Electric Vehicle recharging at campgrounds

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by itat

Excellent post. I totally agree.

We all camp with different requirements for power. The campsite owners will decide how many kWh they’re willing to allow before charging extra or cutting it off. How you reach that limit is no one else’s business. I have single AC. When I book a 50A site for the extra space I don’t complain about my neighbour with 3 ACs and power hungry appliances inside using twice the power that I do.

Current EVs really can’t tow anything much bigger than a popup without severely restricting their range so if an EV owner pulling a popup (or pitching a tent) wants to rent a 30A or 50A site in order to charge their EV why should anyone complain?

Folks who only boondock are probably laughing at this thread!

The underlying issue isn't how much power one uses but rather how much power is being used AT THE SAME TIME AS ALL THE OTHERS.

Same problem is occurring in cities around the country as temps rise and more and more houses are built with central A/C or it's added to existing houses. How many times do we read about brownouts or rolling blackouts during hot weather.

I can recall the time when a single A/C unit on an RV was a rarity. Then the second and third A/C units were added. No longer a rarity.

And then there are the campers that run electric heaters rather than burn propane. Electrical demand throughout society is taxing the power grid so just imagine how much it's impacting the average campground.

Expect change. EV charging is just the latest to be added to the power consumption list behind Electric Heaters, Extra A/C Units, and Electric Dryers. Won't be long before even a 50 Amp service won't be adequate for an RV site. Right now the average cost to install a 100 amp service panel runs $1,200- $1,600. Now multiply that by the number of sites and take into consideration the extra expense of the supply system an RV Park needs that might not be necessary in a residential environment.

All translates to higher rates for the night's stay.

[kfergiez]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

The underlying issue isn't how much power one uses but rather how much power is being used AT THE SAME TIME AS ALL THE OTHERS.

Same problem is occurring in cities around the country as temps rise and more and more houses are built with central A/C or it's added to existing houses. How many times do we read about brownouts or rolling blackouts during hot weather.

I can recall the time when a single A/C unit on an RV was a rarity. Then the second and third A/C units were added. No longer a rarity.

And then there are the campers that run electric heaters rather than burn propane. Electrical demand throughout society is taxing the power grid so just imagine how much it's impacting the average campground.

Expect change. EV charging is just the latest to be added to the power consumption list behind Electric Heaters, Extra A/C Units, and Electric Dryers. Won't be long before even a 50 Amp service won't be adequate for an RV site. Right now the average cost to install a 100 amp service panel runs $1,200- $1,600. Now multiply that by the number of sites and take into consideration the extra expense of the supply system an RV Park needs that might not be necessary in a residential environment.

All translates to higher rates for the night's stay.

All good points. The only issue is that with a 30 amp service, EVs can only charge at a max of 12 amps. You can even lower it.

Anyhow, EVs are still a fraction of today's car sales and U.S. adoption is slow. With all the doom and gloom, people are forgetting that infrastructure is always improving, and yes, EVs help reduce carbon footprints even with the dirtiest electrical production.

Demand begets change. But getting upset at EVs for creating that change is nonsense.

[ferrisjc]

The debate for future use of EV's and using RV park resources is something the RV Campground community is evaluating. Obviously, parks need to be able to make a profit and continue services to the RVing public. At some point, it may become apparent some sort of metering for electric usage will be dealt to the general RV public. In my view this is not a debate on climate change and growing EV usage which most people would agree is good for our environment, it's really how to accommodate it within the confines of RV parks and keeping a profit margin. This is a real dilemma for RV parks and the future for EVs which at some point will be available for RVs as well.

[CHICKDOE]

I never thought I’d be posting on this subject but it is totally pertinent. We made reservations several months ago for the campground we are currently staying at. My son was going to meet us with his tesla. I specifically asked the campground if he would be able to recharge his tesla. The said there are chargers right across the street from the campground. They were right, we can see them from our site. But what they didn’t say was that they do not have the Tesla compatible plug. So we went to recharge my son’s care and the plug doesn’t fit! Problem!

I went to the rv park office and explained the situation. They said just plug into the pedestal, no problem. We’ll let it charge overnight and it will be recharged enough to get him to a tesla compatible charging station on his way home tomorrow. The car is only taking 1kw of charge. That is less than running one air conditioner.

Bottom line, there’s still a pretty big learning curve for the general public to learn about these EV’s. The person who made our reservations didn’t know about the different plugs. I didn’t. But I’m learning.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by ferrisjc

it's really how to accommodate it within the confines of RV parks and keeping a profit margin.

One obvious way would be for the park to install EV Charging stations just like they have Propane fill stations. They can not only be a convenience for customers but also another profit center for the park.

There were tax credits for installing EV charging stations up through the end of 2021 but with the push for more EV's it's logical that it will be extended.

It's very possible that one of the companies that installs pay charging stations around the country might be willing to install machines at the campground much like Coca Cola installs machines just about everywhere. A commission is then paid to the property owner (although often small).

There is a solution to just about ever new problem that arises. All it takes is for one to want to find it and then act.

[ferrisjc]

x2 TitanMike!

[moose074]

I agree with those that say it’s between the campground and camper. If the campground doesn’t have a policy but knows and doesn’t care. Then neither should anyone else. I think the majority of those who are saying “ NO” myself included. Believe that it needs to be agreed along by both parties involved and not just assumed it’s ok. Many of times I have been with family or friends and we all go by something or someone and only one of us sees something odd or out of place the rest would never have noticed if the one person hadn’t mentioned something. I imagine a lot of people drive or walk by and would never notice a car charging especially at night. Which is why some feel it’s ok, campground people came by and didn’t say anything so it’s ok. I will also say that the mention of a EV not being able to tow much So the electric consumption would be off set was a valid point. Like a tent camper in a Tesla at 30 amp spot if allowed by the owner. I will point out though that the Ford Lighting is going to change how much can be towed Finally do I think it is totally stupid to compare a water tanker to someone charging their car yes I do. I was comparing it to a statement of I paid for 50 amps I should be able to use all of the 50 amps I want. I do feel that to be a fair comparison.

[timfromma]

I have no problem paying extra for things like electricity and water usage provided the campground makes these extra charges known to me before I book. I can then make an informed choice as to whether or not I want to stay there. If I'm told that I'm renting a full hookup site and that's it, I will assume that there are no limitations and I can use and much as I need and / or want.

[cincia]

"It would be like a restaurant advertising an all you can eat buffet then asking you to leave before you've had your fill. If a campground cannot for whatever reason supply a constant 50A service to every customer who paid for 50A service then they need to let people know up front what limitations there are on their utilities. Don't rent me a 50A site then get upset when I use all 50A."

I agree with this up to a point but, the way I feel, it would be like going to an all you can eat restuarant, eating your fill, then putting some food in a bag to eat later on. I'm not sure what the solution is but the electric at the campground is for your use while you're there. Lots of sides to this and I'm sure it will take awile for it to all sort out.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by cincia

"It would be like a restaurant advertising an all you can eat buffet then asking you to leave before you've had your fill. If a campground cannot for whatever reason supply a constant 50A service to every customer who paid for 50A service then they need to let people know up front what limitations there are on their utilities. Don't rent me a 50A site then get upset when I use all 50A."

I agree with this up to a point but, the way I feel, it would be like going to an all you can eat restuarant, eating your fill, then putting some food in a bag to eat later on. I'm not sure what the solution is but the electric at the campground is for your use while you're there. Lots of sides to this and I'm sure it will take awile for it to all sort out.

Read post#45

Most likely the only way to deal with the issue that doesn't involve major price increases in nightly charge.

No EV, no extra cost. Bring an EV then pay extra to charge at an EV charging station.

[cincia]

"No EV, no extra cost. Bring an EV then pay extra to charge at an EV charging station."

I think you're right TitanMike.

[richp]

There already is an economic model that works for an energy company to install paid charging stations at Walmarts and various interstate highway stops.

Surely that company could be enticed to do so at a central charging location at campgrounds (at least the larger ones).