Huge EV Challenge Is Charging Station Vandalism

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People buy EVs even though some don’t like the price. They don’t like the range an EV gets on one charge. They don’t like that tires don’t last as long on EVs as on gas-powered engines. And they don’t like the number of charging stations. These factors contribute to weak sales in the US and Europe.

One additional problem with charging stations is vandalism. People pull into a location that their car has located for them using GPS software. After about 15 minutes, their battery is up to 85% capacity, another 200 miles of change.

Broken Chargers

No matter what the GPS says, vandalism is hard to spot. There are no people near most charging stations the way they are at gas stations. EV drivers must find another charging station, which may be tens of miles away. That means a low battery is a risk when traveling. Another risk is battery fires.

A company called EVgo thinks it can help solve the vandalism problem. According to its promotion and public relations, it has a suite of functions that help keep charging stations in good shape. They are prevention, continuous customer service, resilience, diagnostics, rapid response, and analysis. None of these matters if a vandal has hit a charging station before the EVgo programs can find out and fix the problem. People are stranded in their EVs, and the fact that they will be fixed in an hour or two is cold comfort.

Fixing Chargers Fast

EV buyers have at least one anxiety about ownership until charging stations are manned by people the way they are at gas stations.