Fastcharger - Fallon - Middlegate Station

fcibot

fcibot

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This thread is for discussion of the Middlegate Station fast charger

Provider: EV Connect

Address: 42500 Austin Hwy,Fallon,NV,89406

GPS: 39.287212,-118.026978

Stalls: 1(CCS [120]:1, CHAdeMO [120]:1)

Hours:
 
Are there any plans to fix the ONLY CCS charger in Fallon (Fox Peak Stn) that has been broken for more than a year?

Or better yet, install a new one or two in the area?

-Don- Reno, NV
 
Thanks for the (roundabout) report that this station is down (confirmed via EV Connect app).

It looks like the Fox Peak Station was removed from ChargePoint in January of 2022, and given ChargePoint's model (where the host is responsible for maintenance and repair), it would appear that the host lost interest and it should be considered abandoned at this point. Therefore I would not hold out hope that it's going to re-appear any time soon.

BTW, here is the forum entry for Fox Peak Station: Fastcharger - Fallon - FOX PEAK FALLON FALLON FDC1

It does look like the next fastcharger to the east (Cold Springs Station) is operational.
 
Thanks for the info. I am usually out that way on an electric motorcycle and they do not have much range so Fallon is an important location to me. But at least I can use the J-1772 as I have lunch there.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
I don't know how I got my threads mixed up!

But I was at the old CP at MiddleGate on June 27. It was not powered on. I do not think it has been working since around Xmas according to Plugshare, and I doubt if it will ever be repaired or replaced.

It's a very old charger that says "FREEWIRE" on it, whatever that is.

They do have a J-1772 plug right next to it that works fine.

The fast chargers around ten miles east at the Cold Springs Station restaurant are working.
 
Don't be confused by the size of the FREEWIRE station if that's what's leading you to believe it's old (although it looks like most of the station is within the shipping container according to your pictures, so probably hard to tell its real size). Those stations have batteries right within the unit itself (no doubt in this case meant to absorb the solar energy from the panels during the day) which accounts for its large size. They are relatively modern units. It's a shame it's been down for so long though.

I went onto the EV Connect app and saw that you can report an issue, so I did. And the popup I got after doing so thanked me for reporting the problem and then said that they will contact the station owner and hope that the problem will be resolved soon.

So EV Connect must operate on a similar model to ChargePoint, and that is that the site host is responsible for at least calling in for repairs (and possibly financially if out of warranty?) I must say that this model is certainly starting to annoy me in that it seems like many hosts are enthusiastic at first and then very quickly lose interest.

From the looks of the site, I suspect they are already operating on pretty slim margins. I suspect they bit off more than they could chew. I would probably write this site off as a failed (but noble) experiment.
 
Oh, I now recall hearing about those units that have a large battery installed in them. Not a bad I deal where the unit gets little use and to have it run from solar as it then has enough time to charge back up between uses.

Perhaps the working J-plug there is also running from the solar with an inverter.

Yeah, I was thinking the same when I saw it there, that the owner must be responsible for the unit. And cannot blame them for not repairing it if they cannot make a profit.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
To their credit, EV Connect actually got back to me from my inquiry in less than 24 hours (that's actually fairly impressive). Not that their response was all that helpful in reaching a solution, but here is what they said:

We currently have an open ticket for this issue and are working with the stations ownership to reach a resolution, we don't have an ETA yet.
Click to expand...

So again, it's probably in the hands of the site host. Which is a shame because I don't give it much chance of being resolved.
 
lpickup said:
To their credit, EV Connect actually got back to me from my inquiry in less than 24 hours (that's actually fairly impressive). Not that their response was all that helpful in reaching a solution, but here is what they said:



So again, it's probably in the hands of the site host. Which is a shame because I don't give it much chance of being resolved.
Click to expand...
Since they have the working fast chargers at Cold Springs Station, which is only ten miles east, Middlegate is not much of an issue. And Middlegate has a working J-plug right next to it that can give anybody that extra ten miles when required. And it is free to use.

But thanks for checking!

-Don- Reno, NV
 
If they intend to just let it sit there and rot, they could at least let EV Connect know that they do not intend to get it repaired and let them come and take the equipment away (possibly use it for spare parts) and get the site removed from the EV Connect system, AFDC, and Plugshare. Too many stations are just sitting there in limbo. And maybe EV Connect (and other networks) should proactively take them out of service if the host goes unresponsive for a certain period of time.

I usually give stations about 6 months to effect repairs, and if not up by them, I usually consider them permanently closed. As I said in a different thread, I do get surprised and some of these stations do eventually come back to life, but I can usually tell by the venue whether it's a host that's interested in repairing or not.
 
I see evidence on Plugshare that this MiddleGate DCFC has been repaired!!! And with a photo from Oct 13, 2023:

MGCCS.jpg
First time I have seen ANY CCS repaired anywhere out here in the west!

-Don- Reno, NV
 
I went there yesterday to try out this charger. It was the first time I had seen it lit up. It was turned off in the past (as in no AC input).

The app would not let me activate it, so I called the phone number, and EV-C said it was offline and not working. So I used the free solar J-plug for a few minutes and went on to the Cold Springs Restaurant (14 miles) where their DCFC always works.

EV-C now has a ticket open on this charger at MiddleGate.

-Don- Reno, NV
 
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