Electric Car Charging Unreliability: The Places Where Electric Cars Struggle to Recharge
In a recent report, EcoG published the second edition of its Charging Reliability Index (CRI), evaluating the charging reliability of ten electric vehicle platforms. The index comprises 20 tests, divided into categories such as charging initialization, charging process, error handling, and user communication.
The platforms evaluated include BMW UKL2, Ford GE1, Geely SEA, Hyundai E-GMP, Lucid Air, Mercedes MFA2, SAIC LWB, Stellantis CMP, Tesla Model 3/Y, and VW MEB. Seven out of the ten platforms now support Transport Layer Security (TLS) for more secure communication, marking a step towards enhancing the security of electric vehicles.
However, only five platforms perform their own measurements for charging voltage, indicating a need for improvement in this area. Signal attenuation still varies greatly, with a difference of more than 20 dB between platforms.
The best CRI score of 76% underscores the importance of continuing to improve the implementation of charging interfaces to achieve a reliable and user-friendly charging experience. None of the tested platforms achieved a charging reliability of more than 76%, highlighting the ongoing challenges in this field.
Three of the platforms attempted to recharge indefinitely, which could lead to battery overstress and, in extreme cases, complete failure. Three of the tested electric vehicles do not provide a simple way to end the charging process directly at the vehicle.
Error communication needs improvement, with only two platforms using standardized error codes. Two models still do not support the industry-relevant ISO 15118-2 protocol, which limits interoperability.
The report highlights the improvement in the stability of charging processes compared to the 2023 tests. No cases of weak communication signals were found in the current report, an improvement from 2023 when two problematic cases were documented.
Central issues such as the so-called authorization timeout problem remain unresolved. No new information about bidirectional DC charging capability or the authorization timeout problem was provided in this paragraph.
The second edition of the Charging Reliability Index by EcoG provides valuable insights into the current state of electric vehicle charging reliability. Although progress has been made, there is still room for improvement to ensure a seamless and reliable charging experience for electric vehicle users.
