Blink(less) in Seattle

Another Busted Blink

Seattleites know the situation. Trying to DC quick charge at a Blink CHAdeMO unit in the Seattle-Tacoma area is quite nearly a hopeless endeavor. With half of the region's 14 units perpetually broken or offline, Nissan LEAF and Mitsubishi i-MiEV drivers are forced to take an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle, or test their hypermiling skills, if their travels must go through the EV Badlands of the greater Puget Sound region. 

The first year anniversary of the Ecotality bankruptcy is approaching in September. When Blink's new owners, the Car Charging Group, took over the failed network's infrastructure, many EV drivers rejoiced with optimism. Would the CHAdeMO "doughnut hole" in Seattle be filled? Would existing infrastructure finally be maintained?

Unfortunately, the optimism has turned to despair. And posting PlugShare rage comments has become the preferred method for Seattle-area EV drivers to voice their disgust. Take "Cameron's" recent comment for the South Lake Union Blink unit (pictured above):

Wonderful--Another abandoned and completely useless charger. Blink has been made aware of multiple downed QCs in the Seattle area (6+ months). They have successfully updated the plugs of useless chargers but have done nothing to fix anything else. Way to take tax payer money, focus solely on marketing and then go belly up. I mean, the only reason they even added a large screen to this thing was to target ads. Now we are left with useless infrastructure and no reasonable timeline for repair. I have attempted to get a hold of folks outside of call center but I am always told there is no one else. Is this some sort of joke? How will corps like this ever be held accountable if they can just bail when they mismanage government derived funds and hang EV owners out to dry. I'm getting real tired of this. Yes, I understand their assets have been sold...This am also growing tired of being reminded of.

Eventually, the DC quick charging infrastructure in Seattle will become plentiful and robust. The question is, will Blink be on the map?