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I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

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Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#171

Post by gniv »

KingOfCoders wrote: post #127

Same in Germany. So many broken chargers for weeks. Read through the article, but I still don't know why so many are broken and stay broken, it says "So what was wrong with these particular machines? It could be one of many things—a broken part, a power issue, a defective connector." I don't need an article to answer why are chargers broken if the answer is "Could be one of many things, ...". Why are gasoline station…

> Read through the article, but I still don't know why so many are broken and stay broken,

Exactly. I was expecting some insights into federal subsidies and bad incentives. Or maybe rushing to be the first on the market, getting the best locations while cutting corners on quality. Or a shortage of qualified technicians.

Still don't know what's wrong.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#172

Post by somerandomqaguy »

grecy wrote: post #153
closeparen wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I try tap-to-pay at every gas pump that has the hardware, but only at 1 in 5 or so does it actually work.

Come up to Canada, I've never experienced one NOT to work, and I've also never seen a pump in the last ~5 years that doesn't have tap to pay.

Another Canadian here. I've seen plenty of stations that don't have tap to pay. A few that don't have pay at the pump enabled and require you to go into the store. I refueled at a few this summer that couldn't automatically refund unused prepaid balance; you had to go back to the store for the partial refund.

Not hard to find them, but you're not going to stumble on one if you never leave the city or deviate from the major highways.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#173

Post by rcbdev »

al_borland wrote: post #160
KingOfCoders wrote: post #127

Same in Germany. So many broken chargers for weeks. Read through the article, but I still don't know why so many are broken and stay broken, it says "So what was wrong with these particular machines? It could be one of many things—a broken part, a power issue, a defective connector." I don't need an article to answer why are chargers broken if the answer is "Could be one of many things, ...". Why are gasoline station…

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,…

In Germany and Austria many gas stations do not have attendants... (Avanti, Turmöl, etc.)

I have never once experienced an issue with these in my entire life.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#174

Post by RamblingCTO »

rcbdev wrote: post #173
al_borland wrote: post #160

Earlier 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,…

In Germany and Austria many gas stations do not have attendants... (Avanti, Turmöl, etc.) I have never once experienced an issue with these in my entire life.

To be fair, this technology is probably simpler and way more mature than EV.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#175

Post by viraptor »

trimethylpurine wrote: post #159
viraptor wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Still, I see a single "out of order" pump every once in a while and then a few days later it's working again. The question seems more "why are they allowed to stay broken?"

Because gas customers are greater in number, regular, more frequent, and higher paying. Just guessing.

Regardless, that's most likely leased spaces. If they don't make money, they lose money. And they seem to be off for a significant amount of time given that everyone seems to have a first hand story about it.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#176

Post by Rebelgecko »

bdcravens wrote: post #107
thatfrenchguy wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But, with electric, you are not only looking for a working charger, but one that isn't in use. Or like, a 120v plug anywhere at someone who has electricity? That's a lot more ubiquitous than a gas station.

Yes, but as the commenter pointed out, it would take a significant amount of time. > I'm not joking. If I plugged in the cable I carry in the back of my car, it would have taken 8-12 hours to charge up to the full 18 miles I get on my car.

That seems odd to me. When I plug in my Ioniq 5 I get around 5-6 miles of range per hour, and I imagine it gets worse miles/kWh than a Mini

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#177

Post by Rebelgecko »

p1mrx wrote: post #116
jandrese wrote: post #108

IMHO 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.

NACS will use the same signalling protocol as CCS, which means existing vehicles will be able to charge from NACS using a passive adapter. CHAdeMO may be the new Betamax, but CCS is more like VHS-C.

How will payment work if the adapter is passive?

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#178

Post by rasz »

killingtime74 wrote: post #137
aidenn0 wrote: post #99

The payment thing just boggles my mind. I've been paying at card readers at a gas pump for 20 years now and exactly once did it not work. It's the one thing that has been completely solved in industry, and it doesn't work with EVs.

It is solved by Tesla... You just drive up to a supercharger and plug in. No apps nothing.

There is an app, its just that the car is running it instead of your phone.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#179

Post by fragmede »

RamblingCTO wrote: post #174
rcbdev wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Germany and Austria many gas stations do not have attendants... (Avanti, Turmöl, etc.) I have never once experienced an issue with these in my entire life.

To be fair, this technology is probably simpler and way more mature than EV.

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.

Re: I visited over 120 EV chargers: why so many were broken

#180

Post by rasz »

al_borland wrote: post #160
KingOfCoders wrote: post #127

Same in Germany. So many broken chargers for weeks. Read through the article, but I still don't know why so many are broken and stay broken, it says "So what was wrong with these particular machines? It could be one of many things—a broken part, a power issue, a defective connector." I don't need an article to answer why are chargers broken if the answer is "Could be one of many things, ...". Why are gasoline station…

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,…

>person can go tell someone and still pay

No need for people. EV chargers are all online, you have logs and automation can easily flag unusually unused chargers, or ones with high rate of engagements without completed charge.

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