When it comes to automobiles, the future is electric.
The research found that only 72.5% of the 657 EVSEs were functional.
Thats a lot ofEV chargersout of order
40% off TNW Conference!
So they werent even being fixed!
Why does this matter?
Further, California has the greatest density of public open DCFC chargers in the US.
So you would expect the charges to be all systems go.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Further, the EVSE ecosystem comprises a complex stakeholder ecosystem.
Worse, these stakeholders will likely have different levels of visibility.
But, no information about the functional status of each kiosk.
This means its even harder to know who to hold accountability for points of failure.
For example, when blocked by nearby construction, or non-EVs taking up parking spots.
Where to from here?
The researchers note that data transparency and sharing would benefit the entire industry.
They recommend making accurate real-time data on EVSE public.
Also helpful would be standardized maintenance and servicing agreements of EV charging stations.
Non-functional public chargers pose a vital equity issue.
Residents in rented or multi-family dwellings usually charge at public charging stations.
High rates of non-functional chargers stop people from transitioning to EVs.
Now is the time for the industry collectively to fix these problems.
Otherwise, they will only get worse as more EVs hit the road.
And that could set government mandates for EV manufacturing back decades.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin.
