There’s nothing worse than finally finding a nearby EV charging station on a road trip, only to realize it’s broken or out of service. ChargePoint, one of the largest electric vehicle charging networks, just announced a new initiative and Operations Center it hopes will help reach nearly 100% EV charger reliability.
ChargePoint is doubling down with a significant investment in its EV charger technology to improve the driver (customer) charging experience, find and fix problems with stations, better train technicians, and keep its more than 243,000 chargers up and running with fewer issues. In a press release, the company said it’s aiming for “charging station reliability of nearly 100%.”
A new Network Operations Center will use predictive analytics and other systems to proactively find problems, detect potential charging station downtime, and rapidly respond to vandalism, broken chargers, or other difficulties drivers face. This way, EV station uptime will increase, giving the ever-growing number of drivers more places to stop and top off the battery.
The company mentioned uptime is a key metric for the reliability of EV charger stations. With no official standard in place, it wants to lead the charge by making its vast network of stations as reliable as possible. More importantly, ChargePoint is revamping the training program for electric contractors and technicians that install, maintain, and repair the entire charging infrastructure.
Now that the Network Operations Center is up and running, it’ll be able to quickly alert station owners to potential problems and leverage all the data to keep its apps up-to-date with the latest information for those on the road. Drivers will accurately see which stations are readily available and when one is down for maintenance. “Accessible, reliable EV charging plays a critical role in the ongoing shift to electric mobility, and our Network Operations Center is prepared to ensure reliability at scale in support of EV adoption,” said Rick Wilmer, Chief Operating Officer at ChargePoint.
Furthermore, in late July 2023, ChargePoint confirmed that it secured another $150 million to accelerate its commercial growth, fix problems, and be ready to meet the growing demand for EV charging stations nationwide. So, the next time you’re trying to find an EV charging station near you, and it happens to be from ChargePoint, it’ll hopefully be up and running and offer a seamless experience.
Source: ChargePoint
Via: The Verge
