- EV drivers reported problems nearly half the time they pulled up to Shell Recharge stations, according to a new study.
- EVgo and Blink charging stations also fared poorly for reliability among consumers, with the most common issues involving payment systems and broken hardware.
- Tesla Superchargers and the Rivian Adventure Network have the highest reliability among charging stations in the U.S.
Road-tripping in an electric vehicle is becoming increasingly easier in the U.S. thanks to a burgeoning network of public charging stations. But that experience is far from perfect. A new Consumer Reports study found that some charging networks are so buggy that drivers have nearly a 50/50 chance of running into problems when they pull up to recharge.
The study surveyed 1,230 owners of fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids. It ranked charging networks from driver feedback by how often charging sessions faltered. The Tesla Supercharger network continued to be on top, with issues reported in just 4% of the sessions.
Rivian has a far smaller network of chargers but it wasn’t far behind Tesla in reliability. Only 5% of its charging sessions were buggy. That means if you plug into either of these networks, you can be pretty certain that the charger will actually work.
Rivian R1S at a Rivian charging point
The same can’t be said for Shell Recharge and EVgo stations. Drivers using Shell Recharge stations experienced problems during 48% of their charging sessions. EVgo chargers also left customers hanging, with issues emerging 41% of the time they plugged in, as per the report. Electrify America (35%) and ChargePoint (21%) fared better but still have room for improvement.
Glitchy payment systems, broken hardware and slow charging speeds were the most serious problems. A whopping 76% of the issues involved dead touchscreens or those displaying cryptic error messages.
| Charging Networks (As per Consumer Reports) | % Of Charging Sessions Laced With Problems |
| Shell Recharge | 48% |
|
EVgo |
43% |
| Blink | 41% |
| AmpUp | 38% |
| Electrify America | 35% |
| Volta | 33% |
| EV Connect | 31% |
| ChargePoint | 24% |
| FLO | 24% |
| Rivian | 5% |
| Tesla | 4% |
| Other | 16% |
While charging speeds also depend on the vehicle and how much voltage and current it can accept, the responsibility for broken hardware and payment systems falls on electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) providers and charge point operators (CPOs). (That is, if they're not vandalized.)
Charging stations with fragmented ownership or those working with a patchwork of different providers need more collaboration to diagnose and fix any given issue.
EVgo fast charging station
“One big factor at play could be that charging network operators are using different hardware and software components that do not interact well together,” Drew Toher, the sustainability campaign manager for Consumer Reports, told InsideEVs. “This adds additional complexity to tracking, diagnosing and fixing the issues,” he added.
Tesla and Rivian get it right because they design, manufacture and operate their charging stations. They also own and control the full software stack, meaning rolling out updates, fixing bugs and ensuring a high uptime is streamlined. They also have seamless vehicle integration. Tesla owners, for example, can simply plug in and charge after they set up the app and membership account during purchase. That means no figuring out payments or fiddling with credit cards on the go.
Toher said problems at charging stations involving different parties to help things run smoothly can be solved with improved transparency.
“Charging networks can provide open access to real-time station data, provide better methods for consumers to identify problems at stations, take measures to address them quickly and track their progress to ensure network health steadily improves." We’re already seeing this happen in some capacity with Electrify America having improved its charging experience over time.
"When it comes to broken or nonresponsive screens, which is the most common problem EV drivers are reporting, a possible reason could be because charging networks are defining uptime as whether the station is receiving electrical power and not whether it is actually functioning,” Toher said. So a station could be receiving power from the grid, but the components that funnel that electricity onto EVs might fail. Like the cables or the dispensers themselves.
“For drivers, this issue shows up as chargers looking operational on apps or maps but can leave them stranded and searching for another option," Toher said.
EV drivers can themselves solve the issues with some planning and practice. Community-based apps such as PlugShare can tell you the real-time availability and status of public charging stations. If battery preconditioning is available, drivers can ensure that's on before they reach the charging station to ensure optimal pack temperature for faster charging.
And getting a Level 2 home charger would satisfy most of your driving needs. About 80% of EV charging happens at home, anyway, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Nonetheless, charging companies need to do more to improve reliability. In fact, the study says 19% of problems EV owners faced involved the charger not starting even though payment was accepted. That means they paid for a service they didn’t receive.
“With these findings, CR is encouraging all charging networks to take ownership of their performance and implement measures to improve reliability,” Toher said.
"By calling out broken screens, payment issues, and slow charging power, community members are crowdsourcing data that will hold charging networks accountable and improve drivers’ experience with public charging,” he added.
Have a tip? Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com
