Potomac Edison Port Availability (09-26-2024)
- L2: 97%
- DCFC: 90%
- Goal: 97% Uptime
Potomac Edison Network: Charger Audit Results
On September 26, 2024, I conducted a virtual “charger audit” of Potomac Edison’s public “EV Driven” charging network. This involved checking the online status of each of the 20 DC fast chargers (DCFC) and 77 Level 2 ports using the ChargeHub app, with any ports marked “offline” cross-verified against data from the ChargePoint app. The goal is to compile a series of data points to independently assess charger reliability against Maryland’s 97% uptime target.
Overall Port Availability on 09-26-2024: 96%
During my previous audit on September 17, 2024, one of the two Potomac Edison fast chargers at Rocky Gap Resort in Flintstone, MD, was reported offline. As of this most recent check, both chargers are now listed as “Out of Service” on the ChargePoint app, with the last known usage of one charger on September 21. It appears this issue has been brewing longer than that—the app shows that one of these DC fast chargers hasn’t successfully charged a vehicle since July 20, indicating a prolonged outage for that unit.
A dual-port Level 2 charger owned by Potomac Edison at Myersville Town Hall is currently missing from the ChargePoint app. Although it was working when I last used it on August 25, I can’t confirm its status now. For this audit, chargers not appearing on the app are classified as “unknown” and considered down. Including these two ports as down, Potomac Edison’s Level 2 network had 75 out of 77 ports operational, resulting in 97% Level 2 and 96% overall availability during this audit.
Low Utilization at Some Locations
The data also show that 20 of the 97 ports in Potomac Edison’s network were last used over two weeks ago, meaning that more than 20% of the total charging ports have seen no recent activity. It’s worth noting that some of Potomac Edison’s 43 public charging sites are in remote areas of western Maryland, where EV adoption is still lagging.
Potomac Edison EV Charging Port Availability Performance
Overall, Potomac Edison’s network has been performing better than other Maryland utilities in this series of audits. However, the complete outage of both DC fast chargers at Rocky Gap is a concern. Still, the other DCFCs in the network appear to be online, which means 90% of PE’s fast chargers were available during this check. Reliable access to charging stations, especially in Maryland’s rural areas, is crucial for EV adoption to continue growing.
Stay tuned as I keep tracking these availability trends and monitor downtime for repair durations. Fingers crossed, we’ll see those Rocky Gap fast chargers back in action soon.
