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Title: Is America Finally Improving Its Electric Car Chargers?

Link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/06/23/0149...

U.S. consumers "rank problems with public electric vehicle charging and the
time it takes to recharge as their top two reasons for rejecting electric
vehicles," writes the New York Times, citing figures from data analytics firm
J.D. Power. But are things getting better? Automakers and charging companies
are building new stations and updating their cars to allow drivers to more
easily and quickly recharge their vehicles. They're also outfitting charging
stations with items such as food and bathrooms, and making the devices more
reliable. Because chargers are only as fast as the cars they connect with,
automakers are designing new cars to absorb electricity at higher speeds. In
addition, many automakers have cut deals with Tesla to allow owners of other
cars to use the company's fast-charging network, the largest in the country
and widely considered the most reliable. Early evidence suggests efforts to
improve electric vehicle charging are paying off. In recent years, J.D. Power
surveys showed about 20% of attempts to charge electric vehicles at all
public stations ended in failure because of faulty chargers, long lines or
payment glitches. But in the first three months of 2025, overall failure
rates fell to 16%, the biggest improvement since the surveys began in 2021.
"The industry is finally elevating as a whole," said Brent Gruber, an
executive director at J.D. Power. The number of chargers has also increased.
There were about 55,200 fast chargers in the United States in May, up from
42,200 a year earlier, according to federal data. In February, a former
Phillips 66 gas station in Apex, N.C., near Raleigh, became the first
"Rechargery" from Ionna, a company created by eight automakers, including
General Motors, Hyundai Motors, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Their chargers can
deliver up to 400 kilowatts of juice, much more than Tesla's 250-kilowatt
Superchargers. Some cars can replenish a battery in 30 minutes or less at the
higher charging speeds. When connected to chargers of 350 kilowatts or more,
including those at Ionna and Electrify America, another fast-charging
network, a Hyundai Ioniq 5 can fill its electric "tank" from 10% to 80% in 18
minutes... Some models from BMW, Hyundai and Kia have also enabled a national
"Plug and Charge" standard that lets car owners begin charging their vehicles
at Ionna stalls without first having to use a smartphone app or swipe a
credit card, eliminating a step that sometimes results in errors. Tesla's
chargers have long worked this way for Tesla cars and now work with some
other vehicles, including Rivian's SUVs and pickups. More cars and charging
stations are expected to have plug-and-charge capability in the coming
months... Nearly every major automaker is redesigning their cars with plug
outlets and software that are compatible with Tesla chargers. Infrastructure
upgrades are happening elsewhere too, according to the article.Texas-based
gas chain Buc-ee's is offering "premium" charging using renewable power
(working with Mercedes), while Waffle House plans to install BP Pulse fast
chargers next year. J.D. Power's Gruber says that while America's federal
charger program only helped construct a tiny fraction of new chargers, it did
also published guidelines which helped automakers and charging companies work
together and address technical problems.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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