[ColoradoNative]

Found myself in Broomfield CO yesterday, so I swung past the Starbucks/Volvo chargers and gave them a go.

The good news:
Two chargers do exist and are fully operational. I got 65KW on a test charge.

The bad news:
It was not free. $0.45/KW with a fee if you stay after charging is complete. FWIW, I activated the session using my ChargePoint card rather than the Volvo Cars app because my app no longer shows any charging stations. (I've had a ticket open with Volvo on that for over a month with no resolution.) I made sure the Volvo Connection is active within the Chargpoint app, but it doesn't generate any special pricing at this charger. Also, the Starbucks is in a location where there aren't enough parking spots to begin with. When I visited, the lot as full and one of the two charger spaces was occupied by an ICE vehicle.

Maybe Volvo will make good on their promise of free charging for Volvo owners once the whole route in complete.

 

[ColoradoNative]

wonder if there is a punishment scheme for ice cars in ev slots in general!

The State of Colorado threatens a $150 fine for occupying an EV charging space without charging. There's also a sticker that every EV is supposed to display which identifies the vehicle as an EV that can legally occupy that space (and now a special licence plate.)

It sounds great but the authorities certainly don't patrol charging locations. I suspect you must be sufficiently angered to (1) call the police; (2) wait around for an officer to arrive; (3) point at the offending vehicle. I don't think they'll tow, so you may still need to go find another charging station.

I may do it next time just to see it play out.

 

[ColoradoNative]

Is the sticker thing something many states have?
I had always assumed the electrical plug sticking in my car as the sticker but since you said about it I realize that this would assume an officer / ticket person is as up on recognizing an ev as we are.

And the number of times people (especially a year or 2 ago) would start a conversation with “I that an ev” I guess a sticker might be needed.

I hate car stickers but would be willing to have one to promote and identify as having an ev

Thanks for the info.

Hehe... that's why I said we're 'supposed to display the sticker' - I don't and neither do most EV owners. Being jacked into the charger seems enough of an indication that I'm allowed in the charging spot. The special license plate is a better option.

 

[ColoradoNative]

I went skiing today and took the opportunity to check on the Silverthorne and Idaho Springs charging stations.

The Silverthorne station is fully operational. FWIW, It's about seven blocks off I-70, and six blocks from the Starbucks. The chargers say 200kWh but I only got 84kWh at 32%. I paid $0.45/kWh.

The Idaho Springs station does exist but it's not operational yet. It's on the backside of Starbucks by Clear Creek.

Of course there's nothing special about these chargers unless Volvo follows through with their promise that 'drivers of Volvo Cars will get the added benefit of having access to these stations at no charge or at preferential rates.' I'm not seeing any of that yet.

 

[ColoradoNative]

... unless Volvo follows through with their promise that 'drivers of Volvo Cars will get the added benefit of having access to these stations at no charge or at preferential rates.

I used the app to contact customer support, and asked if Volvo intended to honor what was said in the press release. The agent initially claimed that no such promise had been made. I referred the agent to the original press release, and after a few minutes the agent replied with:

"I have found a message in our internal system that states the original communication mentioned this being free. But there is a technical issue that is keeping this benefit from being enabled and there is no ETA on a fix."

So, it might happen eventually.