Public EV charging session growth of 1,900% increases issues in Florida and across the US
The unexpectedly quick growth in electric car charging sessions across the state and nation over the past three years has caused frustrating difficulties for green machine owners.
For federal money, Tesla will open 7,500 of its speedy and mostly problem-free Superchargers for drivers of other brands, although that shift is not expected until next year.
Owner complaint analysis shows that the rest of the increasing public charging network is having growing difficulties, according to a recent article by Walt Buteau of News Channel 8.
She complained while charging at an Ellenton station.
“Usually, if there are six chargers at a station, one or two will work,” she said. “I was in Naples, and only one worked. I waited two hours to charge to get to Miami.”
She has company in her frustrations.
According to J.D. Power, 24% of Florida EV drivers found public charging facilities “unreliable.”
J.D. Power found that 35% of Miami drivers were not charged, the worst in the nation.
Twenty percent of respondents nationwide said public stations were unreliable.
J.D. Power rated the Tesla Supercharger the highest DC fast charger for the third year in a row.
Vice President of Operations for charging station company Electrify America, Anthony Lambkin, said his team is working hard to improve client experiences.
“We set out on this journey to try to rapidly grow a network in a very short amount of time to meet this growing demand for electric vehicles,” Lambkin added. “We knew it would happen, but when was the question? We’re investing heavily in improving the experience.”
Lambkin reported that public station charging sessions increased from 270,000 in 2020 to 5.2 million last year.
Lambkin predicts an even higher total by 2023.
Lambkin believes the rising system, backed by over $7 billion in taxpayer money, will meet demand and work smoothly.
“The exciting thing is that the technology is evolving very rapidly as well and will continue to get closer to that gas station experience where people pull up to refuel relatively quickly,” Lambkin added. “And they can get on their way quickly and easily.”
After his lease expired and a new model was too far away, Chris Pankuch switched brands.
Despite Electrify America’s charger troubles on a recent cross-country road trip, he and other EV drivers told 8 on Your Side they wouldn’t go back to gasoline.
“You need a home charger. Long travels require planning,” Pankuch noted. “Electric vehicles are forced on us. If so, we must organize our infrastructure.”
The original article can be found on News Channel 8.