Will dealerships have EV chargers?
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Why would they - do ICE dealerships have gas stations?
Some ICE car dealerships (Nissan, VW, etc) do have a token L2 EVSE or two, but they are often blocked by ICE cars or broken in my experience. You'd have to leave your car there for 1/2 a day to get a reasonable charge too. Nissan is better about having DCFCs, but they are often CHAdeMO only and also blocked or broken. There is no business incentive for dealers to purchase and maintain chargers or EVSE for customers. They should have ones for their shop use.
Just look for a convenient CCS charger near you with the Plugshare app.
Some ICE car dealerships (Nissan, VW, etc) do have a token L2 EVSE or two, but they are often blocked by ICE cars or broken in my experience. You'd have to leave your car there for 1/2 a day to get a reasonable charge too. Nissan is better about having DCFCs, but they are often CHAdeMO only and also blocked or broken. There is no business incentive for dealers to purchase and maintain chargers or EVSE for customers. They should have ones for their shop use.
Just look for a convenient CCS charger near you with the Plugshare app.
My wife makes the argument that we are supposed to get 3 years of free charging from EA. The nearest one to us is 45 minutes away so the least VW should do is allow us to charge for free at their dealerships. I’m not holding my breath for that to happen. Plus, if it’s not a DC fast charge I certainly don’t want to sit around at a VW shop for hours.
My dealer indicates that they "are going to the top tier participation level for electrification" -- not sure what that means corporately -- but they are installing two level 3 DC fast chargers at their store that will be free to use for all their ID.4 customers.
Ok, but what is the kw rating? Is it 24kw like Harley dealers, 50kw or even more?
Free L2 charging is like free coffee in the waiting room. It's a nice perk but irrelevant. I think the main reason the dealers need the chargers is to demonstrate to new EV buyers (or NOOBS as my son would call them) how the process works.
The cost for an L2 isn't all that great - mainly some wiring. And they need to have one that the service people can use in a pinch.
I looked on plugshare - nothing for my dealer (yet).
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When I got my eGolf the dealer had a Level 2 charger just outside the showroom. The one and only time I needed an emergency charge I happened to be nearby so I headed over there. It had been removed. I asked inside, but no one could tell me why. I knew they had another charger in the back, but they wouldn't let me use it (even though I was down to less than 2 miles of range) due to "insurance" issues. I asked where the nearest charger was that I could use, and the general manager sent me to a nearby 7-11 store parking lot. Only when I got there I discovered it was CHAdeMO only. The VW manager didn't know there were multiple charging types, nor which kind his cars used. I ended up having to get a tow to my house. That's when I stopped going to that dealer, and wrote a strong letter of complaint to Volkswagen America about the dealership's lack of support for their product.
Imagine my surprise when I ordered my new ID.4 and that dealership came up first on the list of preferred dealers in my area! Needless to say, I went with a different one. I don't know if that means they put the charger back at that dealership -I wouldn't go back there to find out.
Imagine my surprise when I ordered my new ID.4 and that dealership came up first on the list of preferred dealers in my area! Needless to say, I went with a different one. I don't know if that means they put the charger back at that dealership -I wouldn't go back there to find out.
I mean that isn't really on VW, Electrify America while funded by VW is separate. You get 3 years where its available. They'll be expanding but not sure where and when kinda thing. I wouldn't hold you breath on dealership charging.
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My dealer has had a L2 out front for several years. The only problem is it's right out front in the "best" spot so it's often filled with ICE vehicles. The attached Chevy dealer (same ownership group) has an L2 around back near their service area they said they allow customers to use. I live basically across the street so in theory I could park there and charge overnight and walk to/from but we overbuilt our home solar so I have spare kwh to use at home for a 2nd EV.
Electrify America has a special program for VW dealers, as well:
EV Charging Programs for Volkswagen Retailers
EV Charging Programs for Volkswagen Retailers
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Ooops, I think that was the one I was thinking of. My bad, Electrify America, not VW.
Our local dealer is a stones throw from a Target which already has a bank of 150kw EA DCFC, so I don’t expect them to add it. Doesn’t seem like there’s much rhyme or reason to where EA stations pop up in the Chicago area. Theyre at random Targets, Costcos, Meijers, malls, banks and Walmart’s.
It's going to get interesting as more EVs show up on more dealership lots, all those batteries needing to be monitored and charged. I don't know what percentage of cars in inventory get test driven, or what the typical weekly mileage is, but I hope that corporate is being kind to their sales partners and giving them some sort of "master app" access so they can actively monitor when any particular vehicle in their possession has reached a state-of-charge/find-me-and-plug-me-in threshold.
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