New charge player drops the signage ball

The signage ball

We made a 600 mile trip over the New Year holiday offering up a first Level 3 charging opportunity for the Niro, which we’ll discuss separately. But we found a new charging company who dropped the signage ball.

The new company, Autel, set up a single charge station — already a problem — on either side of the Massachusetts Turnpike with a charge cable on either side. The pavement was marked with the standard EV charging only writing. But in the ~40 minutes or so that I was there, I watched as six or seven gas powered vehicles parked in the spot.

The problems

There are three problems with Autel’s set up.

1) The first, as is obvious in the first image above, is there is no eye level sign. like the one seen with the Chargepoint station I visited later (despite the odd marking — LELWD — it is Chargepoint).

The sign can’t be read here, but is quite clear when pulling in.

2) The second is the single station. It “feels” as though the general public has become used to seeing multiple stations strung in a row, making for a more obvious arrangement and something to avoid.

3) The third is their placement, which is nearly directly in front of the main facility for rest rooms, food and other purchases, as can be seen below. Anyone would assume its a proper place to park and would want to park there!

The station’s placement and standalone status are difficult if not impossible to change. But an eye-level sign is simple fix.

Another EV, which just happened to catch the second spot empty, pulled in just before I left. But it was truly a catch as catch can situation.

The snow, which had been cleared, was not much help, as it was dirty and messy all around. But a sign is a must.

Autel

PS We called them “new”, but Autel Energy was established in 2004. The parent company, Autel Intelligent Technology, is found in Shenzhen, China. Its not immediately clear, but we’re guessing they are primarily an overseas player only now making their way into the states. Aside from DC charging units, they produce other EV charging and automotive products.

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