EVgo aims to improve charging reliability
EVgo is looking to tackle the issue of charging reliability with upgraded hardware and more extensive diagnostics.
In a press release, EVgo said it was making progress in bringing its public chargers up to date. Since 2022, the company says it has upgraded, replaced, or decommissioned older equipment at more than 500 charging spots in over 20 states. It plans to do the same at over 150 charging spots in 2024.
EVgo also hopes to increase the number of 350-kw charging stations on its network by 115{aa25fa8b82bb550df44f4514fef8e475020994699e2c082d49d75b275e3029cc} this year, and claims to have increased the number of sites capable of charging at least six vehicles by over 80{aa25fa8b82bb550df44f4514fef8e475020994699e2c082d49d75b275e3029cc} compared to last year. The company is now looking to develop more 10-vehicle sites.
EVgo charging stations
When chargers break, EVgo claims to have reduced repair times by 67{aa25fa8b82bb550df44f4514fef8e475020994699e2c082d49d75b275e3029cc} since the first quarter of 2023. New software that detects when the signal from a charge cable is lost—a likely indicator of a problem—helps identify issues more quickly, according to the company.
EVgo has also deployed a new diagnostic software tool and says it has done extensive interoperability testing on more than 70 EV models, including passenger cars, motorcycles, and light- and heavy-duty trucks. While the mass adoption of the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) and greater access to the automaker’s Supercharger network is expected to provide greater reliability to more EV drivers, interoperability may be where the real gains can be found.
GM and Pilot Company’s EV charging network
EVgo currently lists over 1,000 DC fast-charging locations across more than 35 states. The company in 2021 paired with General Motors to step up fast charging in urban areas, and in 2022 announced a second collaboration with GM to install up to 500 350-kw DC fast chargers at Pilot and Flying J travel centers.
Improved reliability will help EVgo stay competitive with new charging projects like Ionna, an EV charging network backed by seven automakers to plans to establish a minimum of 30,000 high-power fast chargers in North America by 2030. The federal government is also taking a closer look at charger reliability as it doles out funding for a national EV charging network through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
