US EV Charging Company Acts to Curb ‘Charging Ho
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A U.S. electric vehicle charging company is developing new technology to deal with EV ‘charging hogs’ who let their electric cars linger at public chargers. Two of the many issues that dampen the electric vehicle charging experience are long lines and extended wait times. In many cases, these wait times are caused by drivers who linger at public EV chargers to let their EVs charge to 100%.
Unlike fossil fuel-powered cars, which can receive a full tank of gas with no issue, electric car batteries function optimally at 20–80%. “Filling up” your EV regularly (charging up to 100%) can speed up the battery’s rate of degradation and reduce its lifespan. Consequently, charging to 80% kills two birds with one stone by aiding in the preservation of EV batteries and improving overall charging experiences for all drivers.
Electrify America is now experimenting with a novel solution that would cut off such drivers once their EVs are fully charged. One of the largest EV-charging companies in the country, Electrify America has built a network of public chargers to serve the nation’s growing electric vehicle fleet. As a result, the charging company serves thousands of EV drivers across the country and is in a unique position to deal with charging hogs.
The company has instituted a limit that automatically cuts off EV charging once the vehicle is 85% charged and instructs the driver to unplug their car or pay an idle time fee of 40 cents per minute for using the spot. This will ensure that drivers who typically linger at chargers leave once their EVs are optimally charged and keep lines moving faster. Tesla vehicles also have a similar feature that limits charging to 80% when they plug into a Supercharger station with many users to limit congestion.
But while Tesla drivers can use a vehicle control to override the charging limit, Electrify America’s limit cannot be avoided, and every driver who uses an Electrify America station will be limited to 80%. The move could go a long way toward improving charging experiences for America’s growing community of EV drivers.
Charging has been one of the largest barriers to EV adoption since Tesla first launched the Roadster well over a decade ago. America’s network of chargers isn’t large enough to support the current number of electric cars on the road, let alone a countrywide fleet of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Furthermore, issues such as unreliable chargers and long wait lines mean that drivers with access to public chargers typically have poor charging experiences.
The advent of micromobility solutions from enterprises such as Life Electric Vehicles Holdings Inc. (OTC: LFEV) also provides another angle to the charging hogs dilemma. With their smaller batteries, lighter EVs often need a shorter duration at charging points before they have sufficiently topped up and continued on their way.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Life Electric Vehicles Holdings Inc. (OTC: LFEV) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/LFEV
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