A Man Charged His EV at a Dealership - and Was Billed $418
The EV blog Electrek reports: A Clinton Township, Michigan man was charged $418 for a single EV charging session at Elder Hyundai's Macomb Township store after finding the charger listed as publicly available on the EVgo app, but didn't discover the charges until after wrapping up his 40-ish minute charging session. "I was flabbergasted," explained Stanley Kpenkann, who had been driving a rented…
A man in Clinton Township, Michigan was charged $418 for a single electric vehicle charging session at a dealership. Stanley Kpenkann, who was driving a rented Chevy Bolt EV, discovered the charges only after completing a 40-minute charging session. The dealership, Elder Hyundai, was charging customers $5 per kWh plus an additional $5 for each minute connected.
After contacting EVgo, the company refunded Kpenkann $405. However, the dealership maintained that their charger was reserved for their own customers and vehicles, justifying the high prices to discourage outside use. This incident highlights broader issues within the EV charging business and car dealership practices. Some dealerships, like a local Hyundai dealer in Union, NJ, have been charging exorbitant rates, such as $15 per kWh, while others have used signage to dissuade public use.
Unlike gas stations, EV charging point operators in many states are not required to clearly advertise their charges before a driver plugs in, unlike gas stations that have clearly visible street-level signage.
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