Are poorly designed fastchargers trying to kill you?

Okay, that title was a little dramatic, but not inaccurate. Last weekend (mid-July 2024) we took our new, Silverado EV RST on its first ever roadtrip. We charged in the noon-day sun on a 110° day, with no shade. This was very uncomfortable and could have been dangerous. Electrify America’s problematic operations caused us to linger in those excessively hot conditions much longer than was comfortable, or (I’d argue) safe. Here’s the tale…

We knew that charging with a trailer would be a challenge as pull-through charging is very rare. But we were towing a light, fiberglass sailboat that weighs only about 1000 lbs., trailer and all. There is a caster wheel on the tongue and the rig is easy for one person to push around.

Our trip was a little over 300 miles and 7,500 ft. elevation change, each way. With the Silverado’s big battery, we would only need one charge stop on the way up and one on the way back. We planned to charge at Electrify America at Walmart in Madera, California. This is the last chance to DC fast-charge before heading up into the Sierras.

We hit Madera around noon on a Friday. The ambient temperature was 110°. There was no shade at the chargers. The charging cabinets were located in normal parking slots on a one-way parking row, so they were slanted. There were 6 chargers, and all of them had something blocking their ends, so no chance of pulling though. There was a curb and planter that blocked some. Others were blocked by the large inverter structure that runs the chargers. 

We dropped the boat in an empty parking slot about 10 spots away from the charger. We were lucky enough to find a pull-through parking stall. Well, not really a pull-though but it didn’t have a curb or a tire stop to prevent you from pulling through to the empty spot on the next row. Later, when we picked up the boat, someone had parked in front of the boat, so we had to push it out of the spot. Good thing this wasn’t our heavy trailer!

With the boat detached, we circled back to the charger and pulled into Cabinet #6, a 350kW CCS DC fastcharger. We were already hot from offloading the boat. We stood there, in the blazing sun, for 5 minutes trying to get the EA charger to connect, before we finally declared it DOA. (Dead On Arrival). Later we would see other EVs unable to charge there also. 

We pulled out and moved to Cabinet #1 another 350kW charger. Most of the charging parking slots had two cabinets along the side of the parking spot. If you pulled in headfirst, one dispenser was near the hood, and the other was near the passenger door. In this spot #1 was near the hood, and #2 was near the passenger door, but #2 was only a 150kW.  This was also the parking row nearest to the main door of Walmart and it had a lot of ICE traffic. 

Our charge port is at the back on the driver’s side. The charging cabinets were on the passenger’s side. Another EV was charging at the 150kW from the other side of the cabinets. This means we had to back into the slot. The parking row was narrow. The parking slots were slanted for entry going up the row, and we have a very large truck that then had to back into a spot that is slanted against the grain. I estimate we had to make a 135° turn to line up. It took about a 10-point turn, in that narrow row with other drivers waiting and getting annoyed at us as we blocked traffic, to get us backed into the spot.

Finally, backed into the parking stall, with our charge port near #1, we were again out in extreme heat, blazing sun, trying to make the EA charger give up power. First, the screen was scratched, clouded, and dim. In the bright noon sun, wearing sunglasses it was nearly impossible to read. I have transition glasses that darken in the sun. If I take them off, I can’t read. It took 3 to 4 attempts to get the charger to connect. That’s a long time to stand there, on hot black asphalt with no shade. 

Also a problem, backing into this spot meant that the driver’s door was right up against the front 150kW charger. It was very hard to get out of the door. My skinny husband barely slipped out. With the curbs or bollards on 3 sides, there is no way this set-up was close to being ADA-accessible. It wasn’t even old-grandma accessible! hehe We had a college buddy who was a paraplegic and huge car enthusiast. He always drove a muscle car with hand controls. He could do it all by himself. He would be bringing litigation about this, if he was still with us.

We watched the charge ramp up into the 200kW range, and then satisfied that it was working, we left to find a cool place to eat lunch. Charging would take 30 minutes, this was about right for a meal. We had to walk several blocks, and cross a busy 4-lane street, to get to a shopping area with food places. A speeding right-on-red turning car nearly hit us. It was killer hot. No sooner did we get our food than our charge was interrupted! GREAT. 

I walked back and left our other two travelers to finish their food. When I got to the charger, a Ford F150 Lightning was plugged into our cabinet, #1, using the second CCS cable.

EA, why do you have two similar cables for the same charge cabinet? You can’t use both of them at the same time. WHY?

I don’t know if the Ford caused our charge to terminate or if it ended because of an EA hiccup. But now, I couldn’t restart the charge because the Ford had control on the charger. I was worried EA was charging us idle fees, as we were still plugged in. Fortunately, the Ford wasn’t there long and when he finished we were able to start charging again. I was so hot. I did jump in the truck with the AC on while waiting. I don’t like charging with the AC on but there was no choice. I think the heat throttled our charging speeds too. 

In the end, we charged to about 83%, a bit more than the 80% we were shooting for. We pulled out of that spot and again had to negotiate the 135° turn. There were too many cars moving in the parking row to sneak out the wrong direction. As I mentioned, the boat got parked in, so we pushed it out into a parking row, blocking traffic, again, while we hitched it up. Then we were on our way to Huntington Lake, in the high Sierras. 

On the way back, we charged at the same station but it was at sunset, and while still over 100° the sun was not beating down on us. We still had the backing in problems, traffic, and lots of people using the chargers. Fortunately, the charge completed without interruption this time. 

This experience made me think, EV charging doesn’t have to be this hard. ICE drivers would not put up with these kinds of inconveniences. EV drivers deserve the same amenities that ICE drivers take for granted. We need/want/demand equality with the ICE fueling experience. 

Here is my take:

EV charging wish list: 

• Awnings Are Life Savers: 110° heat can be FATAL  and I am not exaggerating! Also, they are needed for rain and snow in the winter.
  
  
• Gas Station Amenities: We need window washing stations, trash cans, and tire air compressors. Some of these things are required by law in some areas for gas stations to provide. EV drivers need the same.
  
  
• Towing Friendly: We need pull-through spots. When EV chargers were first made all EVs were small cars that didn’t tow. That is not the case anymore. Catch up!
  
  
• Restrooms: We need closer restrooms. I can’t always walk a half mile, in extreme heat, or heavy rain, after drinking a vente Starbucks latte and being on the road for 3 hours. 😵‍💫😖🥴
  
  
• Common Sense: Slanted charging parking spaces, on the parking row closest to the main door of a busy Walmart is just stupid. ICE drivers already don’t like us. We don’t need to annoy them more by blocking them while we maneuver into a charger.
  
  
• Quality and Maintenance: CPOs (Charge Point Operators, like EA) need to make handshaking quicker and more reliable. They should connect quickly on the first try, not drop before charging is complete. All cabinets should be operational most of the time. Too many chargers are broken, have de-rated speed, and/or are run down (leaking coolant, foggy screens, damaged plugs, etc.) They should be repaired promptly.
  
  
• Universal Plug-and-Charge: Let’s get universal plug-and-charge, like they have in the EU. We need one company that handles EV charging payment accounts and interfaces with all the flavors of chargers. Then, you’ll only need one app or one plug-and-charge enrollment to charge at any company’s facility.
  
  
• Safety and Comfort: Chargers need to be well-lit at night. Sitting alone in the dark, while charging may not be safe in some areas, especially for women or people with a disability.
  
  
• Accessibility: Gas stations have to be ADA-compliant. Why don’t EV chargers? It only takes one lawsuit. CPOs you might get on that now and not have to pay your lawyers later. 
  
  

More Hints for CPOs who want to attract more business: 

• Pet Friendly: I travel with a small dog. A pet relief area that is not hot asphalt, with a garbage can for pet waste, and a spigot for water would appeal to me.
  
  
• Food/Drinks/Snacks: Closer food, coffee, and snacks would be a bonus.
  
  
• Inside Space: A lounge, 24-hour coffee shop, or cafe nearby would be nice. Especially, at night or in bad weather. I always thought Starbucks or similar would be a perfect fit for EV chargers, though they sometimes don’t have ample parking areas. I just read that Mercedes is teaming up with a few Starbucks to provide EV charging. I hope it is a success. Here is a link to a relevant Out of Spec video on this subject: Modular EV Charging Lounge.
  
  
• Child Friendly: I often travel with grandkids. Those adorable little bundles of kinetic energy need a place to run around and be kids. Play structures indoors or out, games, grass… anywhere to play other than standing in a busy parking lot with no shade.

Well, that was more of a rant than I planned. I know my tone was negative, but this was an EV adventure and we can’t wait to have our next one! I am working on a post more about this EV trip and not ranting about EA charging and the heat.

Have you had any EV charging mishaps? Do you have any more suggestions for your perfect EV charging location? Leave me a comment. 

Keep driving clean!
Grandma-EV