There is a lot that depends on the success and effectiveness of A nationwide network of electric vehicle chargers worth $7.5 billion that is shaping up based on updates last week from the US Office of Energy and Transportation.
Tesla has comprehensive Booster network for its vehicles, and America’s Electrification Network already allow EV road trips along specific routes. But the federal charging build will enable much more—by nurturing mainstream EV adoption and serving as a long-term supporting backbone for the tens of billions of dollars in investment in battery and EV manufacturing. of the United States.
Tesla turbocharger
The Joint Office for Energy and Transport, established in 2021 with a memorandum of understanding between Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, is overseeing a number of valuable programs. billions of dollars enabled by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And as Deputy Director Rachael Nealer highlighted last week during a presentation at the Forth Roadmap conference in Portland, the agency is deep into the first year of logistically establishing a national EV charging network. for convenience, reliability and fairness.
The final rule sets the framework for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program that covers a wide range of requirements for the installation, operation, and maintenance of this infrastructure—including interoperability .
By August 1, all states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, each submitted their programs for the $1.5 billion share awarded through the end of the fiscal year. Mainstream 2022. All approved, states have begun to receive funding and chargers are being installed. A new layer of rules and data reporting requirements will help ensure these new chargers continue to function.
It all came together quickly. The State plans look quite differentBoth in the proposals and the level of detail, however, the federal network must be “reliable and smooth,” according to the Joint Office.
Toyota bZ4X 2023 at EVgo . charging station
Does every EV work with any charger?
To that end, last week it launched ChargeX Corporationan effort led by US DOE laboratories such as Argonne National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory in partnership with a large group of organizations—manufacturers automobile manufacturers, charging networks, hardware manufacturers, public utilities and technology companies.
Tesla, Rivian, GM, Ford and Stellantis have committed to the effort.
Through the ChargeX Consortium, national laboratories will develop solutions to test charging hardware and charging software before they are deployed, the Joint Office said, “to ensure that all electric vehicles are works with any charger as the market evolves.”
Furthermore, ChargeX will also complement the creation of a centralized data platform for data reporting on EV chargers that “will facilitate and maximize access to data and insights.” can provide future charging reliability analysis.”
Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle charging network
EV charger reliability and uptime
Reliability is a core aspect of The final rule lays down the charging infrastructure. It includes the requirement that each individual charging port have an average annual uptime greater than 97%, excluding scheduled maintenance, vandalism, natural disasters, and in some cases, uptime. Limited operations—although stations along the Alternative Fuel Corridor need to be open 24/7.
Many data fields will need to be reported to the federal government, some at the station level, some at the port level. Downtime is calculated to the nearest minute, and for some ports, running at reduced power will be considered downtime as the hardware must maintain the ability to provide the minimum level of power. is 150 kW.
As JD Power found, problem with EV charger billing system are a major source of frustration, although they may not always be properly represented as downtime. And according to the Federal Highway Administration, the federal government is also collecting error code data “to better understand the nature and frequency of tolling session incidents.”
Chevrolet Bolt EUV 2022 at EVgo . fast charging station
Currently, the Joint Office is working on the platform and the data portal as well as its operating mechanism. Stations will have options to submit data manually or automatically to the government, with reporting requirements starting this fall and a full data portal for operators coming next year. next.
Nealer told Green Car Reports that while it’s not yet certain how much of that data will be made public, it can also be accessed through the DOE. Alternative refueling station locator on a per station basis.
Make the EV charging experience consistent
As a result, more guidance will be given to states for the next rounds—potentially recommending support and maintenance grants, which are allowable expenses under the NEVI program.
“During our conversations with the Federal Highway Administration, about standard guidance, it is guaranteed that you will get the same experience whether you are driving to a NEVI station in Ohio or it’s really important that you drive to a station in Colorado,” Nealer said, noting that it doesn’t have to look the same. “There needs to be a minimum expectation for people to really feel comfortable and get used to the stations.”
DC Fast Charger, East Ellijay GA
Windows support would also be a potential problem. Many West Coast tram drivers have The horror story of EV charging hardware—devices that still exist in public places but are not fully functional, unreliable, or unsupported for years.
The Joint Office is also looking into a number of private partnerships so that when the program period ends, the stations will still be operational and maintained—even if each state and station may have a way of doing it. that’s slightly different.
“We want to make sure these stations don’t become stranded assets after five years, so it’s really important to take a longer-term view of this,” Nealer said.
