I’ve used public chargers from several companies, including ChargePoint, EVgo, Blink, and EV Connect, but a cursory internet search turns up at least 15 providers operating in the U.S.

Every single one of them would prefer you sign up for a membership and download their app, but every one I’ve tried also allows for guest use. There are perks for membership, including better rates, quicker payment, and quicker activation at the charger, but the real benefit is not having to deal with guest access. At minimum, it requires entering a credit card number either online or through their app, which you’ll have to download.

At worst, it requires calling the customer service line, waiting on hold, then reading them the charger’s ID number and your credit card number over the phone. Some EVgo stations I’ve used have credit card readers, but every one I’ve found hasn’t worked. Prices vary wildly as the charging networks generally let the owner of the station set the rates. Some charge a flat fee, some charge by total time or electricity used, and others do both. When we first got the Bolt, I checked websites/apps such as PlugShare to figure out which public chargers were most common in my area. Around here, it’s ChargePoint and EVgo, so I signed up … for ChargePoint.

At the time, all of EVgo’s options included a monthly fee, and I didn’t plan on using them enough to justify it. That’s changed in the past few months. This created its own issue. EVgo has a monopoly on Level 3/DC Fast public chargers in Southern California, so every time I took a longer trip out to Palm Springs or San Diego, I’d have to use an EVgo station and make the transaction over the phone, which extended the length of my mid–road trip pitstop.

This is where public chargers are critical. The Bolt’s 238-mile range is great for everyday living and trips around the greater Los Angeles area. Getting somewhere farther than 120 miles—half the Bolt’s range—requires preplanning. Ideally, wherever I’m going, there’ll be a public Level 2 charger nearby and I’ll be there long enough to make it a nonissue, but that’s hardly a given and rarely the case.

A Level 3/DC Fast charger makes it a lot easier, but they’re far less ubiquitous even around here than Level 2s. Going to Palm Springs, as an example, requires me to stop at the outlet mall on the way back for an hour while the car charges, as there are very few Level 2 chargers in Palm Springs and none convenient to hotels and restaurants at this moment.That assumes the charger is free, of course.

I’ve been lucky; only once have I had to wait for someone else to charge before I could plug in, and I had planned to get lunch while the car charged anyway. It was a long lunch. Most places have only one public charger, and most of those only have one plug. Even in L.A., half a dozen public Level 2 chargers in one spot is a pleasant surprise.

I’ve never seen more than one Level 3/DC Fast charger in the same location, and although they all have both the CHAdeMO and SAE CCS plugs, EVgo Level 3/DC Fast chargers can only charge one car at a time. ChargePoint has a new line of Level 3/DC Fast chargers that can do multiple cars at once, but I’ve yet to encounter one. Finding an available charger is something of a crap shoot, but most apps will tell you (sometimes accurately, sometimes not) if the charger is in use if you know who runs it.On top of occupied chargers, you also have to worry about gasoline-powered vehicles parked at chargers.

Often the parking spaces with chargers are right up front so they can tap into the building’s electric grid. It’s not uncommon for gasoline-vehicle drivers to treat these like normal parking spaces and leave you high and dry, but people seem to be getting better about it.This is all after you’ve actually found the charger. Some places are nice enough to put up signs pointing you to them, but often you’ve got to go looking.

PlugShare and other apps are again helpful here. Other drivers can leave notes about the stations, including where on the property you can find them, how many there are, and whether they’re working. Some will even leave notes while they’re charging to give others permission to unplug their cars if they’re not back after a certain time. It’s a bit like hunting for a gas station in an unfamiliar town except they’re harder to spot; even the big Level 3/DC Fast chargers can hide behind a pillar or large SUV.

... If electric cars are ever going to be ubiquitous like some people predict, we’re going to need a lot more chargers, and we’re going to need them everywhere, at nearly every parking space, so people who can’t charge at home or are running low can top up. That’s going to take a lot of investment from a lot of people, and it remains to be seen if supply keeps up with demand.

THE REALITIES OF PUBLIC CHARGING