In 2019, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved a pilot program allowing five utility companies to own and operate public charging stations. By regulation, these utilities must maintain a 97% uptime for their charging stations. This means each charging port must be operational and supply electricity at least 97% of the time annually.
Methodology
In September and October 2024, I conducted a series of virtual “charger audits,” using the ChargeHub, Shell Recharge and ChargePoint apps to check the online status of every charging port in the utility networks. While on-site audits are ideal, weekly virtual audits provide a practical way to track the system’s performance remotely.
Data Charts
The following charts illustrate the data collected from these virtual charger audits.
Potomac Edison owns and operates a Level 2 electric vehicle charging station in the town of Clear Spring, Maryland. The charging station is located in a public parking lot on N. Hawbaker Cir., one block north of National Pike/Cumberland Street. It’s about a 0.4 mile walk to the library and about 0.3 mile from McDonald’s. The two-port Level 2 charging station is part of Potomac Edison’s EV Driven program and uses the ChargePoint network.
$22,554.71 Total site construction cost plus $560.00 annual operating cost
Revenue vs Electricity Cost
-$241.39 Deficit (Since Inception)
Metric
Amount
Energy Used
252 kWh
Revenue
$44.52
Electricity Cost
$285.91
Deficit
-$241.39
Note: This calculation only reflects the difference between electricity costs and revenue as of June 30, 2024. Other operating expenses, such as maintenance and repair costs, are not included.
Electricity Usage
Clear Spring, MD – EV charging utilization Jan. 1 to Jun. 30, 2024
Site Information
Location Address: N Hawbaker Cir, Clear Spring, MD 21722 County: Washington Facility Type: Parking Lot Coordinates: 39.657069, -77.930968 Directions: At SE corner of parking lot on N Hawbaker Cir. Map Link: OpenStreetMap
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 Public Charger Status on September 17, 2024
Maryland utility-owned EV charging stations are now required to meet uptime standards under Public Utilities Article §7–904, effective October 1, 2023. These standards require 97% uptime, in alignment with the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) requirements.
Per the statute, electric utility companies operating public EV charging stations must maintain this uptime level for each charging station.
…an electric company operating an EV charging network shall maintain uptime standards for each EV charging station in accordance with:
(i) federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure standards and requirements; or
(ii) alternative uptime standards and requirements approved by the Commission.
Md. Code, Public Utilities Article §7–904
The law also mandates quarterly reports that track uptime for each charging station over the preceding 12 months. However, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) has not yet finalized the template for data submission. Without this granular data, EV drivers, ratepayers, and policymakers are left without the necessary transparency to hold utilities accountable for the millions in ratepayer funds invested in Maryland’s public EV charging pilot program.
Online Charger Audit
In response, this “online charger audit” aims to independently assess charger reliability until utilities provide comprehensive uptime data. The audit involves querying individual charging ports within the Potomac Edison public charging network using the ChargeHub app. Ports listed as “offline” are cross-checked against the network’s native app, which, in this case, is ChargePoint. On the September 17, 2024 charger audit, only one Potomac Edison charging port was reporting offline—Rocky Gap DC2 in Flintstone, MD. The app shows that this DC fast charger has not successfully charged a vehicle since July 20, suggesting an extended outage. Fortunately, another DCFC is available at the Rocky Gap location, providing some redundancy for EV drivers.
Out of the 97 ports across Potomac Edison’s 43 sites, 15 were flagged in the app as having gone unused for over two weeks. While this could indicate an issue preventing successful charges, it may also reflect low usage in remote areas, as found in parts of western Maryland.
One site, located at Myersville Town Hall off I-70 between Frederick and Hagerstown, is not visible on the ChargePoint app. Although it was previously listed, it dropped off about a year ago for unknown reasons. As of August 25, it was still operational when I stopped there to charge.
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
Desired Maryland Fast Charging Locations: McHenry, Grantsville, Cumberland, Hancock, Myersville, Thurmont, Frederick, Urbana, and Mt. Airy.
Could western Maryland finally be getting DC Fast Charging? It’s been promised for years. Way back in April, 2014, then Maryland Attorney General, Doug Gansler, announced a $1 million grant program to build a statewide network of DC Fast Chargers that specifically included the western counties. That Maryland Fast Charging money was spent entirely between Hagerstown and Ocean City.
Recently, two Fast Chargers were built in Hancock, MD, about 20 miles west of Hagerstown. These are welcome, but it still leaves a lot of miles and elevation gain for EV drivers traveling to the mountains of Garrett and Allegany counties.
Potomac Edison has identified nine areas in their electric utility service area in Maryland where they wish to place public Fast Chargers under a pilot program approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission. They include, McHenry, Grantsville, Cumberland, Hancock, Thurmont, Frederick, Myersville, Mt. Airy and Urbana.
According to a report filed with the PSC, Potomac Edison is in the design phase to place two Fast Chargers and a Level 2 at the Deep Creek Visitors Center in McHenry. They are also working to place two Fast Chargers at a park on Main Street in Hancock, a few blocks from the existing pair of chargers.
The report stated that the utility has faced challenges in finding suitable sites with close proximity to the highway with amenities like restaurants nearby that also meet the requirement by the PSC that they be on government owned property.
