This WSJ Reporter Drove Through 126 EV Stations In LA County, Only To Find 27% Of Them Out-Of-Order

Reports have emerged about an array of problems at public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Los Angeles County, which has the highest number of fast chargers in the country.

A Wall Street Journal reporter recently conducted an investigation into public EV charging stations in LA County. Driving a Ford Mustang Mach-E, the reporter inspected 30 non-Tesla DC fast-charger stations and found issues at more than 40% of them. The problems were mainly categorized into three types: Out of Order, Payment Rejected, and Handshake Failed.

Out of the 126 charging stalls tested across three major companies, EVgo, Electrify America, and EVCS, 27% were out of order, exhibiting error messages or simply not functioning. Despite round-the-clock monitoring by these companies, multiple issues such as defective parts, power disruptions, or faulty connectors caused these breakdowns.

See Also: Rivian Offers Free Wall Charger, Up To $2000 Installation Credit On New R1T Purchase

Nearly 10% of the functional stalls experienced payment problems. According to EVCS’s chief commercial officer, Karim Farhat, integration issues are common since charging hardware and credit card reader manufacturers are different. Additionally, state-mandated chip readers require more dependable contactless card readers.

The reporter also encountered a “handshake” problem at several stations, where the vehicle and the charger failed to establish a connection. This issue can occur due to a variety of car and charger combinations, and even a simple firmware update can disrupt this delicate balance, Farhat explained.

The challenges identified in the investigation highlight the critical need for improvements in public EV charging infrastructure. As EV adoption accelerates, the demand for reliable charging stations is escalating.

Read Next: China Stuns The World With Its 1.2 Terabit Network That Can Transmit Entire Netflix Repository Under 30 Minutes

Image: Shutterstock/ Smile Fight