Double Whammy: Broken Chargers and ICEd Spots in Baltimore

Lanny
ICED EV charging station in Baltimore

Frustration at the Curbside in Baltimore City

Which is worse, a broken charger or arriving and finding it “ICEd“—blocked by a gas vehicle? I recently encountered a bit of both at a curbside charging spot on Washington Boulevard near Carroll Park in Baltimore City.

When I arrived there on a weekday afternoon, I discovered that out of the four available spots, two were blocked by ICE vehicles. To make matters worse, the two remaining spots had non-operational chargers. Of course, the spots by the functioning EVSE were the ones that were ICEd. Murphy’s law, I suppose.

It felt like a double whammy—broken stations compounded by inconsiderate parking. Such experiences can be a frustrating reality for EV drivers.

The EV Driver’s Dilemma: Out of Order or ICEd

This experience highlights a significant challenge for EV drivers: the accessibility and reliability of charging stations. When charging stations are out of order or blocked by ICE vehicles, the result is the same—you cannot charge your vehicle. While there might be debates over which scenario is worse, the frustration and inconvenience for EV drivers are undeniable. It’s a stark reminder of the gaps in the current infrastructure and the everyday obstacles faced by those who have made the switch to electric.

Public Spending and the Promise of Range Anxiety Relief

The situation is particularly disheartening considering the millions in public spending being approved by legislators and public utility commissions to fund the buildout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. One of the primary justifications for this massive investment is to alleviate “range anxiety,” the fear that a vehicle has insufficient range to reach its destination, which remains a significant barrier to EV adoption according to surveys.

The Need for Improved Infrastructure and Enforcement

To truly alleviate perceived range anxiety and make EVs a viable option for everyone, it’s not just about installing more charging stations. Ensuring these stations are functional and accessible is equally critical. This means regular maintenance to keep chargers operational and stringent enforcement to prevent ICE vehicles from occupying EV charging spots.

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Maryland Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Workgroup to Hold First Meeting

Lanny
Hearing for Maryland HB1028 EVSE Workgroup
Testifying for Maryland House Bill 1028 establishing the EVSE Workgroup.

New EVSE Workgroup Established by Maryland Legislature to Study Reliability Issues

The Maryland legislature recently passed, and Governor Wes Moore signed into law, SB951/HB1028, establishing the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Workgroup. This Workgroup has been tasked with developing a framework for reliability and reporting standards for EV charging stations. Additionally, the Workgroup will study and make recommendations regarding which government entities should ensure accountability for EV charging stations and propose regulations to address various issues outlined in the legislation. They must produce a report by November 1st.

First Meeting Announcement

The EVSE Workgroup will hold its inaugural meeting on July 9, 2024, from 1:30 – 3:00 PM. This virtual meeting will be hosted via WebEx. You can join the meeting using the following link: WebEx Meeting Link.

You can also dial in by phone at (202) 860-2110, using the access code 23476522148.

Members of the public will have an opportunity to provide verbal comments at the end of the meeting. A recording of the meeting will be available afterward on the Commission’s YouTube channel.

Agenda Highlights

The agenda for the first meeting includes the following key goals:

Statutory Goals:

  • Develop a regulatory framework for the items specified in SB951/HB1028.
  • Determine the responsible entities for implementing the regulatory framework.
  • Develop rules for determining EV charging station uptime and enforcement mechanisms.

Group Goals:

  • Identify what aspects the Workgroup should develop versus what should be handled by implementing agencies.
  • Decide which issues need to be codified in legislation, which should be determined through rulemaking, and which do not require formal rules.

Guiding Principles for Recommendations:

  • Ensure that EV charging stations used by the public operate as advertised.
  • Avoid unduly hampering the deployment of additional EVSE.

Meeting Notice and Agenda Links

You can access the meeting notice and agenda for the July 9, 2024, EVSE Workgroup meeting through the following links:

Meeting Details and Materials

First EVSE Workgroup Meeting Details:

  • Date: July 9, 2024
  • Time: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
  • Format: Virtual via WebEx (link) or phone at (202) 860-2110 (Access code: 23476522148)
  • Public Comment: Opportunity provided at the meeting’s end.
  • Recording: Available after the meeting on the PSC YouTube Channel (link)

Meeting Materials:

  • Links to the meeting notice and agenda are available on the PSC website at MailLog Number 310679.

Affordable EV Charging at Library in Glenwood, Maryland

Lanny
Glenwood Library EV Charging

Shell Recharge EV Charging at Glenwood Library – Cooksville, MD

If you’re driving through Glenwood, Cooksville, or Inwood, Maryland, and need to top up your electric vehicle, the Shell Recharge EV charging station at Glenwood Library could be a good option. This BGE EVsmart station offers two 50 kW Tritium DC fast chargers and three dual-port Level 2 EVSEs, providing flexibility for either a quick charge or a longer stay. The pricing is straightforward: fast charging costs $0.32/kWh plus a 6% Maryland state sales tax, while Level 2 charging is priced at $0.17/kWh plus tax.

It’s worth noting that the 50 kW speed of the DC fast chargers is relatively slow compared to other providers that offer 150 kW or greater. Additionally, the reliability of the two DC fast chargers at this site has been problematic, with BGE most recently reporting uptimes of 92.4% and 12.7%, both of which fall short of the 97% uptime benchmark.

Location and Amenities

Located in the parking lot of the Glenwood Branch of the Howard County Library on Route 97, this station is about two miles south of I-70. This charging site is also adjacent to the Gary J. Arthur Community Center and the Howard County Western Regional Park. Facility hours are limited, however there are a few nearby amenities:

Charging Site Statistics

  • Address: 2350 Roxbury Mills Rd, Cooksville, MD 21723 map
  • Opening Date: June 26, 2020

Charging Equipment:

  • DC Fast: 50 kW (Qty: 2)
  • Level 2: 7 kW dual-port (Qty: 3)

Reliability and Performance

Uptime figures, meant to reflect the station’s reliability, are self-reported by BGE via their network provider, Shell Recharge.

From July to December 2023, the station’s reported uptime statistics were:

  • DCFC (EVSE ID 153026): 12.7%
  • DCFC (EVSE ID 153018): 92.4%
  • Level 2 Chargers (EVSE ID 52202A, 52307A & 52305A): 99.7%
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New Rates for Level 2 EV Charging at One Merriweather Garage

Lanny
1MW Columbia MD Garage EV Charging

Since 2017, the One Merriweather Parking Garage near Merriweather Post Pavilion has offered Level 2 charging for electric vehicles. Originally free, these ChargePoint stations have become increasingly popular, with all 12 spots often occupied during office hours. However, recent changes mean drivers will need to consider the cost when plugging in.

New Pricing Structure

The Howard Hughes Corporation, which manages the garage, has implemented a new fee for the use of these charging stations. The cost is now set at $2.35 per hour of charging. While this marks the end of free charging, it raises the question of whether this is a competitive rate compared to other charging options in the area.

An idle fee has also been implemented to encourage drivers to move their vehicles once charging is complete. The “Station Time Rate” is $0.00 per hour while actively charging but jumps to $10.00 per hour (about $0.17 per minute) 60 minutes after charging stops. This idle fee is designed to ensure that the charging stations are available to as many EV drivers as possible by discouraging occupation of the charging spaces by vehicles that are no longer charging.

Impact on Charging Economics

The dual port CT4020 ChargePoint stations at One Merriweather share power between two connectors. When a single vehicle is connected, it can receive up to 6.6 kW. However, if a second vehicle plugs into the same post, the power output is halved, providing each vehicle with only 3.3 kW. This shared power arrangement affects the economics of the time-based fee, resulting in a higher cost per kWh when sharing the station.

For instance, a vehicle receiving 6.6 kW will get approximately 6.6 kWh in one hour of charging, costing $2.35. This results in a cost of about $0.36 per kWh. If sharing, each vehicle would get approximately 3.3 kWh in one hour, also at a cost of $2.35, which results in a cost of about $0.71 per kWh. This effectively means that the cost per kWh is higher when sharing the station.

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Custer Sound of Silence Tesla Rally, May 17 – 19, 2024

Lanny

Did you know that Elon Musk got stranded on a Tesla road trip in 2014? A sudden blizzard near Mount Rushmore forced him and his family to seek refuge – and a charge – in the small town of Custer, South Dakota. As luck would have it, a neon sign at the Rocket Motel advertising vacancies caught his eye. Elon and his entourage pulled in to the Rocket for the night and set about to find a place to charge the cars.

Fortunately, Dave Ressler, the head of the local Chamber of Commerce at the time (and brother-in-law to an early Tesla enthusiast, Rod Hoffman from Denver), came to the rescue. Dave helped charge the vehicles overnight at a local campground. Before leaving town, Elon arranged with the Rocket Motel owner to install a set of EV charging stations for future guests. This offer eventually extended to most of Custer’s hotels. This episode might have been what planted the seed for Tesla’s destination charging program.

Custer, South Dakota, soon boasted that they were “most wired town in America” for EV charging stations. With nearly two dozen Level 2 units in a town of less than 2,000 people, it may have actually been true on a per capita basis.

In late 2013, Dave and Rod had already hatched a plan for Custer to host a gathering of Tesla drivers for a weekend of cruising around the Black Hills. The first Custer Tesla Rally, held in May 2014, saw 10 cars plugged in at the same campground that had charged Elon’s vehicles just weeks prior.

By the second annual event, the bounty of charging infrastructure given to them by Musk had replaced the need for the campground charging and could accommodate more attendees. By then it was called the “Sound of Silence” Tesla Rally. The name playfully contrasted the roar that descends upon the Black Hills every August during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally held in another South Dakota town.

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Tesla Tops, BGE Flops: A Data-Driven Look at DC Fast Charger Usage Near Columbia Maryland

Lanny

Fast Charger Showdown: Local Usage Trends in 2023

Here in Columbia, Maryland, I’ve been closely monitoring the usage patterns of nearby electric vehicle fast chargers since 2020. This includes a mix of CCS/CHAdeMO stations from EVgo, Electrify America, Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), and Tesla Superchargers. My approach is simple: I track the electricity consumption at each location by recording monthly meter readings and analyzing the data over time. The goal? To gain valuable insights into how fast charging infrastructure is being utilized in this region and identify trends in usage growth.

DCFC Throughput Chart

The chart above visualizes how much people utilized the fast chargers at four different locations throughout 2023. To understand this, I calculated the average daily usage per charger at each site. Here’s how I did it: I took the total electricity used each quarter, divided it by the number of days in the quarter, and then divided that daily usage by the number of fast charger dispensers at the site.

While all four locations saw an increase in usage compared to earlier quarters, there are some significant differences. The utilization rates and growth rates vary greatly between stations. Notably, in the last quarter of 2023, each Tesla Supercharger port dispensed, on average, more than three times the amount of electricity daily compared to the EVgo chargers. Interestingly, the BGE chargers, despite being less than a mile away from the Electrify America station, have a significantly lower utilization rate.

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Hollinswood Shopping Center EV Charging – Baltimore, MD

Lanny
Hollinswood EVgo EV Charger Baltimore

Hollinswood Shopping Center EV Charging in Baltimore, MD. Located at 2157 W Patapsco Ave. This DC Fast Charger operated by EVgo is in the north east section of the parking lot, along W Patapsco Ave by the Advance Auto Parts store. There are several food options in the shopping center including Popeyes and Sonic.

Location
Address: 2157 W Patapsco Ave #2946, Baltimore, MD 21230
County: Baltimore City
Facility Type: Parking Lot
Coordinates: 39.25072, -76.64408
Directions: In parking lot for Hollinswood Shopping Center, along the northern edge near Advance Auto Parts.
Map Link: OpenStreetMap

Technical
Connector Type: CCS & CHAdeMO
Power & Qty: Shared 350 kW CCS x4, 100 kW CCS/CHAdeMO x2
Total Site Power: 900 kW

Access
Network: EVgo
Availability: Public
Hours: 24 hours daily
Parking: Free

Amenities
Restroom: Royal Farms
Food: Popeyes, Sonic Drive-In
WiFi: none

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New Jersey Enacts EV Charging Uptime Legislation

Lanny
EV Charging Reliability

New Jersey Bill S3102

Approved by the Governor: 1/16/2024.

New Jersey bill S3102 Establishes uptime requirement for electric vehicle charging station incentive programs.

This statute directs the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to establish a requirement, as a condition of providing any incentive for the installation of electric vehicle service equipment pursuant to P.L.2019, c.362 (C.48:25-1 et seq.) or any other State law, that the station is operational at least 97 percent of the time, as measured on an annual basis. The law also directs the BPU to develop and implement a process to establish, monitor compliance with, and enforce this requirement. As used in the law, “electric vehicle service equipment” means the equipment, including the cables, cords, conductors, connectors, couplers, enclosures, attachment plugs, power outlets, switches and controls, network interfaces, and point of sale equipment and associated apparatus designed and used for the purpose of transferring energy from the electric supply system to a plug-in electric vehicle.

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Testimony – Maryland EV Charging Reliability Bill HB 1028

Lanny
HB1028 MDGA 2024

Economic Matters Committee – March 6, 2024

The following is a transcript of my testimony to the Maryland Economic Matters Committee in support of HB 1028, “Business Regulation – Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment – Regulations for Retail Use.” This legislation would require the Comptroller to adopt regulations for the retail use of electric vehicle supply equipment in the State that include requiring an uptime of 97% and establishing civil penalties for non-compliance with the regulations.

To build trust in electric vehicles, reliable charging and transparent pricing are essential.

Good afternoon. My name is Lanny Hartmann.

As an electric vehicle driver, I’ve experienced firsthand both the promise and the challenges of relying on public charging.

Over the past decade, I’ve visited hundreds of charging stations across the country. While many function smoothly, especially those on the Tesla network, a significant number of public charging stations struggle with reliability and uptime.

Millions are being invested in Maryland’s charging infrastructure. Reliability, affordability, and user experience are critical for success.

According to the Department of the Environment, Maryland currently has around 4,000 charging ports, and about 20% of them are in need of maintenance.

In my own testing of about 70 fast chargers in central Maryland, I found that nearly a third of them had issues. These problems included damaged connectors, malfunctioning screens, or the charger would stop abruptly or deliver reduced power.

There’s a need for transparency in charging costs and meter accuracy. I once charged at a station in Hagerstown and was later billed $553 on my credit card. While I eventually got a refund for the mistaken billing, it underscores the importance of accurate metering and fair pricing.

To build trust in electric vehicles, reliable charging and transparent pricing are essential. Fortunately, Maryland is leading the way in setting reliability standards for utility-owned charging stations with HB 834 which the General Assembly passed last year.

Now, with this bill, we have the opportunity to expand upon that success and ensure reliability and accountability for all public charging stations in the state.

Thank you.

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Shafer Park EV Charging – Boonsboro, MD

Lanny
Shafer Park Boonsboro EV charging station Potomac Edison

Potomac Edison owned and operated EV charging station at Shafer Park in Boonsboro, MD. Located a few blocks from the main street, this Level 2 ChargePoint station is a short walk from dining, coffee and downtown shops. Stop here for a boost on your trip along the Old National Pike (Rt. 40).

Location
Address: 60 Park Drive, Boonsboro, Maryland 21713
County: Washington
Facility Type: Public Park
Coordinates: 39.50707, -77.65561
Directions: In the parking lot at the southern side of Shafer Park on Park Drive.
Map Link: OpenStreetMap

Technical
Connector Type: J1772
Power & Qty: 6.6 kW, x2
Total Site Power: 13.2 kW

Access
Network: ChargePoint
Availability: Public
Hours: 24 hours daily
Pricing: $0.21/kWh (subject to change)

Amenities
Restroom: at park
Food: in town
WiFi: none

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