ChargePoint Discount

[highland58]

The electrician showed up and my ChargePoint charger is now up and running. My Clarity still charges at 7.2kWh so I can't see the 11.5kWh rate until I get the MME.

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[buffasnow]

Either. However, the EVSE can set the schedule for itself only. The car can have schedules for multiple locations e.g. work or your brother-in-law's house that you are visiting, or your cabin in the mountains.

Excellent! I've always wanted a cabin in the mountains!

 

[shutterbug]

It will be nice if Mach-E has the intelligence to schedule the charge complete-time instead of the start time.

I would like it to finish charging at 7:00 am. If I traveled 100 miles, it would know to start charging at 4:00 am (30miles/hr).

Pretty sure it does that. See page 171 of the manual under Departure and Comfort.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

Be careful of programs with special rates for off peak charging. Often they are tied to your accepting (much) higher rates at other times. Even with a separate meter here.

For us, the discount on charging the car and other activity we could move off peak would have been overwhelmed when applying the increased rate to our usage during ‘normal’ hours.

That difference would be even greater now during pandemic with everyone working & eating at home.

My rate here in Michigan is *very* complicated... but it nets out to about 17¢/kw.

DTE has three different special rate programs. Only one of them involves getting a separate meter. That program sells me power for the car at 11¢ during off-peak (which they define as 11pm-9am ... and all weekend). But the rate for charing on-peak is about 24¢.

On this program *only* the car can use energy off the second meter. Also, the rate you pay for the rest of the power you use in your home is not affected.

I'm not too worried about that because at 270 miles of range, I can't imagine every needing more than that driving around town. I can only imagine needing a daytime charge when doing a road-trip and ... on a road-trip I wouldn't be at home.

If on some rare occasion ... I *had* to charge during the day, I realize the rate is terrible but I don't think that could happen very often.

The other two programs don't use a separate meter ... they sell you ALL your power at a reduced rate at off-peak and hike the price during peak ... but for ALL your power (not just the car). If you are cooking dinner ... you're paying the on-peak rate to cook.

You can see the programs here: https://www.newlook.dteenergy.com/w.../residential/electric/pev/pev-res-charge-frwd

(This same page is also how DTE customers can learn about the $500 rebate for buying a home-charger ... as long as it's one of the models they list in their program.)

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

My rate here in Michigan is *very* complicated... but it nets out to about 17¢/kw.

DTE has three different special rate programs. Only one of them involves getting a separate meter. That program sells me power for the car at 11¢ during off-peak (which they define as 11pm-9am ... and all weekend). But the rate for charing on-peak is about 24¢.

I'm not too worried about that because at 270 miles of range, I can't imagine every needing more than that driving around town. I can only imagine needing a daytime charge when doing a road-trip and ... on a road-trip I wouldn't be at home.

If on some rare occasion ... I *had* to charge during the day, I realize the rate is terrible but I don't think that could happen very often.

The other two programs don't use a separate meter ... they sell you ALL your power at a reduced rate at off-peak and hike the price during peak ... but for ALL your power (not just the car).

You can see the programs here: https://www.newlook.dteenergy.com/w.../residential/electric/pev/pev-res-charge-frwd

(This same page is also how DTE customers can learn about the $500 rebate for buying a home-charger ... as long as it's one of the models they list in their program.)

You only get the $500 rebate if you also enroll in a ToU plan. At least that's how I understand it

 

[TheVirtualTim]

You only get the $500 rebate if you also enroll in a ToU plan. At least that's how I understand it

Correct. And you cannot enroll until you have an EV to enroll in the program. I had hoped just having the VIN would be enough ... but the program rules require that the car be registered with the state and they want all that info. So I have the infrastructure for the 2nd meter in place ... but can't activate it until the car is delivered.

 

[hybrid2bev]

Correct. And you cannot enroll until you have an EV to enroll in the program. I had hoped just having the VIN would be enough ... but the program rules require that the car be registered with the state and they want all that info. So I have the infrastructure for the 2nd meter in place ... but can't activate it until the car is delivered.

Yes, I'm also doing the DTE EV ToU plan for only the second meter (don't have to have a ToU rates for the whole house). I also am set up with all the hardware, just need the second meter plopped in and call DTE to get the plan activated once my car arrives.

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

Yes, I'm also doing the DTE EV ToU plan for only the second meter (don't have to have a ToU rates for the whole house). I also am set up with all the hardware, just need the second meter plopped in and call DTE to get the plan activated once my car arrives.

Might have to give them a call and see what it would take to get it all setup on a separate meet

 

[Woeo]

Only one of them involves getting a separate meter. That program sells me power for the car at 11¢ during off-peak (which they define as 11pm-9am ... and all weekend). But the rate for charing on-peak is about 24¢.

On this program *only* the car can use energy off the second meter. Also, the rate you pay for the rest of the power you use in your home is not affected.

[snip]

The other two programs don't use a separate meter ... they sell you ALL your power at a reduced rate at off-peak and hike the price during peak ... but for ALL your power (not just the car). If you are cooking dinner ... you're paying the on-peak rate to cook.

If I just divide our total bill by kWhs used, I average around 14¢. Summer months a bit higher, ~15¢, since AC usage brings some tariff penalties for high use.

My utility offered a second meter option when I installed an EVSE four years ago, but the consumer had to bear the meter installation expense. At the discounted kWh rate recouping $3k, in our case, for the second meter would take years. Charging 10k miles per year would require roughly 3,000 kWh. Saving 10¢ per kWh, we still would not cover expenses for roughly a decade. [Pre pandemic] we were actually charging the PHEV 6-7k miles/yr at home extending our recoupment period beyond a decade. As you described, I would have been limited to charging during late nite hours. Worse than you, if I recall correctly, no power was available at any cost during peak hours on the second meter.

Like you, I could have gone to a program with similar whole house usage peak/off-peak rates, 10¢/24¢.

Working from home meant many kWhs could not be shifted out of peak hours, [weekdays, 12-8 pm]. Saving 4¢ on 2000 car charging kWhs plus maybe half of my annual 16000 home/office kWh usage but paying 10¢ penalty for the other half would have had me out laying $400-500 more annually.

Obviously other people’s particulars could lead to different decisions.

 

[txaggies07]

Y’all’s electricity prices suck. I average and 8-9c/kWh all in. I currently use a company called Griddy. It charges me the wholesale rate that update every 5 minutes. During the day it is usually 7c/kWh + 4c/kWh delivery charges. At night it usually drops to about 1c/kWh + 4c/kWh delivery. Thus I should be charging my MachE for about 5c/kWh most of the time.

One time it did jump up to $9/kwh during a huge spike in august of 2019. Those 15 minutes were so expensive. I still averaged 14c/kWh or so that month.

 

[generaltso]

Y’all’s electricity prices suck.

Yup. It all depends on where you live. My rate is about $0.17/kWh, but just a few miles across a lake the rate is about $0.04/kWh. I've heard it has something to do with long term contracts with Niagara Falls.

 

[Woeo]

Y’all’s electricity prices suck. I average and 8-9c/kWh all in. I currently use a company called Griddy. It charges me the wholesale rate that update every 5 minutes. During the day it is usually 7c/kWh + 4c/kWh delivery charges. At night it usually drops to about 1c/kWh + 4c/kWh delivery. Thus I should be charging my MachE for about 5c/kWh most of the time.

One time it did jump up to $9/kwh during a huge spike in august of 2019. Those 15 minutes were so expensive. I still averaged 14c/kWh or so that month.

Interesting concept.
https://comparepower.com/griddy-energy-review/

Less biased[?], as critical
https://www.texaselectricityratings.com/blog/2019/08/28/my-experience-with-griddy

 

[txaggies07]

Yup. It all depends on where you live. My rate is about $0.17/kWh, but just a few miles across a lake the rate is about $0.04/kWh. I've heard it has something to do with long term contracts with Niagara Falls.

Location is definitely the main driver on electricity prices. For now I am quite lucky that Texas has quite cheap electricity. Bummer about you being so close to a place with much better rates. It should make it easier to justify solar panels though if that’s your thing.

 

[txaggies07]

Interesting concept.
https://comparepower.com/griddy-energy-review/

Less biased[?], as critical
https://www.texaselectricityratings.com/blog/2019/08/28/my-experience-with-griddy

My wife calls it my game. I sometimes get an alert and then have to adjust the AC in Nest and flip off all the electronics and lights I can in SmartThings.

The second article you linked was written right after a hugely abnormal event that occurred in Texas that august. It really was quite crazy. Also, the person is right in that they overstated savings. They base it on average prices, but it is quite easy to lock in rates for a year that are lower than what they compare it to. I compare my own savings to what I know I could get if I signed a normal contract.

Either way, it is definitely not for everyone.

 

[generaltso]

It should make it easier to justify solar panels though if that’s your thing.

Yeah, I've tried. But I have too many trees blocking the sun to make it cost effective, unfortunately.

But I have free charging at work, so I try to do most of my charging there. With the much bigger battery in the Mach-E, I'm hoping to do all of my charging there. My commute is only 10 miles each way, so topping off once a week will probably be plenty.

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