(Photos- Cheryl Auger)
I glanced down at my remaining mileage when I was connecting to the westbound 210 from the 605. Eight miles. It was going to be a little close.
By Cheryl Auger
I texted my friend who said I could stop by her apartment in Monrovia. Level one charger? Yes. I declined. What if it was taken, and it charges too slow, I would be there forever. I pass Monrovia.
5 miles.
I put the charger location map on display.
Do I dare get off the freeway and look for a working charger knowing the likelihood of finding a random functioning charger would probably just waste my remaining miles. Plus it was 2:35 am. A little late to start new adventures. I pass Sierra Madre.
2.4 miles remaining.
I decided to try to make it to Pasadena, but I start thinking about all of the unknowns. If the car stops driving in 2.4 miles, will I be able to pull over and call AAA? Thankfully very few cars were on the road. Entering Pasadena around Sierra Madre Boulevard with 2 miles.
0ne mile becomes a flat line.
A flat line? I needed to go three to five more miles to get to the three chargers I know in Pasadena that might work.
I get off at Lake Street, ease through the intersection and make a left on El Molino. I know a charging station at Union that has not been working the last several times I have tried to use it, I think for over a year now. Negative 2.8 miles. I pull in and park near the two accessible chargers.
It’s 2:39 am.
I approached the first charger and took a few minutes to try and figure out how to use it. There’s nothing for me to work with to get it to start charging. My heart starts sinking and I am thinking about the three mile walk home or the Uber ride, and I am wondering whether a car that is negative 2.8 miles would it start again and drive so I could find a legal overnight parking space or drive another mile to the charger by the Playhouse?
I looked at the second charger for accessible vehicles and there’s a QR code that recognizes my charging card in my mobile wallet. The first machine was just missing its QR Code! Back in luck I plug in and charge to get a positive ten miles to be on the safe side. 3:03 am I safely pull into my garage and call it a night.
Flashback: How I Got Here
Flash back to the night before when I left the house to meet a friend in Alhambra. I left with 32 miles. Plenty to take me there and back. There is a bank of chargers in the parking structure at First and Main but I have tried several to figure out how to use them and have not been successful. Judging from the lack of cars parked there, I know I am not alone. No problem. I had 29 miles left.
I walked my friend to her car around 12:30 am, but her car was missing. Someone mentioned cars being towed, but there was not a sign where she parked. After a quick visit to the police station and a call to the tow company, we were on our way to La Puente to pick up her car.
14.2 miles remaining. Plenty.
DC Fast Charging from PWP Pasadena is UNRELIABLE at best. Less than 25% of the total chargers work. Maybe less. In some cases none work at the various locations around the city. Victory Park, of the three there none worked as of last weekend. At Robinson Park, 2 of 5 worked. At Del Mar 1 of 2 worked. At Glenarm, 0 of 6, at Shoppers Lane, maybe 2 of 8 work, and at Marengo Plaza 2 of 19 work. And the app and messaging on the DC fast chargers is atrocious.
Well as different cars accept different chargers I can’t make blanket recommendations for you, but it does look like you can accept the J1772 charger so here are some:
In Monrovia, there are some public chargers I’ve used the L2 chargers in Old Town Monrovia and in front of the Vons.
In Arcadia there are chargers at City Hall that I’ve used.
I frequently charge at Santa Anita – but those are Electrify America and not everyone can take the combo fast chargers. There’s some more Level 2 chargers across the street at the Arboretum.
There’s chargers at my gym in Hastings Ranch, chargers behind what used to be Sears, and below the freeway there’s chargers at Amazon.
PowerFlex claims that the chargers at Victory Park are working, so that could have worked as well. The comments on plugshare make me skeptical, but as long as it wasn’t the only destination you looked at you wouldn’t be left high and dry.
Basically my point is that I can draw you a fairly direct line between the 605 and Pasadena where you wouldn’t have to drive around wasting electricity and have found a charging solution. People in Pasadena are spoiled with charging – sure there is room for improvement, but outside the area the situation is abysmal.
Relying on public charging stations is a nightmare.