ChargerAudit – June 19, 2023

ChargerAudit June 19, 2023

Tesla Superchargers: Evaluating Operational Status

Today, I performed a ChargerAudit in Washington state, specifically evaluating the operational status of 10 Tesla Supercharger sites. To conduct the audit, I documented the functionality of the Supercharger stalls as displayed in the Tesla mobile app during my visit. Additionally, I assessed the charging success of Tesla drivers and recorded the number of stalls occupied at each site. While it was impractical to test every single stall, I diligently observed the condition of the stalls and monitored driver behavior, such as any instances of switching to a different stall, to identify any potential issues.

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ChargerAudit – June 18, 2023

pluginsites ChargerAudit 2023-06-16

Tesla Superchargers: Evaluating Operational Status

Today, I examined the operational status at 13 Tesla Superchargers sites in eastern Oregon and Washington state. To conduct this ChargerAudit, I noted the functionality of the Supercharger stalls as indicated by the navigation screen in the car and the Tesla mobile app. Additionally, I assessed the success of charging attempts and noted the number of stalls occupied by other Tesla drivers at each site. While I couldn’t test every single stall, I made an effort to identify any potential issues by observing the condition of the stalls and driver behavior, such as if they moved to a different stall.

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ChargerAudit – Weekly Report June 17, 2023

Tesla Superchargers: Week of Checking Operational Status

During a road trip this week, I examined the operational status of Tesla Superchargers at 58 different sites across 10 states. To conduct this ChargerAudit, I verified the functionality of the Supercharger stalls as indicated by the navigation screen in the car. Additionally, I assessed the success of our charging attempts and noted the number of stalls occupied by other Tesla drivers at each site. While I couldn’t test every single stall, I made an effort to identify any potential issues by observing driver behavior, such as if they had to switch to a different stall.

Weekly Stats:

Number of Supercharger Sites Visited: 58
Total Stalls: 516
Down Stalls: 3
Operational Stalls: 99.4%

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ChargerAudit – June 15, 2023

Tesla Superchargers: Evaluating Operational Status – June 15, 2023

The chart above lists the Tesla Superchargers that I visited on June 15, 2023 and to perform a ChargerAudit, no stalls were reported as out of order on the Tesla mobile app. I didn’t individually test every stall, however my observations revealed that approximately 28% of the total stalls were occupied and seemed to be operational.

Analyzing the Data:

Assuming that the app was correct when it indicated none of the stalls were out-of-order, we can infer that 100% of the 80 total stalls were operational. During my visits, I observed that approximately 28% of the total stalls were occupied by charging vehicles.

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ChargerAudit – June 14, 2023

ChargerAudit June 14, 2023

Tesla Superchargers: Evaluating Operational Status – June 14, 2023

The chart above lists the Tesla Superchargers that I visited on June 14, 2023.

Maintaining optimal functionality of electric vehicle charging stations is crucial for a seamless charging experience. During my visit to Tesla Supercharger stations on June 14, 2023 to perform a ChargerAudit, no stalls were reported as out of order on the Tesla mobile app. I didn’t individually test every stall, however my observations revealed that approximately 32% of the total stalls were occupied and seemed to be operational.

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ChargerAudit – June 13, 2023

ChargerAudit Tesla Supercharger6-13

Evaluating Operational Status: Tesla Superchargers – June 13, 2023

The chart above lists the Tesla Superchargers that I visited on June 13, 2023.

Maintaining optimal functionality of electric vehicle charging stations is crucial for a seamless charging experience. During my visit to Tesla Supercharger stations on June 13, 2023 to perform a ChargerAudit, no stalls were reported as out of order on the Tesla mobile app. While I didn’t individually test every stall, my observations revealed that approximately 39% of the total stalls were occupied and seemingly operational.

Analyzing the Data:

Assuming that the app was correct when it indicated none of the stalls were out-of-order, we can infer that 100% of the 54 total stalls were operational. This statistic highlights the impressive reliability of Tesla Supercharger stations and underscores their commitment to providing an efficient charging network for electric vehicle owners.

Implications of Occupied Stalls:

During my visits, I observed that approximately 39% of the total stalls were occupied by charging vehicles. With such a significant portion of the stations observed to be in use, this serves as an indicator of their good working order.

The Importance of Reliable Charging Infrastructure:

Reliable charging infrastructure is crucial for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Tesla’s commitment to maintaining high operational efficiency plays a pivotal role in ensuring customer satisfaction and alleviating concerns about charging availability. The fact that none of the stalls were reported as out of order is a testament to Tesla’s dedication to providing a seamless charging experience.

Conclusion:

Based on my observations, the Tesla Supercharger stations visited today demonstrated impressive reliability. With 100% of the total stalls assumed to be operational and approximately 39% occupied during my visits, Tesla owners can have confidence in the reliability and availability of those Superchargers. As electric vehicles continue to gain popularity, it is important that EV charging operators continue to invest in and maintain a robust charging network to meet the growing demands of electric vehicle owners.

Here is a ChargerAudit tweet from June 13th.

Stay tuned for more ChargerAudit reports.

ChargerAudit – June 12, 2023

ChargerAudit Tesla Supercharger

The chart above lists the Tesla Superchargers that I visited on June 12, 2023.

The idea behind a ChargerAudit is simple. Inspect the operational status and physical condition of EV charging stations you visit. Document your findings in as much detail as you wish. Post to Twitter with the hashtag #chargeraudit.

13 total Supercharger sites visited, 118 total stalls in those sites. Two were reported as out of order on the Tesla mobile app. That translates to 98.3% of the total stalls being operational assuming only those two stalls were inoperable. I did not test each stall, however, 23% of the total stalls were occupied during our visits and presumably working.

Here is a sample ChargerAudit tweet from June 12th.

Stay tuned for more ChargerAudit reports.

Andrew Hanko Building EV Charging

Andrew Hanko Building EV Charging Station

Pepco Andrew Hanko Building EV Charging – New Carrollton, MD

The Andrew Hanko Building EV charging station that is owned and operated by Pepco is located in the parking lot of Beckett Field in New Carrollton, Maryland. The address is 8511 Legation Road and the cross street is Westbrook Dr. The Andrew Hanko Building is a Community Center in New Carrollton which is adjacent to Beckett Field which has sports facilities for baseball, soccer and tennis. The EV charging station has two dual-port Level 2 EVSEs. They are located in the parking spots closest to Westbrook Rd. You enter the lot from Legation Rd. and turn right just before the Community Center building on the right. a portable restroom may be available available in the park. There are several restaurants including Tacos Ricos and IHOP within a half mile at 85th Ave and Annapolis Rd/Rt. 450. There are no other amenities of note near this charging site.

02/25/2020 – Opened
8511 Legation Rd, New Carrollton, MD map

Level 2 – 7 kW dual-port (Qty: 2)

Reported Uptime (2022 Jul to Dec):
99.6% L2 (EVSE ID 52346A Port 1)
99.6% L2 (EVSE ID 52346A Port 2)
99.6% L2 (EVSE ID 52348A Port 1)
99.6% L2 (EVSE ID 52348A Port 2)

$83,779.00 Construction Costs
$1,296.00 Yearly Networking Fees

PeriodRevenueElectric BillProfit/Loss
2022 Q3-4$1,121.71$1,369.33-$247.62
2022 Q1-2$409.22$449.21-$39.99
2021 Q3-4$202.89$287.94-$85.05

PeriodAvg kWh/day= MilesGas equiv
2022 Q3-437.2 kWh112 mi4.5 gal
2022 Q1-212.6 kWh38 mi1.5 gal
2021 Q3-46.1 kWh18 mi0.7 gal

*Miles equivalent based on 333 Wh/mi, gasoline gallon equivalent based on 25 MPG.

Data source: Potomac Electric Power Company and Delmarva Power & Light Company Semi-Annual EV Pilot Program Progress Report for the period of July 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022. Maryland PSC ML 301131.

Broken Charging Stations Threaten Maryland’s Electric Vehicle Goals

Broken Charging Station

300,000 Electric Vehicles by 2030

Maryland aims to have 300,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2025. As of December 31, 2022, there were 62,744 EVs registered in the state. As the number of EVs in Maryland continues to grow, it is essential that the state’s EV charging infrastructure keeps pace.

One crucial aspect of growing the infrastructure is ensuring that the EV charging stations are fully functional. When they are out of service or malfunctioning, it can create a major inconvenience for EV drivers, especially during longer trips. People who live in apartments and cannot charge at home also depend on public charging to get to work and for other essential travel. Equitable distribution of EV charging is necessary, and the reliability of those charging stations must be ensured as well.

Utility-Owned EV Charging Stations

Maryland is one of the few states that allows regulated utilities to own and operate public EV charging stations, and pass the cost on to the rate base. The Maryland Public Service Commission approved a pilot program that permits over 1,000 charging ports to be run by utilities, including BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison and SMECO. The cost of the program will be passed on to ratepayers, regardless of whether they drive an EV or not. Currently, the stations are losing money, but it is hoped that increased usage will eventually make them self-sustaining financially.

Facing Challenges

Four years into the pilot program, utility-owned charging stations are facing challenges. Despite assurances to maintain high reliability, the results have been disappointing. In a customer satisfaction survey conducted by BGE and published in their semi-annual EV pilot program report, 26% of respondents reported not being able to complete a charging session, and 27% reported broken equipment. Negative reviews on the crowdsourced EV charging app PlugShare have also led to low utilization.

Reliability Standards

When the Public Service Commission was considering the utilities’ EV charging pilot programs, the Commissioners were assured that the public charging network would be maintained to a high degree of reliability. However, there is currently no regulatory standard for charging station reliability metrics, as there is for the grid, which has standards like SAIFI, SAIDI, and CAIDI.

In September 2022, I visited all 69 BGE fast chargers in Maryland and checked how well they were functioning. The results indicated that 29% of the chargers had some kind of deficiency, ranging from complete failure to reduced power output. During a follow-up round of testing two months later, the number of malfunctioning chargers had increased from 29% to 35% of the total. These findings suggest that the reliability of the utility’s public EV charging stations is not meeting the expectations that were set when the pilot program was approved.

Accountability to Ratepayers

These results are not only concerning for EV drivers but also raise questions about accountability to ratepayers. We should be able to trust that the utilities are maintaining their charging stations to a high degree of reliability, as promised. As ratepayers, we deserve to know where our money is going and how effectively it’s being used.

To address these issues, Delegates David Fraser-Hidalgo and Jen Terrasa are sponsoring the Electric Vehicle Charging Reliability Act (HB 834), which sets a minimum uptime standard and requires regular reporting on the performance and cost of utility-owned charging stations. This will provide transparency for EV drivers and ratepayers and help the utilities quickly identify and resolve any issues.

Focus on the Driver Experience

Maintaining reliability is an important step towards ensuring that Maryland’s charging infrastructure is robust. By keeping focus on good EV driver experience and reliable charging infrastructure deployment, Maryland will maintain its position as a leader in EV adoption. The state’s goal of 300,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2025 will only be achievable when the public can charge quickly, affordably and most of all, reliably.