SmartGrandad

Lack of Available Reliable EV Chargers Holding EV Consumers Back?

The Problem IS the EV Charging Infrastructure

We have all heard of Electrify America and the pathetic EV Charger rollout in the US and also many EV Charger networks issues in the Uk. and Europe.

So is it any wonder that Early Majority Consumers who “Deliberate, adopt new ideas just before the average person.” are not comfortable to dive right in. However, with this group onboard, there will be over 50% adoption and the game will be finally over for ICE cars.

What are the main Problems with Non-Tesla EV Chargers?

Implementation: Compared to Tesla, what we have for non-Teslas is an  un-coordinated Roll Out with NO Targets, No Rules and No one following up. Leaving it to individual providers, some backed by FOSSIL giants and many not, it is not surprising that many have “Cherry Picked” profitable sites and neglected Quieter areas and Reliability issues.

Little Standardisation: There is to little reliability in the networks and drivers face an overwhelming array of app user interfaces and too few chargers that accept a standard Debit / Credit payment cards. Fortunately the EU (inc UK.) has now mandated that Payment Card Readers are installed on all new installations. 

Poor Reliability: With todays technology, most networks will be using RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management) tools & software  to identify when a charger is not working . However, monitoring is one thing, but many operators choose not to react immediately to issues, leaving some chargers un-useable for days/ weeks.

Too Few Charging Stations Too Far Apart: In the 5 years that I have had BEV cars the availability of chargers has improved significantly. On Motorways you can now be confident that there will be EV Rapid Chargers available at Service Stations, etc.

I understand that Charging Networks want to focus on maximising investment by choosing busy sites where they can charge more per KW, but many people do journeys on major roads that are not motorways and we need Rapid Chargers to be Available at least at 20 mile intervals. What would a fossil fuel user say if you could only get 1 litre of fuel every 5 minutes.

How come that Tesla, who remember 10 years ago, hardly sold any cars, has managed to establish a wide spread network with reasonable prices. In many situations, Tesla Chargers have become the “Fallback” option when other providers don’t cover areas of the country.

Inconsistent Facilities: When we go to a ICE Fuel station, you are pretty certain that there will be somewhere to Pay, someone to ask questions and get help, a shop, maybe a cafe /restaurant and toilets.

Compare this to EV Charging Sites and it is a a very mixed bag. In my experience there are many sites that have nothing, no shop, no cafe, no toilets and especially no one to ask for help. When its night time and you sit in your car unable even to use a toilet it is not a good experience!

EV Chargers not working: Things are improving and at Motorway Service stations it seems that faults are fixed fairly quickly.

However there are far too many situations were the more local 1/2 charger setup is totally out of order and it seems to take days/weeks before anyone fixes it. Looking at Shell ReCharge and BP Pulse these seem to be the biggest offenders.

So why are so many chargers unavailable for so long? Could it be that Fossil backed Charging companies are not interested in supporting customers desires to move to cleaner more cost effective EVs?

Support Unable to Pay/ Help: You need help as the charger is not working. My experience at an MFG charger in Uk. was that you ring the  number on the charger and typical responses are 1. I cannot connect to the charger, 2. I try a re-boot, 3.Can you try from App, (if you are a visitor) the MFG app is not available on your App or Pay store 4  Use a credit card, same again your foreign credit card is not accepted. 5. Last option, go into the Esso station and ask the counter staff for help, “Those chargers are nothing to do with us”. This 2025, talk about a 2ndclass service for EV consumers!!!

EV Charger Apps: No doubt this will reduce in future but for now each charger network has its own app so you end up collecting loads of apps on your phone. Yes, there are some apps that you can use on many charging networks, but what should you choose.

Payment Cards not Accepted: Go to any Fossil fuel station anywhere and even if you are a non-resident you will be able to use your Credit / DEbit card. With EV Chargers not many have payment card terminals and those that do do not always accept foreign cards. Has anyone EVER had that problem at a Fossil station!!

So, How Come none of these things happen at Fossil Fuel Station? At New Charing companies maybe they are very immature and have not the competence to manage the processes. But at traditional FOSSIL companies, Shell, BP, ESSO this is poor anit EV strategy, to offer a 2nd class service and retain their ICE car customers.

Price: Fossil fuel stations are very price competative and it prices are almost uniform not matter who the provider is. With EV Rapid Chargers there can be a massive price difference. In the same area at TESLA you might pay 4.8 pence per KW, whereas at Gridserve 8.8 pence per KW. This can make the difference of a 5KW charge at Tesla £24 and Gridserve £44 (+183%). With signingfor FOSSIL fuels and NOT mandatory for Electricity how can customers see they they have much better options.

I guess ICE car owners would would be pretty annoyed. They would think that there is either a strike or that there is some sort of shortage. As an ICE car owner for 40+ years I would say that I have never being to a Fossil Station where it did not work or I could not pay with a card.

Compare this to Fossil Fuels stations and its no wonder that Early Majority EV Buyers might think twice about an EV