I hate renting cars. I booked a rental car from SNA through Budget for drop off at LAX. Apparently I somehow managed to book an EV. I don't want to have to deal with charging an EV while I'm on vacation.... But here we are.
I was surprised and somewhat relieved to find that this BP Pulse station is located right across the street from the new rental car building. There were so many chargers and they were all open. I've seen videos of the lengthy lines at super charger stations, so I'm glad this station wasn't busy.
The first stall we pulled into, we had a difficult time connecting the charger to the car. We probably looked very confused and frustrated, but this guy came out to help us. That was super nice. I think he works here based on like the professional help we received, but maybe he was a customer. Idk. I know Tesla super chargers don't have service attendants, but that's cool if this one does.
The car took about 20 minutes to charge 25% and cost $12. It seems like that is a slower rate than a Tesla supercharger, but I'm not sure.
This station has a small "lounge" area that has tables chairs and vending machines. There are a couple bathrooms too that are way nicer than your typical gas station restroom.
I think it was so empty because it's relatively new. Maybe if the rental car companies told people about this place, it would help the customers out. read more