New EA Chargers Are Failing in the Cold

[Guss-E 2021]

Once again Kyle being a bit dramatic, like this is the death of EVs, this shit will get figured out.
I also find it hard to believe there was no cold testing, my guess is it was a software issue since these are newly installed everywhere.

Yah I'm just not a fan of Out of Spec.

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[AhardFSU]

You have no idea if they have any issue with the design. Maybe a subcontractor made a mistake in installation? Maybe the power supply to the location has a problem?

Rick, you didn't see anywhere in my post where I stated that they had problem with the design. What I did say is that whatever it is, it's unacceptable. We should at least be able to say that it's unacceptable for 2 separate BTC stations to just fail like they did. I would hope and I believe that EA finds this unacceptable. Looking forward to hearing what the issue is.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Looking forward to hearing what the issue is.

The odds are extremely high that you will never know what the issue is or was that is causing this problem. As Rick alluded to, there are a huge number of variables in this and EA is likely to not go around advertising what the fault was.

 

[Logal727]

I get what you're saying. But the testing should have spotted the software issue, if it was a software issue. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if it was software or hardware. It's completely unacceptable for EA that put that product out there such an issue.

Yeah my guess is install calibration issue.

 

[Logal727]

I also dislike him putting out a video without getting a response from EA, he said he was concerned about reporting it accurately, but it’s clear he’s only out to get views from a video.
If he cared about reporting it fairly, he would have called customer service to see if they could do something, probably not, but at least he tried
He has contacts at EA he could have reached out to for a response, give them a deadline to respond by and then publish the video.

 

[TheBraydenKyle]

Have you actually used an upgraded location? If so, which one?

Bellmead, TX. A few days after they were installed.

 

[scoopman]

Kyle did a bit of testing with the extreme cold that hit recently. Looks like Electrify America is going to need to do some retrofits to make these new dispensers work in colder weather.

He did comparisons against older EA chargers and competitors as well. It seems like a solved problem for the units that have been in use for years. It would be nice if EA would have tested this themselves before they rolled it out, but I'm guessing a year from now the new dispensers will be fine in the cold.

Seriously what a joke. One would think this is a solved problem.... Someone figured this out in Norway.

 

[scoopman]

I also dislike him putting out a video without getting a response from EA, he said he was concerned about reporting it accurately, but it’s clear he’s only out to get views from a video.
If he cared about reporting it fairly, he would have called customer service to see if they could do something, probably not, but at least he tried
He has contacts at EA he could have reached out to for a response, give them a deadline to respond by and then publish the video.

I agree there, but Kyle is generally a YouTuber looking for views, he's not a journalist... Take him with a grain of salt

 

[AKgrampy]

I think the issue for me would be that it appears the stations are up and running in the apps but when you arrive you cannot connect and receive a charge. I wonder if something like expanding the sync window may be all that is needed? More importantly I hope it warms up for all of you who are experiencing the below normal temps! Stay safe and warm!

 

[Logal727]

I agree there, but Kyle is generally a YouTuber looking for views, he's not a journalist... Take him with a grain of salt

Yeah I agree, but he specifically says he wants to “report it accurately” in the video

 

[AZBill]

AFter watching Kyle's video, I have to ask if EA worked with BTC to test those dispensers in cold weather. It just seems like EA isn't even trying and that's a shame because they are the main CCS DC fast charging option along the main corridors. Fortunately, as we see from Kyle's video and as has been my experience, EvGo is just rock solid for the most part. They also seem to get their stations online quicker than EA if the dispenser has been down.

I'm happy that EvGo is working with GM and Pilot to add EVGO stations at Pilot locations. Once they're done with that, EvGo will be the main corridor alternative to EA.

Also, GM and EVGO are planning some new Delta chargers. Kyle mentions those in his video and they are used a lot in Europe, without all the reliability issues. They have a 400kw version almost ready.

 

[mkhuffman]

I was at the Wawa location in Wilmington DE early Dec. one 350 station had crashed, and not one of the “working” 350 stations would successfully connect to my MachE. Fortunately there was a single old 150 station that did work for me. I was really sweating as this is the sole fast charge location in DE.

I had a similar problem. I called EA and they said I should start the charging session from my phone using FordPass before connecting the charger to the car. That worked. I suspect if you went back to those 350 kW chargers and started the charge with FP, it would work fine.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Whatever the cold weather issue is, it needs to be treated very seriously and figured out ASAP. I sure hope Electrify America isn't incompetent enough to miss a minimum temperature spec and buy charging stations that don't work in cold weather. But knowing their history that could very well be a legitimate concern and this really could be a massive screw up. I just can't trust them to do things right anymore. I sure hope it's a simple issue or software glitch that can be fixed easily, otherwise they may have to rip out the new stations they just put in.

EA is run by a bunch of incompetent fools that are out of touch with the needs of the charging public. They don't care about appeasing you, only the automakers and the government. Convince me otherwise.

For those arguing Kyle should have waited for a response from EA, I think he's been there, done that. Their media relations sucks and they will likely refuse to give out any useful details about the situation and won't return his calls. He's tried in the past and gotten almost nowhere. He gets a faster response from EA by just making a video about a glaring problem, which is his approach now. It's unfortunate it's come to that, but that's how much lot of companies suck these days.

Kyle is like me and expects a very high reliability standard, and any failures should be communicated immediately. If you went on a trip and had to use those chargers, you'd be screwed. Nobody should have to deal with being stranded when the stations are expected to work. Especially when they advertise they are AVAILABLE, when in fact they are all broken. Plugshare would be your only chance of detecting a total station meltdown ahead of time, and only if somebody else posted about it beforehand. Otherwise EA LIES about their uptime. Unfortunately I don't see that changing until the government starts testing the charging stations themselves and fining EA when they don't work.

In contrast, the Tesla Supercharger network is lightyears ahead of EA. When a charger has a fault, it automatically reports to Tesla and gets marked offline so drivers know not to use it. If the whole station goes offline, people driving towards the station will be immediately notified and automatically rerouted to the next working station. It's a minimal travel disruption, not a crisis. It is so rare a supercharger doesn't work, Tesla owners don't even think or worry about it. Having to switch spaces and try another charger is a foreign concept. The Superchargers truly "just work". Coming from that experience as Kyle has, EA is a huge pain in the butt. It's like traveling to a 3rd world country where the gas stations might be out of gas and the power only works some of the time.

EA should have their own testing fleet of EVs and drive around testing every single EA station in the country once a month. Same idea as Ford Charge Angels. Hire a bunch of Gen Z's that want to travel the country. And share the test data with the government and automakers. But that's the last thing EA wants to do because it would revel how bad the reliability situation truly was.

 

[dhoerl]

I had a similar problem. I called EA and they said I should start the charging session from my phone using FordPass before connecting the charger to the car. That worked. I suspect if you went back to those 350 kW chargers and started the charge with FP, it would work fine.

I don’t doubt this, but it was freezing cold and I had miles to go. Sitting on a phone trying to read strings with 12 letters was a bit much. WTF didn’t it just work? They shut that location down for weeks to upgrade it before it reopened. They never tested their own system?

 

[gordonf238]

They don’t work that great in mild temperatures. Even the newest stations. That company should be ashamed of their shoddy equipment and tech.

Probably made by the lowest bidder in China

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