Tech Desk
Aug 07, 2024
The electric vehicle (EV) industry currently seems to be heading, which makes one wonder whether the bust cycle is near.
There’s concern over the state of EV infrastructure, while the EV charging network across the US has made quite the round, a report published by ChargerHelp which offers EV charger operations and maintenance solutions reveals the damming reality.
Over four years, ChargerHelp studied 20,000 charging stations, comparing self-reported data to driver experiences.
The study revealed that EV chargers can break in many ways, including, broken retractor systems meant to protect the cable from being mangled by tyres, broken screens and inoperable payment systems.
Chargerhekp also landed on the conclusion that actual uptime is 73.7% compared to the 84.6% reported by EV charger network providers.
The study found that 26% of stations registered a difference between self-reported data and river experiences.
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There’s constant trouble on this front, some charging stations overstate the number of stalls they have, leaving drivers hanging Then there’s the problem of “ghost” stations, these appear in-app but don’t exist in real life.
“Zombie apps” are operable, and do not appear in-app but do exist in reality, meaning drivers never get to them in the first place.
Finally “Dead ends” appear in-app and do exist in reality but do not work.
ChargerHelp had its report reviewed and endorsed by Professor Gil Tal, director of the Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis.
The report uncovers a troubling reality, with EV sales in a downturn and existing networks needing maintenance, the future of EVs is at a decisive turn.
