EV RESOURCE
  • Home
  • Learn.
    • EV 101 >
      • EV Terminology
      • What is an EV?
      • Pros and Cons
      • EV Types
      • Are used EVs a good option?
      • How much range do you really need?
      • Real world range
      • Types of charging and charging stations
      • How Long Does It Take To Charge
      • EV Charging Apps
      • All about EV Batteries
      • Regenerative Braking
      • BEV System Components
      • EV Maintenance
      • EV Mythbusting >
        • Myth: EVs are worse for the environment
        • Myth: EVs aren't good for emergencies/evacuations
        • Myth: It takes weeks or months to cross the US in an EV
    • Podcast
    • Newsletter
    • Magazine
    • Articles >
      • Opinion
      • EV Owner Stories
    • Vehicle Reviews
    • Alternative Fueling Station Locator
  • Connect.
    • Database Request
  • Experience.
  • Deals
  • Shop
  • About Us

2/12/2023

Unreliability of EV Fast-Charging Stations Frustrates EV Drivers

Comments

Read Now
 
If you drive an electric vehicle and pull in to a public charging station, you want it to work. However, reports suggest that the failure rate is quite high, some networks worse than others.
Picture
A Kia EV6 finds success with Electrify America. Photo credit: Felix Mizioznikov - stock.adobe.com
Picture
How many times, before EVs, did you ever pull up to a gas pump and it wasn't turned on, had an issue with billing, or just didn't work at all? While it does happen, it's not likely something that you can easily recall and would be far from what you would call a typical experience. The up-time on gas pumps is not something that is often thought about, much less discussed. We've grown accustomed to the "it just works" experience for so long. So, when it comes to electric vehicles and charging at public fast-charging networks, we have the very same expectation. It just needs to work.

Unfortunately, all too often, it doesn't. 
In mid-2022, J.D. Power released an EV charging report outlining many of the problems with public fast-charging sites, finding many "owners in high EV volume markets like California, Texas and Washington, for instance, are finding the charging infrastructure inadequate and plagued with non-functioning stations."

One of the key takeaways from that study indicated that "one out of every five respondents ended up not charging their vehicle during their visit. Of those who didn’t charge, 72% indicated that it was due to the station malfunctioning or being out of service."

​Within the last month, the team at Out of Spec Studios, lead by Kyle Connor, started a weekly report on the state of public charging called: Rate Your Charge.

Every Saturday they send out a newsletter summarizing data from numerous fast charger check-ins from regular EV owners. Hundreds of reports, good, bad, or failed have poured in from around the country showing that the reliability problem with public fast-charging networks is not going away. In their most recent report, they highlighted 'app inaccuracy' saying:
"This week, we recorded 55 instances of app inaccuracy. There were 34 instances with Electrify America, 6 instances with ChargePoint, 5 instances with Tesla, 3 instances with EVgo, as well as 7 instances from other operators. We even had a check-in where the Electrify America app showed the CHAdeMO charger online, but it was actually not functional. App inaccuracies from Electrify America are especially concerning this week. We recorded many instances of chargers displaying as available in the app, but were actually offline or unavailable. We also recorded instances of chargers claiming to be plugged in when there is no vehicle, meaning that station is effectively unavailable. We recorded instances of communication and initialization errors, as well as charges that abruptly stopped just a few minutes into a charging session."
Picture
Tesla's Supercharger Network consistently ranks as the most reliable. Photo Credit: sheilaf2002 - stock.adobe.com
Despite the many advantages of owning an EV, using public fast charging stations can be a source of disappointment for many EV owners. Inadequate charging network coverage and unreliable charging equipment, and app inaccuracy are just a couple of the issues that public fast charging stations often fail to deliver on, leaving EV owners feeling frustrated.

With continued investment and improvements to the infrastructure, it is hoped that these issues will be addressed and EV owners will be able to experience a smooth and convenient charging process.

How has your experience been with public fast-charging? Send us a message to [email protected] or leave a comment below!

Share

Comments
Details

    Categories

    All
    Aerodynamics
    Alternative Fuels
    Aptera
    Arcimoto
    Arcimoto FUV
    Artificial Intelligence
    Battista Hyper GT
    Bentley
    Bi-Directional Charging
    Blink Charging
    Chevrolet
    Chevy Bolt EV/EUV
    Commercial Delivery Vehicles
    Commercial Vehicles
    Concept Vehicles
    Consumer Information
    Corvette
    Corvette E-Ray
    Cybertruck
    Electric Fire Truck
    Electric Vehicle Festival
    EV Batteries
    EV Brakes
    EV Chargers
    EV Charging
    EV Conversions
    Events
    EV Fires
    EV History
    EV Policy
    EV Racing
    EV Safety
    EV Tax Credit
    EV Trucks
    EV Vans
    Extreme E
    F-150 Lightning
    Federal Tax Credit
    Fleet
    Ford
    GM
    Hyundai
    ID.2 Concept
    IONIQ 6
    Kia
    Kia EV9
    Land Speed Racing
    Mercedes-Benz
    Mullen Automotive
    Mustang Mach-E
    Pininfarina
    Polestar
    Polestar 4
    Qiantu K50
    Ram 1500 REV
    Recall
    Rivian
    Scout
    Solar EVs
    Sono Motors
    Spark EV
    Spy Shots
    Subaru
    Tesla
    Tesla Model Y
    Tesla Supercharger Network
    Toyota
    Vehicle Design
    VinFast
    Volkswagen
    Volvo
    World Records

    Archives

    June 2024
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    August 2022
    April 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019

Picture
Have a question you'd like to ask us? 
Email Us

Follow Us


© Copyright 2024 EvoSpark Media Group
  • Home
  • Learn.
    • EV 101 >
      • EV Terminology
      • What is an EV?
      • Pros and Cons
      • EV Types
      • Are used EVs a good option?
      • How much range do you really need?
      • Real world range
      • Types of charging and charging stations
      • How Long Does It Take To Charge
      • EV Charging Apps
      • All about EV Batteries
      • Regenerative Braking
      • BEV System Components
      • EV Maintenance
      • EV Mythbusting >
        • Myth: EVs are worse for the environment
        • Myth: EVs aren't good for emergencies/evacuations
        • Myth: It takes weeks or months to cross the US in an EV
    • Podcast
    • Newsletter
    • Magazine
    • Articles >
      • Opinion
      • EV Owner Stories
    • Vehicle Reviews
    • Alternative Fueling Station Locator
  • Connect.
    • Database Request
  • Experience.
  • Deals
  • Shop
  • About Us