reliability - Plug-In Sites

Pepco EVsmart Charger Audit – September 25, 2024

September 26, 2024September 26, 2024 Lanny

Pepco Port Availability (09-25-2024)

L2: 80%
DCFC: 84%
Goal: 97% Uptime

Pepco EVsmart Network

Maryland EV drivers are facing a harsh reality: a substantial number of utility-owned public charging stations are frequently offline. In Pepco’s service area, many EVsmart-branded stations have been out of service for weeks, with some entire sites down for months. Of 252 charging ports across 84 Pepco locations, 50 were offline as of September 25, 2024—leaving only 80% operational, well below the 97% uptime target. This unreliable infrastructure threatens the state’s ambitious EV adoption goals.

Overall Port Availability on 09-25-2024: 80%

On September 25, 2024, I conducted a virtual “charger audit” of Pepco’s EVsmart network and found that eleven locations had no charging ports online at all. Many of the offline ports had not successfully charged a vehicle in over two weeks, indicating prolonged outages. The lack of redundancy at these sites further compounds the challenges faced by EV drivers, who are left with even fewer reliable charging options.

Charger Downtime Erodes Trust

This reliability shortfall is alarming as Maryland pushes toward ambitious electric vehicle adoption targets. With one in five charging ports offline, public confidence in the public EV charging infrastructure—a critical element for the widespread transition to EVs—risks being severely undermined.

One site, located at Acredale Community Park in College Park, has been down since June.

SMECO EV Recharge Charger Audit – September 24, 2024

September 25, 2024September 25, 2024 Lanny

SMECO Port Availability (09-24-2024)

L2: 88% (60 of 68)
DCFC: 75% (3 of 4)
Goal: 97% Uptime

SMECO EV Recharge Network

In January 2019, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved a limited EV pilot program, enabling Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO) to build a public EV charging network. SMECO now operates 36 charging locations across its service area, with expectations of high reliability—just as with their residential and commercial electric services. SMECO, along with other utilities in the pilot program, is held to a 97% uptime target, meaning each charging port should be functional at least 97% of the time annually.

Overall Port Availability on 09-24-2024: 88%

On September 24, 2024, I conducted a virtual “charger audit” of SMECO’s EV Recharge network using ChargeHub and Shell Recharge apps to assess the status of all 72 charging ports. The audit revealed that only 88% of the ports were online or in use—well below the 97% uptime target. This is a significant shortfall for a utility striving to meet the expectations of EV drivers and the reliability standards set by regulators.

Reliability at Risk

This shortfall in reliability is troubling, especially as Maryland strives to meet aggressive electric vehicle adoption goals. With one in four fast chargers offline, public confidence in the charging infrastructure—a vital component for widespread EV transition—could be undermined.

SMECO’s semi-annual report to the PSC flagged some of these ongoing issues. For example, the DCFC at the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum showed only 62.8% uptime for the period ending June 30, 2024. The report cited “multiple hardware failures and part replacement delays” as the cause.

Another problematic site is White Plains Regional Park, where the chargers are currently out of service. SMECO’s report indicated the station had a 62.8% uptime in Q1-Q2 2024, with vandalism noted as the cause. While vandalism is understandably a challenge, there should be a hard limit on how long a station can remain non-operational, regardless of the issue. Extended downtime, whether from hardware failure or external damage, is simply unacceptable in the context of Maryland’s broader EV goals.

BGE EVsmart Charger Audit – September 23, 2024

September 24, 2024September 24, 2024 Lanny

BGE Offline EV Charging Stations 2024-09-23

BGE Port Availability on 09-23-2024

L2: 92% (509 of 556)
DCFC: 76% (68 of 90)
Goal: 97% Uptime

Charger Audit

In January 2019, the Maryland Public Service Commission approved a limited EV pilot program, paving the way for Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) to build a network of public EV charging stations. Today, BGE operates 123 charging locations across its service territory. The expectation—much like with their residential and commercial electric services—was to maintain high reliability standards for these chargers. BGE, alongside other pilot program utilities, are being held to a 97% uptime target, meaning each charging port (plug) should be operational at least 97% of the time annually.

Overall Port Availability on 09-23-2024: 89%

On September 23, 2024, I conducted a virtual “charger audit” of BGE’s EVsmart network, reviewing the online status of all 646 ports via ChargeHub and Shell Recharge apps. The audit revealed that only 89% of these ports were either in use or online and available for use. This falls well short of the target 97% uptime.

Cause for Concern

This shortfall in reliability raises concerns. With Maryland’s ambitious electric vehicle adoption goals, having nearly one in four fast chargers offline could undermine public confidence in the charging infrastructure—a critical piece in the transition to EVs.

Despite the less than ideal percentage of online charging ports, it’s worth noting that none of BGE’s charging locations were entirely offline. Every site had at least one functioning port, suggesting that while the network isn’t perfect, it’s not entirely offline at any particular sites either.

Delmarva EVsmart Charger Audit – September 22, 2024

September 23, 2024September 23, 2024 Lanny

Goal of 97% Uptime

The Maryland Public Service Commission approved a limited EV pilot program in January 2019. Since then Delmarva Power and Light has built public EV charging stations at 42 locations across their service territory. The expectation, much like with their residential and commercial electricity services, was that Delmarva’s electric vehicle charging stations would uphold high standards of reliability. The goal is to maintain at least 97 percent uptime for each charging port (plug) in the pilot program utilities’ public charging networks. This means that each plug must be available and operational 97 percent of the time on an annual basis.

Percentage of Ports Up on 09-22-2024

L2: 66% (74 of 112)
DCFC: 69% (9 of 13)

66% Overall Up on 09-22-2024

This post is to document the results of a virtual “charger audit” conducted on September 22, 2024. This audit involved reviewing the online status of each of the 125 charging station ports in Delmarva’s EVsmart network using the ChargeHub and Shell Recharge apps. At the time of the query, 66 percent of all ports were reporting to be online, in use or available for use. 66% is far short of the 97% average annual uptime required to meet EV charger reliability goals.

This level of unreliability presents a significant hurdle to Maryland’s electric vehicle adoption goals, as it undermines public confidence in the charging infrastructure critical for widespread EV adoption.

Distressingly, 11 Delmarva charging sites are completely offline, with none of the chargers working at those locations. If you’re planning a trip to the eastern shore of Maryland, be sure to check ahead before relying on these stations.

The Gap Between Promises and Performance – BGE Charger Audit, September 19, 2024

September 20, 2024September 20, 2024 Lanny

The Promise of 97% Uptime

Since the Maryland Public Service Commission approved a limited EV pilot program in January 2019, BGE has built 123 public EV charging sites. The expectation, much like with their utility services, was that BGE’s electric vehicle charging stations would uphold high standards of reliability. BGE has touted a 98 percent uptime for its network, claiming their chargers are “available and operational 98 percent of the time.”

Charger Audit Findings

However, my virtual “charger audit” conducted on September 19, 2024, tells a different story. This audit reviewed the online status of every charging station port in BGE’s EVsmart network, and at the time of the query, less than 90 percent were reporting to be online and available—well short of achieving the average annual uptime required to meet reliability goals.

Of the 646 total charging ports across BGE’s 123 locations, 65 were faulted, offline, unavailable, or missing from the Shell Recharge app. Only 69 of the 90 DC fast chargers were online, representing just 77% of the DCFC in BGE’s network. While 556 of the Level 2 ports were online, that accounts for only 92% of the total L2 ports. This level of unreliability presents a significant hurdle to Maryland’s electric vehicle adoption goals, as it undermines public confidence in the charging infrastructure critical for widespread EV adoption.

Regulatory Requirements and Data Transparency

Under Maryland’s Public Utilities Article §7–904, effective October 1, 2023, utility-owned EV charging stations must meet strict uptime standards. These standards, aligned with the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) guidelines, mandate a 97% uptime requirement for each charging station. Utility companies are also required to submit quarterly reports tracking uptime over the previous 12 months. Yet, despite the law’s requirements, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) has not finalized the template for reporting this data, leaving a critical transparency gap.

Filling the Data Gap

In the absence of timely and comprehensive data from utilities, I conducted this independent “charger audit” to assess the reliability of BGE’s EVsmart public charging network. Using the ChargeHub app, each charging port was queried, with any ports listed as “offline” cross-checked against the network’s native app, Shell Recharge, for verification.

BWI Airport Rideshare Lot

One of the BGE sites with offline charging ports is located at the BWI Airport Rideshare Lot. Two of the six DC fast chargers at this location have been out of operation since before July 4th. This site is heavily used by Uber and Lyft drivers who rely on these chargers. When all four functioning chargers are in use, a line often forms as drivers wait their turn. This is just one example of the negative consequences of unreliable charging infrastructure.

Pepco EVsmart Charger Audit – September 18, 2024

September 18, 2024September 20, 2024 Lanny

81% Online on September 18, 2024

Maryland EV drivers are facing a troubling reality: a significant portion of utility-owned public charging stations are chronically offline. Many EVsmart-branded stations in Pepco’s service territory have been out of service for weeks, with entire sites down for months. Of the 248 charging ports across 81 Pepco charging locations, 46 are currently offline (as of September 18, 2024), meaning 81% are operational today. However, this falls short of being on track to achieve the 97% annual uptime goal. Such unreliable infrastructure poses a serious threat to the state’s EV adoption targets.

Maryland utility-owned EV charging stations are 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. Yet, the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) has not finalized the template for data submission. Without this granular data, EV drivers, ratepayers, and policymakers lack 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 the absence of timely data from utilities, this online “charger audit” was launched to fill the gap and independently assess charger reliability. The audit involves querying individual charging ports within the Pepco public charging network using the ChargeHub app. Ports listed as “offline” are then cross-checked against the network’s native app, Shell Recharge.

Potomac Edison Charger Audit September 17, 2024

September 17, 2024September 20, 2024 Lanny

Potomac Edison EV Charging Stations online Sept 17 2024

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.

SMECO Chargers 90% Online Today (9-15-2024), Chasing 97% Uptime

September 15, 2024September 20, 2024 Lanny

SMECO EV Chargers Online September 15, 2024

Public Chargers Owned by SMECO Report as of September 15, 2024

Maryland Utility-owned EV charging stations are required to maintain 97% uptime per a law (HB 834) that went into effect on October 1st, 2023. Quarterly uptime reports are required by the utilities as part of the statute. The data to be submitted as part of those reports will have to conform to a template that is still being developed by the Public Service Commission (PSC). It could be not until sometime in 2025 when the public will actually see the utilities’ detailed charger uptime reports. Until that data is available, EV drivers, rate payers and policy makers won’t have the information needed to hold the utilities accountable for the millions spent so far on the public EV charging pilot program.

The spreadsheet below is an attempt to gauge charger reliability until we get granular charger uptime data from the utilities. The charging station port IDs were reported as “offline” in the ChargeHub app and confirmed as offline in the Shell Recharge app when queried on September 15, 2024.

Of the 72 charging ports across 36 SMECO-owned locations, seven showed as offline (on September 15, 2024), representing about 10% of the total. Three sites were completely down with no operable charging plugs. There are three DC Fast Chargers in the SMECO network and one of those has been offline for months. The DCFC at Patuxent River Naval Air Museum apparently hasn’t worked since May. This is unacceptable and could lead to a major setback for EV adoption if not addressed, especially when the goal is 97% uptime for every charging port in Maryland.

In SMECO’s semi-annual report to the PSC, the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum DCFC was reported to have 62.8% uptime for the period ending June 30, 2024. The issue was described to be “Multiple hardware Failure and part replacement delays.”

Another site that is completely down is White Plains Regional Park. The uptime reported for the Q1-Q2, 2024 period was 62.8% with the reason noted to be “Vandalism.” Even if the cause is vandalism, there really needs to be a limit on the time that a charging station is to remain broken.

Broken EV Chargers on 09-13-2024 – Delmarva Utility-Owned

September 13, 2024September 23, 2024 Lanny

Delmarva Power and Light Charger Audit September 13, 2024

Maryland EV drivers are facing frustration as a growing number of public charging stations in the Delmarva Power and Light (DPL) service territory are offline. Of the 125 charging ports across 42 DPL-owned locations, 44 are currently reported as offline (as of September 13, 2024), representing over 35% of the total. This lack of reliable charging infrastructure threatens to hinder EV adoption in Maryland.

Unfortunately, many charging locations are completely offline, with none of the chargers working. If you’re planning a trip to the eastern shore, be sure to check ahead before relying on these stations.

Public Chargers Owned by Delmarva Power that Display as Offline on September 13, 2024

First Meeting of Maryland Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Workgroup

July 10, 2024July 10, 2024 Lanny

Effective July 1, 2024, the Maryland General Assembly authorized the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Workgroup. The Workgroup is tasked with developing a framework for reliability and reporting standards for electric vehicle charging stations, studying and making recommendations regarding which government entities have responsibility for ensuring accountability for charging stations, and making recommendations on adopting and implementing regulations.

The EVSE Workgroup held its inaugural meeting on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. Chaired by the Maryland Public Service Commission, the Workgroup consists of 13 members designated by the authorizing legislation. Members of the public were given an opportunity to provide comments at the end of the meeting. A recording of the meeting is now available on the Commission’s YouTube channel.

Senator Shelly Hettleman, the sponsor of Senate Bill 951 that created the EVSE Workgroup, said the idea stemmed from hearing her constituents’ frustrations. Both current electric vehicle owners and potential buyers have voiced concerns about the existing infrastructure. As she investigated further, it became clear that many different agencies have oversight responsibilities, but there is a lack of seamless coordination among them. A key area needing improvement is ensuring that charging stations are up and running and being as efficient as possible.