KOA to start installing J1772 on campground pedestals for charging electric vehicles.

[Voyageurs]

Hi folks. Looks like KOA is going to start installing campsite pedestals with a J1772 connector for level 2 EV charging. The pedestals will be able to charge the EV and power the standard 50 amp RV receptacle at the same time.

Link to article below the pic.



https://insideevs.com/news/550314/ko...ging-stations/

 

[Voyageurs]

Just reread the article and noticed that the J1772 unit is a 10 KW unit. Good enough for a complete fill up on the larger batteries in the half tons coming out. Nice for the overnighters.

All exciting for an EV RV nerd like me. .

 

[Voyageurs]

Couldn’t find the original thread but feel free to merge.

Anyway, a little more info including a more info on the Jamestown products pedestals. Very cool. Hopefully they roll out fast. Welcome news for EVRVers.

KOA will add electric vehicle chargers to campgrounds

Interest in adding electric vehicle charging stations to campgrounds is accelerating faster than a Tesla Roadster. KOA (Kampgrounds of America Inc.) just ann

www.rvtravel.com

 

[MapNerd]

This is neat but I have to ask, does anyone know of any EV that can be flat towed? The F150 lightning will have the torque to be able to pull a decent sized travel trailer, but how far is anyone’s guess right now.

So KOA thinks all these EVs are going to be driven to the CG separate from the camper? I don’t know if I would take that bet. Sure, I have seen a Tesla parked on a site at a campground, but it’s certainly not a regular occurrence.

I do expect we’ll see more EVs though. Hopefully this charger will be able to serve the needs for a long time. Ford, working with a university, recently came out with a charger that can take an EV from zero to full in 10 minutes if I recall correctly. Quite impressive.

I just hope that whatever KOA installs is not a standard that is soon to be obsolete. AFAIK, the industry still hasn’t agreed on any particular charging plug standards.

 

[Voyageurs]

This is neat but I have to ask, does anyone know of any EV that can be flat towed? The F150 lightning will have the torque to be able to pull a decent sized travel trailer, but how far is anyone’s guess right now.

So KOA thinks all these EVs are going to be driven to the CG separate from the camper? I don’t know if I would take that bet. Sure, I have seen a Tesla parked on a site at a campground, but it’s certainly not a regular occurrence.

I do expect we’ll see more EVs though. Hopefully this charger will be able to serve the needs for a long time. Ford, working with a university, recently came out with a charger that can take an EV from zero to full in 10 minutes if I recall correctly. Quite impressive.

I just hope that whatever KOA installs is not a standard that is soon to be obsolete. AFAIK, the industry still hasn’t agreed on any particular charging plug standards.

Yah. More for future proofing I guess. But these pedestals are using a J1772 connector which is standard pretty much all over North America and Europe. These are level 2 charge stations so typically overnight charging. They are not DC fast chargers. These will work on any EV sold in North America.

We are seeing campgrounds here install J1772 charge stations in common areas here but these are right on the camp site and part of the pedestal. Nice. Saves dragging out the charge cable from the trunk and then using the 50 amp or 30 amp receptacle meant for the RV.

 

[Voyageurs]

I don’t think campgrounds are expecting EV’s as toads but rather as the tow vehicle.

We are already seeing EV’s towing smaller trailers like Teardrops etc. We’ll be doing that in the spring. Good to see this kinda thing coming down the road.

 

[Jim]

I wish I had read this article a year ago. Had I known, I would have installed the infrastructure to support charging at the campsites at Deer Springs.

But as I think about how this changes the game, other questions arise. How this is going to affect nightly rates? I mean, someone has to pay to charge that car, and I don't think it's going to be the campground owners. And the pedestal is going to have to monitor the power dispersed and then the campground owners will basically become resellers of the power. But there are laws/rules that prohibit the resale of said power. More licensing for the states to issue and monitor? And I guess we'll need state inspectors to drop by and monitor the calibration of the charging units? All those inspectors and offices have to be funded, they all need retirement plans, cars to drive (assumedly electric right?), the cars need to be insured, inspected and maintained.

So this is not going to be an inexpensive perk.

 

[Voyageurs]

I wish I had read this article a year ago. Had I known, I would have installed the infrastructure to support charging at the campsites at Deer Springs.

But as I think about how this changes the game, other questions arise. How this is going to affect nightly rates? I mean, someone has to pay to charge that car, and I don't think it's going to be the campground owners. And the pedestal is going to have to monitor the power dispersed and then the campground owners will basically become resellers of the power. But there are laws/rules that prohibit the resale of said power. More licensing for the states to issue and monitor? And I guess we'll need state inspectors to drop by and monitor the calibration of the charging units? All those inspectors and offices have to be funded, they all need retirement plans, cars to drive (assumedly electric right?), the cars need to be insured, inspected and maintained.

So this is not going to be an inexpensive perk.

Most vendors of L2 and L3 charging just charge by time. It’s all automatic. Swipe your card and plug in. No calibrating. When you disconnect the charges show up on your card based on how long you were connected. For many, if you stay connected after the car is full it starts to charge you double. That incentivizes people from using charging spots as parking spots. Obviously they wouldn’t do that if the charge station is on the RV lot you are renting. There are literally hundreds of thousands if not millions of L2 and L3 electric vehicle chargers in the world set up like this.

 

[Voyageurs]

Here’s a shot of a screen on a DC fast charger a block from my house. They won’t have DC fast chargers in campgrounds but L2 stations are setup the same. They are usually priced by the hour at L2 stations.

Some countries and some states have per kWh sales. I seem to remember charging California and seeing a per kWh rate. But in my experience most are time based.

 

[Jim]

Most vendors of L2 and L3 charging just charge by time. It’s all automatic. Swipe your card and plug in. No calibrating. When you disconnect the charges show up on your card based on how long you were connected. For many, if you stay connected after the car is full it starts to charge you double. That incentivizes people from using charging spots as parking spots. Obviously they wouldn’t do that if the charge station is on the RV lot you are renting. There are literally hundreds of thousands if not millions of L2 and L3 electric vehicle chargers in the world set up like this.

I'll have to check and see if I have enough current to "Y" off to a charging station for each site, or at least a couple of the largest sites. But then, I'm faced with other difficulties, like limited Internet and -0- cell service. Which I'm sure is necessary to make charging for the charge possible.

 

[Jim]

Here’s a shot of a screen on a DC fast charger a block from my house. They won’t have DC fast chargers in campgrounds but L2 stations are setup the same. They are usually priced by the hour at L2 stations.

Some countries and some states have per kWh sales. I seem to remember charging California and seeing a per kWh rate. But in my experience most are time based.

View attachment 10024

How long does it take at $.25 per minute to charge your batteries?

 

[Voyageurs]

I'll have to check and see if I have enough current to "Y" off to a charging station for each site, or at least a couple of the largest sites. But then, I'm faced with other difficulties, like limited Internet and -0- cell service. Which I'm sure is necessary to make charging for the charge possible.

Or just make a rule that says one thing plugged into the standard pedestal at a time. They are welcome to charge their EV but they have to use their own EVSE (charge cord) and plug it into the 50 amp or 30 amp receptacle. When they are done charging them they can plug in their RV. As an EVRVer that would work for me. Those charge stations on the site are nice but any EV can charge from a 30 or 50 amp pedestal.

You could also just add half a dozen L2 stations in a parking area. Charge by the usage. Maybe 20 bucks a day for a car or SUV and 40 bucks a day for a truck. You’ll make some money and the client will be happy. We would pay that. The equipment is cheap. No idea on the hookup costs but count on a 60 amp breaker for each stall. Below is a pic of what one campground owner here did. These stations are about 1200 bucks each. These are low tech. Built in the US. No card readers or phone lines. Just a 60 amp breaker. He has two of these. He’ll add more when needed.

 

[Jim]

Well, let's put it to the "viability" test. How many on this forum will use my charging system if I install one?

Note: Keep in mind that if you say you will, and then you don't show up, you will be billed the minimal 3-night booking fee!

 

[Voyageurs]

How long does it take at $.25 per minute to charge your batteries?

These are relatively slow 50 KW DC fast chargers you would find at a grocery store or mall etc. We don’t use these much. I would think 40 to 60 minutes. We tend to use Superchargers on road trips which are 5 times faster but also charge more. We do most of our charging at home in our garage for a fraction of the price. 9 cents per kilowatt hour here.

In a campground you would only have L2 charging (alternating current) not L3 charging (DC fast charging). L3 equipment is ten’s of thousands of dollars per site. L2 stations are anywhere from 1200 to 2000 bucks per site. People don’t need fast when they are staying overnight.

 

[Voyageurs]

Well, let's put it to the "viability" test. How many on this forum will use my charging system if I install one?

Right now very few if any. In 10 years probably a lot.

The reality is any RV site with 50 amp has everything the EVRVer needs to charge. When we were motorhoming with a EV toad we simply asked permission and agreed upon a price. Some just said go ahead. Others didn’t know what to charge. It was all new. The campground owner should be able to make money off of this. Like I say. I would be happy to pay 20 bucks for an overnight charge. If my present EV SUV was dead empty and I filled it up in your park and you were paying the utility company 10 cents per kilowatt hour it would cost you 8 dollars to fill my car. So charge 20 bucks and you are 12 bucks ahead. If it was one of those ford e-trucks that are coming out then it would be twice as much as it has twice as big of a battery.

Also, if that truck was staying a week he only needs that big fill the first day he is there. So charge maybe 40 bucks the first night and 10 bucks every night after for charging privileges.

Hope that helps.

 

[Jim]

There better not be a generator in that building!

 

[Voyageurs]

There better not be a generator in that building!

No. Lawnmower storage if I remember correctly. It’s been a couple years since we were there.

 

[Jim]

No. Lawnmower storage if I remember correctly. It’s been a couple years since we were there.

DC lawnmowers I presume?

 

[Neal]

I wouldn't say all KOA's are going to do this as some KOA's are really old and many CG's don't have the infrastructure to support RV's much less EV's. Niagara Falls comes to mind when I was there in a July I think it was and it was constant brown/black outs.

@Jim I think a CG like yours a single station would suffice, not per campsite. And the user would have to pay. I've venture to guess learn how Tesla charging stations are going to handle payment, they're not all free from what I hear. In fact if you're not too far off the beaten path you could possibly advertise Tesla charging on what I assume Tesla would have listed as charging stations and have another revenue option. But again, I would not do per site, but just have one station for now if you're really considering doing this.

But yeah, what is the flat tow capability? I've had a little of the Tesla bug but have been holding off. We haven't gotten to the point with Tesla's where it's time for battery replacement. Owners probably think it's maintenance free. Wait until they're quoted a battery replacement or whatever else with batteries.

 

[Ernie Ekberg]

I’ll keep my gas guzzling 2021 Lexus