Electrify America charging location in Santa Clarita, Calif.
I’m an EV proponent. The extra EVs on the street the higher. There’s a hitch, although. The extra EVs that hit the street, the more severe the charging infrastructure reliability appears to get.
Electrify America had an important buildout however unhealthy follow-through
I’ve been driving an EV for the reason that daybreak of economic electrical vehicles. That’s really not a very long time. A little bit greater than 10 years. However it’s loads of time to change into an professional on the charging infrastructure in a metropolis (and state) with excessive EV adoption. That may be Los Angeles.
Electrify America has been constructing out its charging community throughout California and Los Angeles at a livid tempo. It’s now the general public Degree 3 fast-charging station of alternative for almost all of non-Tesla EV homeowners in Los Angeles. And I presume the U.S. as a complete.
For instance, as of early 2023, in Santa Clarita (a Los Angeles suburb) there are three separate Electrify America areas (gas-car analogy: assume three gasoline stations). Just a few years in the past there have been none.
That’s the excellent news.
The unhealthy information is that more often than not — based mostly* on my expertise — at the least half of the chargers are down. It’s a crap shoot each time you attempt to “replenish.”
Think about if each time you went to the gasoline station, it was a 50-50 proposition that the pump would work. And picture that generally (not so hardly ever) not one of the pumps labored.
Take final night time…
The next is an all-too-typical instance. Final night time (as of the time I wrote this), I went to an Electrify America Walmart location in Santa Clarita with 6 chargers.
Many of the chargers gave the impression to be working. I hooked as much as a brand new “Hyper-Quick” charger (lately put in) and prayed. To little avail. I used to be getting a cost however at a fee barely above Degree 2 charging charges. Meaning I must sit there for hours for a full cost.
So, I known as Electrify America help and defined the issue. The help individual acknowledged that Degree 2 charging charges on a Hyper-Quick 350 kW charger was an issue. She rebooted the charger and I attempted once more. Similar factor.
So, I made a decision to go to a different Electrify America location in Stevenson Ranch (one other a part of Santa Clarita).
Out of 4 chargers, just one was working. I acquired a cost at Degree 3 charges however when one other buyer confirmed up, I watched him attempt all three of the opposite “out there” chargers and strike out. So, he needed to await me to complete my cost.
I might go on and on however I believe you get the image….this isn’t the exception however the rule.
(In one other latest instance over the Christmas vacation, I attempted to cost at an Electrify America charging location in Century Metropolis Los Angeles: all 4 chargers have been down.)
It’s not fully unhealthy information
I’ve to offer Electrify America credit score the place credit score is due. There’s an Electrify America charging station within the tiny city of Mojave, Calif. (within the Mojave Desert) that at all times appears to work (at the least after I go there).
That’s actually essential as a result of after I go there (most lately, two weeks in the past) it’s do or die, cost or perish: if I can’t get a cost, I must seek for an out there wall socket at a neighborhood constructing.
So, it’s not all unhealthy information and there are days when the entire chargers at a given Electrify America charging location seem like working however that’s fairly uncommon lately.
I reached out to Electrify America (weeks in the past) for remark however have but to obtain a response. That mentioned, I’ve spoken to help individuals at Electrify America pretty usually they usually’ve at all times been well mannered and useful. However that doesn’t repair the issue.
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*I take advantage of Electrify America chargers regularly in Los Angeles. In the previous couple of months, 3-4 instances every week.