Why EV Charging Reliability Is More Complicated Than It Looks

For fleet operators, an electric vehicle charging failure can create more than a minor inconvenience. A vehicle that does not charge overnight may be unavailable the next morning, disrupting routes, schedules, and daily operations.

But identifying why a charging session failed is rarely simple.

In this episode of Charged Fleet’s The Off-Peak, Charged Fleet editor Martin Romjue speaks with GridLink co-founder and CEO Josh Silets about the technology behind EV charging reliability and the steps fleets can take to reduce charging disruptions.

Why Charging Is Not Like Filling Up at a Gas Pump

A fuel pump is a relatively self-contained system. EV charging depends on several interconnected technologies working together, including the vehicle, charger hardware, firmware, network software, payment or authentication systems, and electrical infrastructure.

A problem in any one of those areas may prevent a charging session from starting or cause it to stop unexpectedly.

Silets compares the experience to a declined credit card transaction. The customer sees that the payment failed, but the source of the problem may involve the card, bank, payment terminal, software provider, or communications network. EV charging failures can be similarly difficult to diagnose.

Visibility Is Critical to Charging Reliability

One of the biggest challenges for fleet operators is determining which company controls each part of the charging system. A charger manufacturer may not develop the software or firmware running on its equipment. A third-party update may affect how a charger communicates with a particular vehicle, even when neither the fleet nor the hardware manufacturer made a change.

That makes vendor coordination and system visibility essential.

Silets advises fleets to work with providers that can investigate failures across the charging ecosystem, communicate with other technology partners, and identify the root cause rather than relying on temporary fixes.

Questions Fleets Should Ask Vendors

Before selecting charging equipment or software, fleet operators should understand which parts of the system a vendor controls directly and which are provided by other companies.

Fleets should ask:

1. Is the hardware, software, or firmware developed in-house?
2. Which parts of the platform are white-labeled?
3. How does the vendor identify and respond to charging failures?
4. Can the vendor provide an example of coordinating with another company to resolve a reliability problem?
5. What metrics does the vendor use to measure charging success?

Silets also explains why charger uptime alone may not provide a complete picture. A station can be connected to a network and technically considered operational while still failing to begin a charging session.

A more meaningful measurement may be the percentage of charging attempts that start successfully on the first try.

EV Charging Reliability Is Improving

Despite the complexity, Silets says charging technology and reliability are moving in the right direction. Greater visibility, better reporting, stronger vendor coordination, and more useful performance metrics can help fleet operators identify recurring problems and build more dependable charging operations.

Watch the full episode above for more insights on public and private charging, industry standards, vendor selection, and the future of EV charging reliability.