File photo for illustration purposes. Image Credit: Man charging EV by mpohodzhay/Shutterstock.Running low on charge in an unfamiliar EV is stressful enough without having to worry about whether the nearest available charger will cost a small fortune. One Michigan driver learned that lesson after plugging his rented Chevrolet Bolt into a station he found through the EVgo app.Stanley Kpenkann was returning home after dropping a friend off at the airport when the Bolt's remaining range became a concern. With what he estimated was roughly 20 minutes of driving left, he searched for a nearby place to charge.According to WXYZ/ABC7, the EVgo app directed Kpenkann to a charger at a Hyundai dealership on Hall Road in Macomb Township. The station appeared available through the app, and Kpenkann connected the Bolt for a 44-minute charging session.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe surprise arrived afterward when Kpenkann discovered that the session had cost him an astonishing $418. He initially assumed the amount had to be a billing error, but the explanation turned out to be considerably stranger.The Charger Cost $5 Per KWh And $5 Per MinuteFile photo for illustration purposes. Image Credit: EV Charging sarawuth/Shutterstock.Kpenkann initially assumed something had gone wrong with the billing system. A single charging stop costing hundreds of dollars certainly didn't resemble the EV charging prices he expected to encounter.EVgo subsequently confirmed that the charge was legitimate. The station was priced at an extraordinary $5 per kilowatt-hour while simultaneously charging another $5 for every minute the vehicle remained connected.Kpenkann told WXYZ that he didn't see those rates before beginning the session, although the pricing was displayed on the charging machine itself. At 44 minutes, the time-based portion alone could account for $220 before the cost of the electricity was added.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe charger carries ChargePoint branding, while Kpenkann found and accessed it through EVgo. An EVgo spokesperson explained to WXYZ that the two companies have a roaming agreement allowing EVgo customers to use compatible ChargePoint stations through their EVgo accounts.The Hyundai Dealer Didn't Want The Public Using ItThere was a reason the charging price was so extreme. The Hyundai dealership told WXYZ's reporter that the charger was intended for its own customers and vehicles rather than general public use.Dealership managers said the unusually high rates were deliberately established to discourage outsiders from plugging in. The problem for Kpenkann was that the station was still available through the EVgo app.EVgo told WXYZ that roaming was enabled at the dealership, allowing drivers to charge there using an EVgo account. However, the company said the dealership owns the station and determines its pricing.AdvertisementAdvertisementThat created a strange situation where a charger apparently intended to discourage public use was still accessible through a public charging app. Kpenkann argued that if outsiders weren't supposed to use it, the charger shouldn't have appeared available to them in the first place.EVgo Eventually Refunded $405Kpenkann contacted EVgo after receiving the bill, but the company initially maintained that the $418 charge was valid. Following further discussions and WXYZ's involvement, that changed.EVgo ultimately issued what it described as a $405 "goodwill refund." Kpenkann was left paying $13.27, which the company said represented what the 44-minute session would normally have cost under his EVgo subscription plan.That means nearly the entire original bill disappeared. Kpenkann was happy to receive the money back, although he questioned why intervention from a television station was necessary before the issue was resolved.Check The Price Before Plugging InImage Credit: VisualArtStudio/Shutterstock.The incident shows an unusual complication with public EV charging, as a station appearing inside a charging network's app doesn't necessarily mean its owner has priced it like a conventional public charger.AdvertisementAdvertisementFor Kpenkann, the combination of a $5-per-kWh electricity rate and $5-per-minute fee turned an otherwise ordinary 44-minute stop into a $418 shock. His final advice to other EV drivers was to check the station's pricing carefully before starting a session.That is particularly important when driving a rental or traveling through an unfamiliar area. Kpenkann ultimately paid only $13.27, but not before learning just how expensive plugging into the wrong charger can become.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
