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Over the past decade, “sustainability” has become less of a buzzword and more of a necessity. As the harmful effects of climate change become more apparent, society continues to devise ways to live more sustainably.
The rise in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is one indication of an uptick in interest in more environmentally friendly living. To many, the popularity of EVs has served as a beacon of hope for a cleaner, greener future, though the journey toward widespread EV adoption has not been without challenges.
Rue Phillips, President and co-founder of SkillFusion, has watched the evolution of EV mobility since nearly the beginning. His work in the space has uncovered a link between the robust nature of the EV charging infrastructure and EV adoption.
“At one point, battery range was the number one factor in the decision-making process among consumers,” explains Phillips. “However, as battery technology and capacity have increased significantly, we are seeing a switch from ‘range anxiety’ to ‘charger anxiety’ — meaning access to EV charging infrastructure is now the most critical driving force in EV adoption.”
Rampant EV adoption
The interest in EV use has skyrocketed in recent years, breaking records and showing no signs of slowing. Sales of EVs exceeded 10 million in 2022, more than tripling from 2020 numbers. The statistics all point to positive change coming from the EV market in the next few years, further fueled by government incentives, technological advancements, and the growing interest in sustainable living.
Experts agree that EVs are the main component to lessening carbon emissions overall, and the rampant rollout of EVs can potentially avoid the need for 5 million barrels of oil a day by 2030. The US stands at the forefront of a global shift towards widespread adoption of sustainable transport. However, it will take efforts from the industry, government entities, consumers, and EV experts to keep the revolution alive and thriving.
The charging infrastructure problem
“The cornerstone to future growth and EV sales will be a highly accessible, readily available, and user-friendly charging infrastructure,” says Phillips.
The current EV charging infrastructure in the US has run up against some significant snags as many push for wider EV use. Charging station outages, network downtime, and a lack of maintenance have contributed to what Phillips and others call “charger anxiety” among EV users. One study found that up to 20% of current charging stations available in the US are inoperable at any given time. “As the electric vehicle market continues to grow, the industry is grappling with the unreliability of charger availability due to excessive downtime,” says Phillips.
Both those in the EV industry, like Phillips, and government entities have tried to offer solutions to this charging station issue. The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program is working to fund a large-scale deployment of EV charging infrastructure across the country, which is required to maintain a goal of 97% operational uptime. To help this effort, The Biden Administration pledged to build a network of 500,000 EV charging stations by 2030.
Given the current state of the EV charging infrastructure, with widespread outages and network interruptions, a 97% uptime goal has raised some eyebrows. Experts like Phillips have maintained that a lack of skilled and trained technicians to work on this new technology is primarily responsible for the downtime issues.
“The downtime can be largely attributed to the lack of skilled technicians and electricians trained and available to work on this new technology,” says Phillips. “It is compounded by the lack of standard service procedures and error codes between charger OEMs, which causes confusion for workers and leads to the wrong expertise being dispatched, time wasted, and increased frustration for the charger owners and operators as well as the technicians and EV drivers.”
Simply put, the rate of EV adoption is wildly outpacing the availability of charging infrastructure and technicians skilled enough to keep that infrastructure up and running. The industry will need to play catch-up or run the risk of slowing the trajectory of the EV revolution.
“The future of a robust and reliable EV charging infrastructure needs to catch up towards a fully automated operational process,” explains Phillips. “Regular Operations & Maintenance (O&M) protocols using localized skilled and certified EV technicians will reduce downtime and increase customer satisfaction.”
The rise of EV adoption and bolstering a strong charging infrastructure stand as twin pillars supporting the EV revolution. As EVs become a more mainstream choice for drivers, the availability and reliability of the charging infrastructure will be a critical part of the transition to more sustainable transportation.
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Image source: DepositPhotos.com
