EA charging problems seriously damaging Ford's image

[Replika]

Electrify America is the only nationwide high speed network. All EV drivers outside of Tesla really have just one choice.

I do blame manufacturers for not investing more in charging. It's part of the product. We're all at mercy of this mismanaged joke of a company called Electrify America. Hopefully their leadership is canned before they waste the second billion dollars of the Dieselgate settlement.

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[Replika]

BTW, Electrify America knows full well about their problems. They have a 24/7 "NASA-style" (their words) control center with remote control and diagnostics for every charger. We as customers call to inform them of issues and to get help with charger resets. We add Plugshare reviews. We send them a TON of data.

In turn, they point to the bogus inflated Plugshare scores in press releases to show how great they are. It's a slap in the face for them to deny the issues we have on the road. And when they do replace hardware, they continue to take down entire stations for weeks at a time, often before Thanksgiving (Ozona 2021, Waco 2022). I've been using CCS cars for 3 years. They never learn (or care). Rant over (...for now)!

 

[sotek2345]

Yes, this is why I go to EVGo 90% of the time - true plug and charge using Autocharge+.
No more pulling out your phone or fumbling with the charger screens.
EVGo is awesome - just pull up, plug her in, watch for blue charge light, walk away and the app will message when it reaches 80% then 90% and finally 100%.

OTOH: EA is just awful with lack of working chargers, app doesn't show down towers, and VW iD4 owners hogging up the chargers for their free charge sessions.

EVGo is pricier than EA, but I'd rather pay extra for true working 350kW dual simultaneous chargers that accurately report on their app.

Just recently, I found Shell Recharge offers very low rates ($0.15 / kWh) but they are not as available as EVGo stations. Will report back with Shell Recharge this weekend.

That hasn't been my experience with EVgo at all, but maybe it is an East coast vs. west coast thing. Every EVgo stop for me typically involves multiple calls to them, having to shift between chargers, and then finally getting charging, but it is limited to 30kW to 60kW. I spend 2+ hours to get enough juice to continue on. And for all of that you get to pay way more for your charge.

I absolutely hate EVgo. I avoid them whenever I can because they are just so unreliable. Unfortunately every time I travel to Pittsburgh, I have to go to one because there is nothing else around and the hotels there don't offer level 2 yet (I can't wait until one of them does).

I have never had a problem free charging experience at EVgo. EA, I tend to have a 50/50 shot.

Edit: Here is the location that gives me the most trouble but I don't have any other good options when I go to Pittsburgh (~4x per year): https://www.plugshare.com/location/423224

 

[metroshot]

BTW, Electrify America knows full well about their problems. They have a 24/7 "NASA-style" (their words) control center with remote control and diagnostics for every charger. We as customers call to inform them of issues and to get help with charger resets. We add Plugshare reviews. We send them a TON of data.

In turn, they point to the bogus inflated Plugshare scores in press releases to show how great they are. It's a slap in the face for them to deny the issues we have on the road. And when they do replace hardware, they continue to take down entire stations for weeks at a time, often before Thanksgiving (Ozona 2021, Waco 2022). I've been using CCS cars for 3 years. They never learn (or care). Rant over (...for now)!

I disagree - EA does NOT know if their stations are working or not.
They still use an ancient Windows 7 operating system on their terminals.

EA is as old as Tesla SC....

I love EVGo - up to date charging towers, app is very detailed & timely info, 350kW dual simultaneous charging (2 cables charge at full speed from one tower).

Looking at Shell Recharge 175kW stations recently, this may change my view as their rates are 1/3 the price per kWh of EVGo & EA...

 

[F150ROD]

The fix to this issue in my opinion is to allow franchising of EA stations. From there one can hire a Charge Station EV Techs to fix issues on the spot. Hell, they can even plug the car in for you.

Ford is working on this with their whole mandatory EV dealer chargers.

I’ve always said that peoples first EV should be a Tesla so they can see the possibilities, especially with charging.

 

[RickLightning]

For those that don't know, if Plug and Charge fails, this is the process to follow:

1) Unplug.
2) Open FordPass (assuming you want your FordPass' account to be used)
3) Go to BlueOval Charge Network.
4) Select View Chargers.
5) Find the charger location you want and click it.
6) Find the charger you are at and click Select.
7) Click Activate.

 

[greenne]

That hasn't been my experience with EVgo at all, but maybe it is an East coast vs. west coast thing. Every EVgo stop for me typically involves multiple calls to them, having to shift between chargers, and then finally getting charging, but it is limited to 30kW to 60kW. I spend 2+ hours to get enough juice to continue on. And for all of that you get to pay way more for your charge.

I absolutely hate EVgo. I avoid them whenever I can because they are just so unreliable. Unfortunately every time I travel to Pittsburgh, I have to go to one because there is nothing else around and the hotels there don't offer level 2 yet (I can't wait until one of them does).

I have never had a problem free charging experience at EVgo. EA, I tend to have a 50/50 shot.

Edit: Here is the location that gives me the most trouble but I don't have any other good options when I go to Pittsburgh (~4x per year): https://www.plugshare.com/location/423224

Interesting...I've used EvGO around Albany 2x with no problem. Charge+ on EVGO worked great for me.

I charge at home so haven't had much need for DCFC.

 

[sotek2345]

Interesting...I've used EvGO around Albany 2x with no problem. Charge+ on EVGO worked great for me.

I charge at home so haven't had much need for DCFC.

I charge at home too, so no real local DC fast charge usage. The only time I ever charge away from home locally is at Crossgates because the parking is awesome (yes, I do plug in and charge and I only use it if there are plenty of open spaces).

Pittsburgh just really needs to up it's charging game.

 

[greenne]

I charge at home too, so no real local DC fast charge usage. The only time I ever charge away from home locally is at Crossgates because the parking is awesome (yes, I do plug in and charge and I only use it if there are plenty of open spaces).

Pittsburgh just really needs to up it's charging game.

I used the EvGO on central Ave (1x) and once at the new EvGO station at Hannaford (E Greenbush). Just wanted to try them out to make sure everything worked and to set up charge+.

 

[Replika]

I disagree - EA does NOT know if their stations are working or not.
They still use an ancient Windows 7 operating system on their terminals.

EA is as old as Tesla SC....

I love EVGo - up to date charging towers, app is very detailed & timely info, 350kW dual simultaneous charging (2 cables charge at full speed from one tower).

Looking at Shell Recharge 175kW stations recently, this may change my view as their rates are 1/3 the price per kWh of EVGo & EA...

The chargers are all internet connected. They claim to have a monitoring system "NASA style command center... 24/7 monitoring." Plugshare users leave daily reports. They send testers around in (Audi e-trons... lol... nice use of Dieselgate money)..

I mean, what more do they need?

 

[Texas Dan]

The longest EV trip I have ever made in a single day is 830 miles. I relied exclusively on EA chargers for that trip. I’ve been driving EVs for over seven years and can tell you that long distance, non-Tesla EV travel was not practical before EA regardless of their flaws.

Sure there are issues with EA chargers. And when you think you have the process figured out, the process changes and you have to figure things out all over again. As an early EV adopter I’m willing to accept a few challenges because I believe an EV future is a better future.

I’m sorry if you fair weather EV adopters feel that you were miss led by the auto industry into thinking that EV operation was flawless. If the challenges associated with EVs right now are too much for you then maybe you should hold off your adoption for a while. But the auto industry and the governments are pushing for a zero emissions future, so you need to figure out how to make an EV future work for you.

 

[AZT9]

A different protocol of P&C works great at EVgo.

Every EVGO I’ve been to in 3 different states has been AWESOME! Wish there were more EVGO towers around

 

[meow]

This is why VW pulled their stake in EA. EA won't survive if they don't get their charge stations sorted -- unlikely since the internals are a spaghetti like mess of dated tech. If anyone here is an EA engineer that was involved in the design of their chargers, especially their latest 350kW units, I offer zero apologies... Your hardware sucks balls and you should be embarrassed to have been involved with that project. Please just stop now before you do any further damage and pursue a career path more worthy of your skill set.. Like working at Wendy's.

Emphasis mine to point out the incorrect statement, addressed below.

There’s literally no need to turn your negative feelings towards EA into belittling any individual involved.

According to EA, VW sold their minority equity stake to Siemens and VW is increasing their capital investment through 2026. Maybe it's a distinction without a difference, maybe not. There may be some Dieselgate money VW is still on the hook for, idk.

https://media.electrifyamerica.com/en-us/releases/190

VW did not sell their minority equity stake. They sold a minority stake, after previously having been a wholly-owned subsidiary of VW. VW and Siemens are now both owners.

 

[thecoloradokid]

The longest EV trip I have ever made in a single day is 830 miles. I relied exclusively on EA chargers for that trip. I’ve been driving EVs for over seven years and can tell you that long distance, non-Tesla EV travel was not practical before EA regardless of their flaws.

Sure there are issues with EA chargers. And when you think you have the process figured out, the process changes and you have to figure things out all over again. As an early EV adopter I’m willing to accept a few challenges because I believe an EV future is a better future.

I’m sorry if you fair weather EV adopters feel that you were miss led by the auto industry into thinking that EV operation was flawless. If the challenges associated with EVs right now are too much for you then maybe you should hold off your adoption for a while. But the auto industry and the governments are pushing for a zero emissions future, so you need to figure out how to make an EV future work for you.

I am in 95% agreement with @Texas Dan. I am, however, not so sure that the US legacy auto manufacturers like Ford or GM really want a zero emissions future. if they did, they would have followed Tesla's model, and Rivian for that matter, to help build out proprietary long distance driving charging infrastructure.

Electrify America is not perfect, but nothing is. I have done over 50,000 miles since 2020 in CCS enabled vehicles, and have been to 14 states. I have not been stranded, yet, so Electrify America is doing a few things right.

I regularly do 700 to 750 miles in a day out in the the western part of the US exlusively using Electrify America chargers. Since my Taycan charges extremely fast, it is my EV of choice for long distance driving, but that will change this up coming summer when there will be times I take the Lightning instead. I do love sitting up high, and how mushy the suspension is on the truck!

I am hoping that EA reliability will start to see some benefit from their partnership with the new Italian charger hardware manufacturer, and that it will be easier for them to get access to replacement parts. It is hard to maintain a reliable charging network when parts for the older units are back ordered, or the right people to service the charging units.

One last thought. If you have an issue at an EA station, mark it on Plugshare. Let people know your experience. And, if you are pissed off enough, send an email to EA management. They will not be motivated to make improvements if they are not getting accurate feedback from their customers.

Since this post is almost as long as a book, let's make it into a picture book. it is almost 740 miles from Denver to Idaho Falls when you have to detour around Wyoming because I-80 is not yet open to CCS enabled vehicles!

 

[FordLightningMan]

When I was at the San Antonio launch event, Ford gave presentations on different aspects of Lightning ownership. One of the presentations explicitly stated that Ford had a team which was ensuring the chargers on its BlueOval Charge Network were operating correctly. I'm not sure how much Ford is actively working on this monitoring and what they can do when a station isn't working, but it was a big part of the sales pitch.

I am somewhat concerned about the failure rate for fast charging stations in general. In the past two months I've been to three broken Tesla Supercharger stalls, compared to seeing one broken stall for my entire ownership prior to this period. One that didn't work looked like someone slammed it on the ground and threw it in a muddy puddle, I wonder if having EV stations unsupervised causes more misuse versus a gas station pump? The more people adopting EVs, the more fast charger usage, the more potential for failure.

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