I have no proof but I have no doubt EV charger companies receive succulent donations from the state for the number of chargers without specifying their operational status. Total win for them in the long term.
I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
201–210 of 247 posts
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#202Earlier quoted context omitted.
You might have missed the first paragraph where they mentioned the gas shortages. We were in south Florida at the same time, and there were three distinct groups: people driving gas guzzling SUVs and trucks who were waiting in line for 4+ hours at the handful of stations which had any gas (some of the stations put up signs when they were out, but many did not hoping you’d buy something else since you were there), peo…
> The Florida fuel shortage was caused by flooding which is becoming more common Is it? I am in Florida now for almost 45 years and flooding like that is neither common, nor happening with more frequency.
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#203Earlier quoted context omitted.
way more mature, sure, but simpler? it has to vend a liquid and measure its amount and then charge you at the pump a specific amount. whereas the EV chargers are a cable and an Internet connection.
Don’t forget gas pumps also have to remove and store vapors from the vehicles’ tanks. So I agree, waaaay more complicated. Other than contractors, I’d imagine there are no moving parts on an ev charger.
You have to properly fit the plug into socket and tolerances are small so connector wear is bigger as people most likely just shove it in or force it connecting or disconnecting.
Gas pump for user still can go wrong but tolerances on user just putting it in a bit wrong are much bigger. Tear and wear on gas pump for me is almost non existent.
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#204Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The Florida fuel shortage was caused by flooding which is becoming more common Is it? I am in Florida now for almost 45 years and flooding like that is neither common, nor happening with more frequency.
Ahh yes, I forgot that HN rule where pointing out someone’s rhetoric on the acceptable opinion is verboten and creates the downvote effect.
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#205Earlier quoted context omitted.
Gas stations have attendants. When payment doesn’t work, a person can go tell someone and still pay. When a pump has an issue it can be switch off when it first happens. If it’s an easy fix, it can be done right there. If it’s not an easy fix they can schedule a repair. These charging stations were built with a business model of set-it-and-forget-it. This doesn’t work. It should have been obvious this wouldn’t work,…
> These charging stations were built with a business model of set-it-and-forget-it. This doesn’t work. Except it does work for Tesla chargers. I never had any issues when using superchargers. But connect to a fast charging station operated by one of the other vendors - payment doesn't work, it's out of order, handshake issues. I have no other explanation except the hardware and software are low quality.
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#206Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is solved by Tesla... You just drive up to a supercharger and plug in. No apps nothing.
So your car is already registered with your payment, which is what people are disagreeing with. The problem isn't the "app", it's the fact that you need to register with an additional payment processor rather than just tapping your card like everywhere else
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#207IMHO the state of the charging network is a major disincentive against buying any CCS equipped EV in the US. Fortunately over the next couple of years every company is switching to NACS and will in theory be able to use Tesla's charging network. This is not great news for the cars bought this year or next though, it would be like buying Betamax.
If all the adoption does is mean you can use Tesla chargers, that's not a great positive. If existing stations upgrade the plug it doesn't make the charging station any more reliable or the payment system any better.
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#208Earlier quoted context omitted.
Gas stations have attendants. When payment doesn’t work, a person can go tell someone and still pay. When a pump has an issue it can be switch off when it first happens. If it’s an easy fix, it can be done right there. If it’s not an easy fix they can schedule a repair. These charging stations were built with a business model of set-it-and-forget-it. This doesn’t work. It should have been obvious this wouldn’t work,…
> These charging stations were built with a business model of set-it-and-forget-it. This doesn’t work. Except it does work for Tesla chargers. I never had any issues when using superchargers. But connect to a fast charging station operated by one of the other vendors - payment doesn't work, it's out of order, handshake issues. I have no other explanation except the hardware and software are low quality.
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#209A few months back I had to go to Palm Beach for work. It was right when Miami was flooding. That's over two hours away. But, the Port Everglades, which is where the tankers unload, was flooded too, and even up in Palm Beach there was no gas. I drove in there with low fuel, thinking it wouldn't be an issue since I was so far north. But, then couldn't find gas at all the next day, and driving around and seeing tons of…
Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken
#210unpaywalled: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/i-visited-over-120... . Microsoft to the rescue.
Changed above from https://www.wsj.com/tech/i-visited-over-120-ev-chargers-thre... . Thanks!