Charging Sites Completely Down for Hours
EVgo experienced a widespread network outage Sunday evening as many EV drivers were returning from their weekend travels.
Around 6:30 PM July 17th, I noticed an unusual number of chargers on the EVgo network were reporting as offline and unavailable on the EVgo mobile app. At least 16 sites in Virginia were completely down. See the map above for the locations in Virginia that reported no working chargers.
Around 8:00 PM an electric vehicle driver tweeted that the last six EVgo chargers he tried did not work.
AT&T is experiencing communications issues that is impacting our network, please refer to the EVgo app for current charger status and Plugshare for alternative charging options.
evgo
EVgo responded at 8:41, “One of our service providers is experiencing a service outage impacting EVgo chargers.”
At 10:27 PM, EVgo placed the blame on AT&T, informing their customers via Twitter that “AT&T is experiencing communications issues that is impacting our network.”
EV driver @dennis_p asked “When connectivity fails, do the chargers fail in a condition that allows drivers to charge.”
EVgo responded “depending on the charger, some of the chargers can still initiate a charge with an RFID card. Please refer to the app status.”
It’s unclear what percentage of the EVgo chargers have the capability to initiate a charge if the driver happens to have an EVgo RFID card but it seems to be a “limited number.”
An email sent to EVgo customers in April to warn of a planned software update and network maintenance stated that “A limited number of EVgo stations may accept credit cards and the EVgo program card, but we recommend using PlugShare to find alternative chargers during this time.”
The unplanned EVgo outage last night highlights the need for EV drivers to prepare themselves for EV charging reliability failures. If you have RFID cards for the charging networks that you rely on, keep them with you. Especially when you travel.
RFID Card May Work When Network is Down
EV drivers can attempt to charge using an RFID card when a charging station is offline. Tip: How to Start a Session with an RFID Card.
At 11:41 PM, EVgo tweeted that the network was back online.
Good luck fellow EV drivers and remember to A. B. C. – Always Be Charging!
