TIL the hard way that charging at a mall in Chicago is a nightmare

I was at Oak Brook Center last weekend thinking I'd grab a quick charge while I shopped. Turns out 5 of the 8 ChargePoint stations were down and the rest had ICE cars parked in front of them. Waited 45 minutes for a spot to open up and then paid $.42/kWh which is crazy compared to my home rate. After that I started using PlugShare religiously and checking reviews before I go anywhere. Has anyone else had better luck at specific malls or do you just avoid them altogether?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamieperez17d ago

Didn't I see somewhere that Oak Brook specifically has been having charger issues for months now? I swear I read a local news article that said half their stations were sitting broken for over a year. That $.42/kWh is brutal though, I pay like $.11 at home so I'd be furious too. PlugShare is basically mandatory now, I won't even leave my driveway without checking it first. The whole "charge while you shop" idea sounds great on paper but in practice it's just a big headache waiting to happen.

finleyk8717d ago

Funny you mention that article, I actually remember it too... but here's the thing nobody's talking about: those broken chargers might actually be a blessing in disguise. Think about it, if half the spots are dead, then the working ones are getting way more traffic than they're designed for which just burns them out faster. It's like a self fulfilling cycle of broken junk. And honestly, I'm starting to wonder if the whole "charge while you shop" model is just a way for malls to get people in the door without actually fixing the infrastructure. Seems like they know people will still come if there's even a chance of getting some juice.