Charging Failed – BWI Cell Phone Lot EV Chargers

After the Ribbon Cutting

The EV chargers at the BWI Airport Cell Phone Lot are an impressive backdrop for a photo opportunity. The towering units adorned with BGE logos looked appropriately stylish and high-tech the morning of May 24, 2021. Dignitaries clutched gigantic scissors and on “3, 2, 1,” snip, the ribbon fluttered to the ground. Such was the celebratory atmosphere less than a year and a half ago.

This is another example of our work to make Maryland a national leader in electric vehicle infrastructure.

Maryland Secretary of Transportation Greg Slater – May 24, 2021 press release

I’ve been here for 20 min and still haven’t been able to even start charging.

Nissan LEAF driver at BWI Cell Phone Lot – Sept 18, 2022 (PlugShare)

30,000-Foot View / Three-Foot View

The speeches at EV charger ribbon cuttings predictably weave tales of a bright vision for electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Expanding access to electric vehicles and infrastructure is a major step toward ensuring a cleaner and brighter future for our community.

BGE CEO, Carim Khouzami – May 24, 2021 press release

The 30,000-foot view from the lectern soon gives way to the “three-foot view” of an EV driver. Three feet is about the distance that we stand from a charging station as we poke at screens and wave cards attempting to charge.

The three-foot view is the perspective of the hopeful EV driver. It’s what remains long after the shards of ribbon have been whisked away. There are no cameras to capture the event for the six o’clock news. Just a low battery and an EV driver anticipating the flow of electrons.

The 30,000-foot view is fuzzy on details. The three-foot view can be brutally sharp.

4 DC Fast chargers here. 1 down for maintenance, the other 3 have a “tower” error.

BMW i3 driver – Feb 1, 2022 (PlugShare)

Error Code

In my test of BGE chargers in August, one of the four chargers at BWI Cell Phone Lot did not function as expected. When I returned 11 days later for a follow up evaluation, that unit still did not function. Thirty days after the first test, the charger was working. But by that time, two different machines wouldn’t start.

Last Sunday all four chargers at the BWI Cell Lot gave an error code. I called Shell Recharge Customer Support and after 13 minutes on the phone – half of that on hold – the support representative said that all four stations had issues and that those issues had already been reported days before. They suggested that I go to another location to charge.

This partnership with BGE will expand public access to EV charging capacity at one of Maryland’s largest transportation resources.

Ricky Smith, Executive Director of BWI Marshall Airport – May 24, 2021 press release

Could not activate. Kept telling me to unplug and reconnect.

Hyundai Kona Electric driver – Sept 20, 2022 (PlugShare)

“Available” but Are They Really?

The Shell Recharge app reported all four chargers as “Available” on Sunday even though they did not dispense a charge for me and Customer Service confirmed they had reported issues.

Some EV drivers check reviews of charging sites on platforms like PlugShare. A negative review usually means a driver was unable to charge. On PlugShare these reviews are translated into a “PlugScore” on a range from 1 to 10. Drivers tend to stay away from locations with a PlugScore below 5. The PlugScore at BWI Airport – Cell Phone Lot on PlugShare at the time of this writing is 2.3 on the 10 point scale.

I realize how important it is that we have a dependable network of electric charging stations for these vehicles.

Maryland State Senator Pam Beidle – May 24, 2021 remarks

Failed to charge. Failed to process payments.

Volkswagen e-Golf driver – Oct 17, 2022 (PlugShare)

Green and White Elephants

The charging stations at the BWI Cell Lot cost a total of $318,387.00 according to documents filed by BGE to the Maryland Public Service Commission. Assuming an eight year service life, the capital cost of these chargers are depreciating at a rate of about $109 a day. By that calculation, two days of down time cost BGE ratepayers $218 while providing no useful benefit to EV drivers. A week would be equal to $763 in value depreciation. This does not even factor the incalculable loss from an erosion of trust.

If this continues, chronically broken charging stations could become burdensome white elephants that EV drivers will learn to avoid. If that happens, public charging would indeed have failed.