EA Pricing - how do the kW tiers work?

[emichnov]

I am running low on my Ford pass bundle free 250 kWh, so am starting to think about how EA pricing works. The screen shot is from Plugshare for a Massachusetts EA location. How do the pricing tiers works? It says (1-90kW) $0.16/minute, (1-350 kW) $0.32/minute. Do these kW rates refer to the actual rate of charging, so I would pay $0.32 /minute if my Mach-E charged at it's normal somewhat above 100kW rate, and, once my session slowed down below 90 kW as the battery SOC increased, the per minute rate would change during the same session down to the $0.16/minute?

Or, does it refer to the charger capacity, which is this case for all the CCS chargers are 150 kW, so the whole session would be at $0.32 /minute, no matter the actual rate?

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[txaggies07]

does it refer to the charger capacity, which is this case for all the CCS chargers are 150 kW, so the whole session would be at $0.32 /minute, no matter the actual rate?

I read your part wrong initially so editing. I meant to say it is always at the higher rate not based on which charger you use.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Since the Mach E draws more than 90kW, you are likely to be charged the 32¢ rate as a non-member or 24¢ as a member.

 

[RickMachE]

this....

No, it does not refer to charger capacity. There are no EA 1-90kW chargers.

Since the Mach E draws more than 90kW, you are likely to be charged the 32¢ rate as a non-member or 24¢ as a member.

There's no likely about it. The Mach-E requests, at peak, ~150kW. It always falls in the upper tier, regardless of whether it's at 80% and requesting only 44kW (or less lately).

 

[RickMachE]

I am running low on my Ford pass bundle free 250 kWh, so am starting to think about how EA pricing works. The screen shot is from Plugshare for a Massachusetts EA location. How do the pricing tiers works? It says (1-90kW) $0.16/minute, (1-350 kW) $0.32/minute. Do these kW rates refer to the actual rate of charging, so I would pay $0.32 /minute if my Mach-E charged at it's normal somewhat above 100kW rate, and, once my session slowed down below 90 kW as the battery SOC increased, the per minute rate would change during the same session down to the $0.16/minute?

Or, does it refer to the charger capacity, which is this case for all the CCS chargers are 150 kW, so the whole session would be at $0.32 /minute, no matter the actual rate?

The Mach-E is always at the 1-350kW rate. ALWAYS.

In Mass, EA charges by the minute, because they aren't yet allowed to charge by the kWh. If you join Pass+ (which pays off in the first trip you take), you'll pay 24 cents per minute. That works out to around 14-15 cents per kWh, which may be less than your utility chargers you in Mass.

 

[bshaw]

There is an EA charger near me in Arlington, MA.
Last time I used it (Sept), it started me out at 115+ kW and then quickly ramped down to about 88-89kW and stayed there until I reached 80% and I stopped.

I am still on free FordPass credits, so I don't have a cost with what it charged me.

It seems like EA should charge the $0.16 rate for the number of minutes that the car is requesting < 90kW? Otherwise, its billing based on capable vs. actual, which seems confusing.

 

[RickMachE]

There is an EA charger near me in Arlington, MA.
Last time I used it (Sept), it started me out at 115+ kW and then quickly ramped down to about 88-89kW and stayed there until I reached 80% and I stopped.

I am still on free FordPass credits, so I don't have a cost with what it charged me.

It seems like EA should charge the $0.16 rate for the number of minutes that the car is requesting < 90kW? Otherwise, its billing based on capable vs. actual, which seems confusing.

They charge on what the car is CAPABLE of. The Mach-E is cable of higher than 90kW. Therefore, you pay the higher rate. Period. Nothing confusing about it. I think a Bolt would pay the lower rate.
I have charged nearly 50 times at EA locations.

 

[ChasingCoral]

The Mach-E is always at the 1-350kW rate. ALWAYS.

In Mass, EA charges by the minute, because they aren't yet allowed to charge by the kWh. If you join Pass+ (which pays off in the first trip you take), you'll pay 24 cents per minute. That works out to around 14-15 cents per kWh, which may be less than your utility chargers you in Mass.

This is a very important point: the Mach E charging at EA in states that bill by the minute are dirt cheap!

When I was traveling using the free 250kW, I would use it in states billing by the kWh and pay myself in states billing by the minute.

 

[emichnov]

In Mass, EA charges by the minute, because they aren't yet allowed to charge by the kWh.

RickMachE, do you know why they aren't yet allowed to charge by the kWh? That seems equivalent to charging for gasoline by the gallon. I can't image why that would not be allowed. Most Level 2 chargers in Mass that I have used charge by the kWh.

 

[emichnov]

I drove by the subject charger this morning to test it out (in the name of science). I got there, and, instead of plugging in first like I normally do (which would trigger the free Fordpass 250 kWh bundle), I opened the app to use it to start the charging session, and lo, and behold, the text below, crystal clear. I think this confirms what RickMachE has been saying, so I didn't bother charging as I really didn't need it.

"* In per minute locations, pricing is determined by the maximum charge rate your vehicle can accept, which is communicated to the charger by your vehicle at the beginning of your charge session."

Thanks, RickMachE and all.

 

[txaggies07]

No, it does not refer to charger capacity. There are no EA 1-90kW chargers.



There's no likely about it. The Mach-E requests, at peak, ~150kW. It always falls in the upper tier, regardless of whether it's at 80% and requesting only 44kW (or less lately).

I read his initial bit wrong and edited my post above to make sure I’m not spreading wrong info. Thanks.

 

[RickMachE]

RickMachE, do you know why they aren't yet allowed to charge by the kWh? That seems equivalent to charging for gasoline by the gallon. I can't image why that would not be allowed. Most Level 2 chargers in Mass that I have used charge by the kWh.

Yes. Has to do with state laws, utilities, etc. About a year ago, EA was eliminating states from the per minute plan as they got approval. In May they had moved 5 states to the per kWh plan. However, they have now activated chargers in states that didn't have any. The current list of per minute states is:

Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

https://www.electrifyamerica.com/pricing/

Back in May, South Dakota and West Virginia didn't have any EA chargers. Now only Alaska, Hawaii, and North Dakota are without EA chargers.

 

[AZBill]

They charge on what the car is CAPABLE of. The Mach-E is cable of higher than 90kW. Therefore, you pay the higher rate. Period. Nothing confusing about it. I think a Bolt would pay the lower rate.
I have charged nearly 50 times at EA locations.

Not quite. It is based on the peak charge rate during a session. So if you started charging the MME at 80% and only get 44kw, you are at the lower rate. Also if the charger is in a limited mode and outputting only 35-45kw (as many have experienced), you also only get charged the lower rate.

If at any point during the session the rate is above 90kw, the higher rate applies for the entire session. The rate does not switch in real time.

 

[RickMachE]

Not quite. It is based on the peak charge rate during a session. So if you started charging the MME at 80% and only get 44kw, you are at the lower rate. Also if the charger is in a limited mode and outputting only 35-45kw (as many have experienced), you also only get charged the lower rate.

If at any point during the session the rate is above 90kw, the higher rate applies for the entire session. The rate does not switch in real time.

First, it doesn't apply in per kWh states. PERIOD.

Second, on EA's site it tells you very clearly, when you pull up a per minute state:

Pricing for DC fast charging is determined by charger location, your plan, and, for per-minute locations, the maximum power level your vehicle can accept. Pricing may be subject to tax, if applicable for the location of a particular charger.

Question for you AZBill, can you show proof that a Mach-E plugged into an EA charger, in a per minutes state with % of charge above 80%, and got the lower rate?

I'll assume for a minute that you can provide this proof. Let's assume you can. So what? How many people pull in to charge at EA when they're at 80%. Would that be say 1 out of 10,000 charging sessions?

I look forward to the proof. Until then, my belief is that the rate is determined based on what the vehicle CAN accept, which is higher than 90kWh.

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