How EVCS is Repairing Reliability Concerns

One of the biggest concerns among EV drivers today is the reliability of public chargers. One recent survey from the Department of Bioengineering at UC Berkeley claims as many as 23% of public chargers in the Bay Area alone are, as Wired sums up, “nonfunctioning at any given time, stymied by broken screens, shoddy credit card or payment systems, network connection failures, or damaged plugs.” And that’s in a locale prioritizing the conversion to electric. Testimony from motorists seems to corroborate these findings. A CEC survey of 1,290 EV drivers found that fully 60% had experienced damaged or inoperable chargers, while almost half needed assistance from customer service. We find this wholly unacceptable and have taken measures to ensure that chargers in the EVCS network rise to the standard of operability our customers expect. Here are a few ways we’re doing that:

Renovating Existing Infrastructure

In the summer of 2020, we purchased the West Coast Electric Highway, a contiguous network of 56 charging stations in Oregon and Washington. Unfortunately, the chargers were outdated and several had fallen into disrepair. By October of 2021, the first phase in our estimated two-year renovation project had begun, complete with the incorporation of new proprietary networking software, updated payment portals, CCS1 connectors and replacement of old Level 2 and Level 3 chargers.

‍

Utilizing State-of-the-Art Hardware

Our Tritium RT50 chargers are acknowledged by industry experts as among the highest quality available. Their efficiency rating is greater than 90%, with 6000 VAC surge protection, and they maintain peak performance in both extreme heat and subzero temperatures. They’re durable, lightweight and equipped with a patented liquid-cooling technology that allays the effects of humidity, dust and corrosion.

‍

Remote Operational Testing

We maintain a powerful centralized platform that is connected to every charger in our network. This allows us to routinely run diagnostics checks that ensure optimum operability across every area, from electrical flow to RFID connectivity to the status of charging ports and adapters. If we find an issue, we remotely “reboot” the charger as a first step in our maintenance and repair protocols.

‍

Expert Technicians

If a reboot fails to solve the issue, we send a specially trained technician to service the equipment. However, some issues might fail to appear on one of our remote tests, which is why we routinely send field techs out to inspect every one of our installations across the West Coast. Working to preemptively address issues means less of a chance our customers get burdened with the hassle of faulty equipment.

‍

Responsive Customer Service

Despite all our mitigating efforts, we understand problems will still arise. That’s why we maintain a round-the-clock customer support team every day of the year to address charger issues. We can be reached by phone, email or website form, and we respond promptly to issues on social media. Customers who call in will be connected to a live person who is knowledgeable, empathetic and driven to achieve maximum satisfaction.

According to a recent article in Greenbiz, “To accelerate the transition to 100 percent zero-emission vehicle sales for new passenger vehicles in the U.S., the emphasis on charging infrastructure must equally focus on deploying more stations and ensuring a reliable driver experience. Otherwise, we risk slowing down EV adoption…” We completely agree. We remain committed to keeping our chargers in top working order and providing customers a simple, reliable and seamless charging experience.

‍

Back

EVCS Subscription Model Unique Among Industry Peers

Americans today want the following from the products and services they use: 1) freedom; 2) convenience; 3) simplicity; and 4) value. Let’s face it, we’re constantly being inundated by an increasing barrage of choices in just about everything, from the media we consume to how we interface with co-workers to the way we get our groceries. Options that rise to the top are those that offer the clearest and cleanest solutions for the lowest costs.

A Barrage of New EV Models Requires More Infrastructure

According to a recent article in Forbes, Americans will purchase approximately two million EVs in 2022. Dr. Shelley Francis, co-founder, and director of EVHybridNoire notes that demand is increasing “as public perception of the technology shifts from novelty to mainstream,” thanks primarily to the plethora of new EV models hitting the market and a rapid expansion of infrastructure spearheaded by fast-charging network operators like EVCS.

2021: A YEAR IN REVIEW

Two thousand twenty-one saw a plethora of advancements in the electric mobility space, from a record number of charging installations to innovative new EV models hitting the market to progressive climate legislation that is spurring the sea change away from pollutant-emitting ICEs. Amidst all this, the EVCS team once again looks back at the last 12 months to take stock of our own unique achievements in advancing the goal of a cleaner future.

What New $1.4B CEC Funding Means to California

If you’re a Californian, this Thanksgiving season brought a lot to be thankful for, notwithstanding both the Rams and Chargers getting shellacked on the road nor the average 24% price increase of frozen turkeys. No, rather we’re referring to the three-year $1.4 billion funding initiative that was quietly approved by the California Energy Commission the week before the feast-filled holiday kicked off. The goal? Close the Golden State’s 2025 infrastructure funding gap and speed up the push toward Governor Newsom’s plan for a zero-emission “autopia.”