Question 1

How do I charge this thing?!

Accepted Answer

There is a plug in charger in the trunk that works off any standard wall plug. Its called an L1 charger, which means it takes more than all night to charge the car. It’s much faster to use an L2 charger - you will find L2 chargers all over the city on the ChargePoint network. Some hotels have L2 chargers you can use. To charge, use the Chargepoint card. You wave the card in front of the charger and wait for the card to authorize. You’ll hear a “click” and the handle will be ready to plug in. L2 chargers charge the car in about 3-4 hours (fiat) or 12+ hours (Bolt).

Question 2

Where are the chargers I can use?!

Accepted Answer

There are four ways to find them.
1 - By far the easiest is to use google maps (not apple).  Just search for "ChargePoint" and you'll see all the chargers.
2 - You can use the ChargePoint website: https://na.chargepoint.com/charge_point search for "Austin, TX".
3 - The Chargepoint app is super helpful if you want to download it. It’s really the best way to navigate the charger network.
4 - PlugShare is an app that shows all chargers, including private chargers that are available to the public.  but be careful - the app also shows private chargers that are not open to the public.  tricky!

Question 3

Anything I should know about the ChargePoint chargers?

Accepted Answer

Yes! I learn more about the chargers in Austin every day. Here’s some important things to keep in mind...
 
Some chargers are free, but in paid parking garages. You are not exempt from the parking fees, and you are responsible if you incur parking fees. If you need help understanding a specific charging station just ask and I will help.
 
You can use other chargers - you are not limited to Chargepoint. Some hotels have chargers you can use for free. Fiats and Bolts cannot use Tesla chargers. In the ChargePoint app Tesla chargers show up differently than standard L2s If you have any questions about a specific charger, feel free to reach out to me and we’ll figure it out together.
 
I am slowly learning all the chargers in Austin and can help.

Question 4

Can I make it to (the Magnolia Silos, San Antonio, Dallas, etc)?"

Accepted Answer

Only the truly ambitious and patient can do roadtrips in a Fiat EV. I strongly discourage you from trying.
 
Bolts can go to any of the popular day trips, but I highly recommend a charging plan.  Let me know and I can help.

Question 5

I drove 2 miles and the range went down 10 miles!  What's wrong?

Accepted Answer

The range on the dash is a calculated value. That means that the car is trying to calculate the range based on your driving.

Most fiat 500e fans and owners call it "the guess-o-meter" because it fluctuates so much. Its calculated on your current driving plus the driving history over the last couple trips, so it might not be accurate for what you are doing.

This becomes more important when its hot or cold out. Just like you run the AC to keep cool, the car has a system to keep the batteries cool. It runs when its hot out.

I drive these cars all the time and I use the % charge to understand the range. Its the green bar on the left of the dash.

Question 6

What's a DC Fast Charger?

Accepted Answer

DC Fast chargers are the fastest available charger, similar to Tesla Superchargers.  There are not many of them, but more and more every day.  Here are the important things to know about DC Fast chargers:
 
1 - They do not work with Fiats.  This is important.  There are no adapters, its just not gonna happen.
 
2 - Bolts can use DC Fast chargers, but they are not free.  You can pay for them directly or put them on the chargepoint card and you'll be billed for DC Fast charging later.

Question 7

The charge is below 20%, should I worry?

Accepted Answer

Yes!  Life is too short to risk stranding the car, and once you're below 20% the risk is very high.  You should already be planning to charge when you hit 50%.  Doesn't mean you have to charge right away, but at that point you should at least know where your next charge is.  At 20%, planning doesn't really matter and you should just charge immediately.

Question 8

I have never charged and electric car, what could go wrong?

Accepted Answer

great question!

let's talk about what could go wrong. I strongly recommend you use L2 charging at ChargePoint stations (so does fiat).  Assuming you are at a ChargePoint and having trouble, I made a video that explains how to work through issues with an L2 charger.

The only thing I missed is that you can actually push the thumb button on the charge handle to reset the handle.  That's something I always try.

If you're using the charger in the trunk, or you just want to know about charging, you'll want to watch this video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhoOsiFEs6M

Question 9

I love driving this car - can I drive it anywhere?

Accepted Answer

If you stay in town you'll almost always be near a charger. Austin Energy and Chargepoint have done a great job of installing chargers. If you drive the car out of town, be aware of the availability of chargers to help you get home. Wimberly is a charger desert :)

Question 10

Are there any quirks to the Fiat EV? Anything I should know?

Accepted Answer

Yes! To start the car, you turn the key all the way as if you are starting the engine. You’re really not, but I guess Fiat likes you to imagine you are.
 
If you leave the lights on, they will go off when you turn the key off. For some strange reason they will still draw power. Not much, but they do. Very odd.
 
The messaging is a little strange.  Maybe its an english translation, but don't take the messaging too literal.

Question 11

The wall charger in the trunk takes forever. Is there anything I can do to speed it up?

Accepted Answer

It really does.  I would not depend on the charger in the trunk to help, but its great to have in a pinch. 
 
In the fiats, there is a yellow adapter in the trunk with the charger. If you can use that adapter to plug into a dryer plug, the car will charge must faster.

BTW - the slow charger requires a grounded plug.  if the charger doesn't boot up correctly (all green lights), odds are very good you are using an ungrounded plug.

Question 12

This is too much to read - don't you have a video that explains everything?

Accepted Answer

This is a nice video from fiat that really explains everything...

This guy does a great job explaining how ChargePoint chargers work.

Frequently asked questions