EV CHARGE NETWORKS - WHY OH WHY!

EV Channels Review

The reviewer expresses significant frustration with the current state of the UK's public EV charging network, despite acknowledging the brilliance of electric vehicles themselves, especially for home chargers. The core issue highlighted is not the technology but the operational incompetence and lack of common sense from the companies running the networks. Specific problems include non-functional chargers that remain unrepaired for extended periods, lengthy wait times for customer support (up to 25 minutes), server issues causing widespread authentication failures, and a lack of standardization across different networks and payment methods. The reviewer recounts a particularly distressing experience where a driver with a young son was stranded due to multiple non-working chargers, forcing him to wait hours on a slow charger and ultimately questioning his ability to use the EV for long journeys. Another major complaint is Ionity's pre-authorization system, which holds significant amounts of money (£67 per charge) for days, potentially impacting users' available funds. The reviewer stresses the need for 24-hour support and a minimum of 99.99% uptime for charging sites, comparing the current situation unfavorably to the seamless experience offered by Tesla's Supercharger network. While acknowledging improvements over the past few years, the reviewer urges the networks to fix these easily solvable issues to encourage wider EV adoption.