One of the biggest growth areas for electrical work is EV charging stations, and whether they are large-scale charging parks or a residential plug in front of a house, electricians are taking courses to learn how to install them safely and effectively on a grand scale.
As the market is still growing and the technology is still evolving by leaps and bounds, there are plenty of lessons and learning experiences to be had, and one of the best ways to see what is working and what is not is to ask EV owners about their experiences.
The Auto Express Driver Power survey has done this and ranked the eight biggest public charging station operators based on a comprehensive set of criteria.
These include not only price but also number of chargers, their location, their condition, their reliability, charging speed, the security around them, accessibility and additional concerns such as customer service and the usability of their accompanying payment and management apps.
Of the eight, Tesla’s Supercharger network comes in first, somewhat unsurprisingly given its longevity in the market, although its customer service, security and condition were criticised by some users.
However, the biggest lessons can be found by the provider ranked dead last by Auto Express. BP Pulse, a charging network run by the former British Petroleum, was ranked bottom of almost every category outside of having a relatively serviceable smartphone app.
What are the biggest lessons we can learn from this, aside from the fact it takes more than fossil fuel money to make a decent charging network?
Reliability Is Critical
One of the biggest complaints surrounding BP Pulse is that their machines are almost never working properly, and with EV stations more than anything else, this reliability and trust that a functional machine will keep working throughout the duration of a charge.
A lot of this will come down to effective installation and maintenance of high-quality equipment that is suited for the job in hand, something that according to some EV owners who have used their services has been found distinctly wanting.
Security Should Be Closer To A Car Park
Charging stations should assume that cars that are using them are going to be charging for a while, especially if they are not rapid charging stations.
A rapid charging station, typically rated as over 50kW, will generally take between 30 minutes and an hour to fully charge, which means that the car should be protected with the assumption that it will be there for up to an hour or more.
This might be why the location and condition scores for BP Pulse are as low as they are; many of their charging stations are on petrol station forecourts, which are designed for cars to use for no more than ten minutes, typically with the driver right next to them for the duration.
They are not typically designed for a car to be left there for a long time, giving the impression that they are being left in an unsafe place and hurting the charging experience for customers.