a lot, but it is sometimes misleading...but probably the best "EV charger buddy" we have right now. Too bad we still have to use several apps to charge. When planning a road trip, you really have to do your homework before you go so you don't get into trouble.

Sponsored