WSJ: Even Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Can’t Find a Reliable EV Charger

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America’s electric-vehicle drivers are increasingly unhappy with public charging, as problems that include glitchy or inoperable equipment seem to be getting worse, not better.

Now the U.S. government plans to launch a $100 million effort to try to tackle the reliability issue and make public charging less annoying and more consistent. The funding aims to repair and replace thousands of old or out-of-commission chargers that are contributing to a roll-of-the-dice sensation among EV drivers, who never know what they might find.

Around one in five attempts at charging at a public station outside of the Tesla network is a bust, according to an August study from J.D. Power.

“Imagine what it would be like if you couldn’t be sure when you pulled into a gas station that you’d actually get gas out of it,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in an interview.

“This is about making sure that access to charging is as reliable as access to fuel is today for gas cars, and we know that that’s not just a question of quantity but also one of quality,” he said.

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There are around 150,000 public charging ports available to drivers, according to government data. Most charge cars over a period of hours, but around 34,000 are fast chargers that can do the job in 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the equipment and how fast the car battery can charge.

Getting a reliable charging network in place underpins the transition from gasoline to electric. But if drivers can’t find public chargers they won’t buy EVs.

Buttigieg, who owns a hybrid minivan, is no stranger to the frustration of unreliable equipment.

“We’ve definitely had that experience. Matter of fact, had it just a few days ago at a park in town,” he said. A parking spot with a charger was open, but it wasn’t working.

Like many current EV owners, Buttigieg charges at home in his garage. As EV ownership moves beyond early adopters who tend to be wealthier and own single-family homes, public charging becomes more critical, advocates say.

The charging industry outside the Tesla network has struggled with reliability. Tesla has been building its own network for more than a decade and plans to open at least some of its network to other kinds of vehicles. A cascade of automakers have said in recent months they would switch to using the Tesla-designed connector, called the North American Charging Standard, in exchange for gaining access to Tesla’s chargers.

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Overall, driver sentiment about charging has been on the decline since 2021, and charger build-out isn’t keeping pace with the rapid arrival of more EVs, said Brent Gruber, J.D. Power’s executive director, EV practice.

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