A little out of the way, but we’ll take it
Update: This site has since become inactive
Everything is relative. While this new DC fast charger will not help if your intent is to drive from San Diego to Los Angeles, it is just the thing if you are heading to the mountains from Los Angeles or Orange County.
A quick check on Google Maps shows this location to be about 60 miles from either Irvine (Orange County) or Los Angeles. From there it is a short hop to the Lake Arrowhead resort area. This leads me to wonder whether the owner chose this location because they also own property in Lake Arrowhead. No matter. It is great to see a fast charger installed that is not part of one of the national networks of charge stations. An individual (or small group of individuals) took it upon himself to take this step. In the end, this is the thinking that will drive the development of the DC fast charger infrastructure.
Cracker Barrel has taken the lead from a corporate standpoint in Tennessee, installing one dozen DC fast chargers. Walgreen is moving ahead with a plan to install a combination of over 800 240-volt Level 2 charging docks or 480-volt fast chargers in locations from California to New York and is looking forward to becoming the nation’s largest retail host in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations .
We applaud all of those that are moving forward with plans to install Level 2 charging stations. But the real future of the electric car lies with the development of the DC fast charge network. The fact of the matter is that the first question that we get from most individuals when we mention that we own a LEAF is “How far will it go?” With years, and sometimes decades, of ingrained thinking that a car can be driven several hundred miles before being refueled, some thought process calibration is in order. Most individuals do not drive several hundred miles per day. But the fact that they don’t drive beyond the useful range of the LEAF is immaterial – they know that they can if they need to. The idea that they can “top off” their car in a few minutes is the psychological safety net that they need to even consider making the move to an EV. With any luck, this single out of the way DC fast charger will bring others to the table that are in a position to install a fast charger.