Unreliable Report: Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations

“EV Anxiety,” “Charging Anxiety,” we have all been there, if driving an EV. “Will I be able to find a charging station before my battery hits zero?” But, over time that concern has become less of an issue compared to the worry that even when you pull up to a charging station, will it actually work at all? Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations play a vital role when it comes to the many electric vehicles on the road these days. However, they are not without their challenges. Let’s dig into some of the latest problems and situations that many of us end up dealing with on a daily basis in our new EV world.

A J.D. Power report from May, 2023, focuses on finding the holes in the systems across the United States. As detailed in a follow-up Car & Driver article, “Through the end of Q1 2023, 20.8 percent of EV drivers using public charging stations experienced charging failures or equipment malfunctions that left them unable to charge their vehicles.” The numbers were even more disappointing from a study covering the San Francisco Bay Area that found almost one-quarter of them did not work due to “unresponsive or unavailable screens, payment system failures, charge initiation failures, network failures, or broken connectors.”

As detailed by the same Car & Driver article, the results from the J.D. Power report found the following problems:

1. Station Connectivity (55% of the cause): More than half of all charging failures occur because the station cannot connect to its network for authentication. Since most EV networks rely on cellular links they fall prey to the same problems we can experience with our cell phones when no Wifi service is available.
2. Internal Station Faults or EV Machine Errors (38%): These issues arise within the charging station itself. They can include technical glitches, software errors, or other internal malfunctions.
3. Charging Connector or Cable Problems (4%): Faulty connectors or damaged cables can hinder successful charging sessions.
4. Credit Card Reader Issues (1%): Payment systems can fail, causing inconvenience for users trying to charge their EVs.
5. Display Screen Malfunctions (1%): Non-responsive or broken screens can make it challenging for users to initiate charging.

Deferred Maintenance and Absent Operators: Beyond the technical aspects, deferred maintenance, absent operators, and decommissioned software contribute to the reliability woes of EV charging stations.

So, while electric vehicles themselves are generally reliable, the charging networks that feed” these vehicles power needs on a daily basis, need much improvement to ensure seamless and reliable experiences for EV drivers. These sources need to find EV products and reliable, knowledgeable installers and support companies in order to vastly improve the EV charging networks across this country.

Car & Driver, “What Makes EV Charging Stations Fail?”; John Voelcker, September 26, 2023; https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a45309960/ev-charging-stations-problems/

Autoweek, The EV Charging Industry Has A Maintenance Problem; Jim Motavalli, July 11, 2022; https://www.autoweek.com/news/a40576648/ev-charger-maintenance-problem/

About Turnkey EV Solutions, LLC

Turnkey EV Solutions provides some of the best and most efficient EV products and solutions for electric vehicle charging and networks. From residential to commercial EV installations and EV product arrays, our EV charging solutions are designed to save our customers money, energy, and time. We offer a wide range of EV chargers and accessories so you can find the perfect EV solution for your home, business or fleet EV solution. Our EV solutions include providing the tax benefits and rebates that come with EV products and installation. Our EV teams design, install and customize charging solutions tailored to fit our clients' specific needs. We are committed to offering innovative and reliable EV charging solutions, as well as superior customer service and support.