Six months with my Leaf and I finally found a free charger at the library

Was running errands near the downtown branch in Portland and spotted a Level 2 in the back lot that wasn't on any app. Plugged in for 90 minutes and got enough range to skip my usual stop at the paid fast charger. Does your town have any hidden free spots like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

faithb7812d ago

You ever try to use PlugShare for those chargers that aren't on any app? Half the time the info is outdated or wrong anyway. Found a free L2 at a city pool near me once, but someone had unplugged it to charge their scooter. Those random government websites are a pain to dig through though, not gonna lie. Usually just end up sticking with the paid ones because it's easier.

gavinhunt12d ago

You said "does your town have any hidden free spots like that" but I gotta point out that free Level 2 chargers aren't really hidden most of the time. They're usually on PlugShare or the city's own website if you dig around enough. Portland is pretty good about listing them on the city's EV map, it's just that the library one might not show up on the big apps like ChargePoint because it's a standalone unit. I found a free L2 at a county park near me in Ohio that wasn't on any app either, but it was actually listed on the park district's PDF map from 2022. So yeah, check those weird government pages before you call it hidden.