Electrify America
04-17-2023, 09:31 PM
#2
Super Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Philadelphia, PA (USA)
Posts: 833
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158 Posts
EQS 450 4Matic SUV
I believe the "FREE" plan is the default plan. It means that you pay the highest per kW or per minute charge possible, but the monthly membership is FREE.
Last edited by LAZARU5; 04-17-2023 at 10:59 PM.
04-18-2023, 01:43 AM
#3
All MB EVs come with 2 yrs free charging at EA chargers. It means that you can charge for 30 mins at no cost. And they don't enforce a minimum time in between charges, so you can actually disconnect after 30 mins, wait for 2-3 mins and just plugin again to get more charging. I have done this a few times with no issue.
If your dealer didn't setup the free EA charging account, you need to go back to them and get them to figure it out and set it up, because it is not easy to setup yourself. They also give you a little RFID card that you can swipe on the EA credit card reader to get the free charging if the car does not "autodetect" when you plugin the charger.
Please note, as others have posted, the EA network is not as reliable. If you go to a station and it has 5 chargers, expect 1-2 of them to be not working. And often you will try to connect the cable and it won't detect your car or will show you that you have to pay even if you have the free plan. Good news is that their customer service picks up almost immediately and can walk you through the issues so you can charge, but you have to account for all this extra time.
POWER TIP: install the PlugShare app, and if you are going on the road, check the chargers you want to charge at and read the recent checkin reviews. It will tell you if others have reported that the chargers are not working, etc. Last thing you want is to pull up to a charger to charge and find out that all the chargers are offline and then you are stuck.
One more note, if you are on a road trip and need to charge, make sure to input the EA charger you will stop at in your navigation system about 30-40 minutes before you get there. Because the navigation system will automatically then start the pre-conditioning of the battery so that you get the maximum charge rate at the EA charger. This is crucial to get the maximum out of your 30 min charge session. Also, since it is free, always pull up to a 350kwh charger if it is available so you can maximize the amount of charge in the 30 mins.
I have used almost every EA charger now in the Dallas/Ft Area and on I-35 going from Austin to Dallas and also on I-10 going west from Austin to Ft. Stockton. They are putting in new chargers that work a lot better in a lot of these locations.
If your dealer didn't setup the free EA charging account, you need to go back to them and get them to figure it out and set it up, because it is not easy to setup yourself. They also give you a little RFID card that you can swipe on the EA credit card reader to get the free charging if the car does not "autodetect" when you plugin the charger.
Please note, as others have posted, the EA network is not as reliable. If you go to a station and it has 5 chargers, expect 1-2 of them to be not working. And often you will try to connect the cable and it won't detect your car or will show you that you have to pay even if you have the free plan. Good news is that their customer service picks up almost immediately and can walk you through the issues so you can charge, but you have to account for all this extra time.
POWER TIP: install the PlugShare app, and if you are going on the road, check the chargers you want to charge at and read the recent checkin reviews. It will tell you if others have reported that the chargers are not working, etc. Last thing you want is to pull up to a charger to charge and find out that all the chargers are offline and then you are stuck.
One more note, if you are on a road trip and need to charge, make sure to input the EA charger you will stop at in your navigation system about 30-40 minutes before you get there. Because the navigation system will automatically then start the pre-conditioning of the battery so that you get the maximum charge rate at the EA charger. This is crucial to get the maximum out of your 30 min charge session. Also, since it is free, always pull up to a 350kwh charger if it is available so you can maximize the amount of charge in the 30 mins.
I have used almost every EA charger now in the Dallas/Ft Area and on I-35 going from Austin to Dallas and also on I-10 going west from Austin to Ft. Stockton. They are putting in new chargers that work a lot better in a lot of these locations.
Last edited by abhansali; 04-18-2023 at 01:47 AM.
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JoeMa (04-19-2023)
04-24-2023, 07:37 AM
#4
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Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: Iowa
Posts: 785
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217 Posts
2008 CL550, 2022 EQB300, 2022 EQS580
I've been using EA since 2019. They have improved a lot. In the early days, when the machine would reboot, I swear I'd see the Windows 98 screen come up. Anyway, I've not yet successfully gotten a free charge at EA. I plug in, and off I go, but my account still gets charged. Maybe they didn't anticipate someone already having an active EA account when they partnered with Mercedes. As the other person said, their customer service is excellent, and they told me to call them first next time and they'd try to troubleshoot. EA is expanding at a rapid clip...if you go on their website, they post their plans for further rollout. We're getting our 3rd station in Des Moines soon...if we have three, there must be tons in bigger metros near the coasts.
