A new raft of U.S. federal funding for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, including charging stations and EV battery manufacturing, is providing a powerful boost to the proliferation of more climate-friendly vehicles. But, malfunctions and downtime at EV charging stations have become the check-engine light for companies and customers investing in this burgeoning industry.

Under this year’s landmark Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $7.5 billion has been earmarked for EV charging stations nationwide, while $7 billion is being dedicated to the country’s EV battery supply chain.

The funding comes alongside federal government’s ambitious plan to shift the country away from gas-powered cars to electric vehicles by setting a target for 50 percent of new vehicles sold in 2030 to be electric.

New federal rules around charging stations also have been handed down, beefing up enforcement of accessibility. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently announced that EV charging stations built with federal dollars should be located every 50 miles along interstates, be located no more than a mile from a major highway and be able to recharge cars quickly.

Boom or Bust?

The historic infrastructure package has sparked more than $100 billion in investment commitments from private companies to make more EVs and parts in the U.S. and create more jobs for autoworkers.

The legislation also gives the federal government new purchasing power to procure 100% zero-emission light duty vehicles by 2027 and all vehicles by 2035. This comes, too, as the U.S. sharpens vehicle emissions and fuel economy standards to their strongest levels yet.

And the Biden administration is insisting that states join the ride. Under proposed federal rules, states would be required to ensure that every charging station provide at least four of the fastest recharging ports, or DirectCurrent fast charges, so that multiple drives could plug in at the same time.

But, already there are challenges.

• Charging stations along I-95 in the Northeast, one of the most widely traveled interstates in the country, are typically only equipped with chargers that accommodate Tesla vehicles, according to reports.
• A study out of the University of California, Berkeley released this year found that out of 657 public DC fast chargers in the Bay Area, more than 22 percent of them were nonfunctional.
• Even in Europe, where electric vehicle adoption has been widely embraced, a report found that more than 5.2% of some 26,000 public EV chargers were out of service.

More anecdotal evidence of EV charging station failures continue to emerge across social media outlets, as consumers publicly complain when they find themselves in the lurch when promised charges fail.

And, as expectations mount for electric vehicle affordability and accessible charging infrastructure, a recent report from the International Council on Clean Transportation estimates the country will need 2.4 million public and workplace chargers by 2030 to reach goals – today it has 216,000.

Keeping EV Charging Stations Powered

Amid unprecedented growth for EV charging stations, now powered by federal funding increases, technology has emerged as a welcome back seat driver for navigating a new frontier of opportunity.

Companies invested in EV charging stations and looking to secure uptime while scaling their business to meet new demand are finding a fast and easy solution in remote device monitoring and management software.

As with any remote device, most issues arise with the inability to detect maintenance problems swiftly. Often it takes a customer’s complaint to trigger a technician call, which takes time and can be expensive.

But software platforms can help companies skip those costly steps.

The Canopy platform delivers real-time data reporting and visibility, so companies know about maintenance issues before customers ever complain. Data dashboards show specifics, right down to the parts or accessories that have malfunctioned.

This single-pane visibility not only reduces the number of service calls, but also improves and accelerates resolution if a truck roll is required.

Canopy’s open API architecture also allows for seamless integration with current tech stacks, which means the software can be implemented without disruption within a network operations center (NOC).

This technology advancement is allowing businesses to add on hundreds, and even thousands of remote devices confidently, using one simple software platform.

Don’t let your EV charging stations fail just when demand reaches a peak.