Consumer Reports Launches EV Charging Community with Chargeway to Boost Public Charger Reliability

Discover ways to assist Consumer Reports in assessing the quality of public EV charging stations

Consumer Reports is yet to conduct a large-scale analysis of electric vehicle charging infrastructure akin to its extensive reviews of EV reliability. However, the renowned consumer protection group revealed on Thursday that through new collaborations, it aims to gain a broader understanding of the dependability of public charging facilities.

The initiative known as the EV Charging Community collaborates with various electric vehicle support organizations, such as Plug In America, GreenLatinos, and Generation 180. It also involves a technical alliance with Chargeway, which is among the applications suggested by Green Car Reports for accessing the navigational intelligence that some electric vehicles are missing.

Chargeway identifies as a tech firm and has expanded to cover various elements of electric vehicle charging. However, it gained recognition for its introduction of color-coded visuals in 2017 that allow users to quickly discern the power levels of EV chargers.

Through the recently established collaboration, a user's review of a charging station within the Chargeway application will trigger the sharing of information to Consumer Reports. This data, which includes the network and station's whereabouts as well as the type of vehicle charged, can be further detailed with optional submissions such as electricity metrics, and the battery's charge level upon arrival and departure. Importantly, the transfer of information will maintain user anonymity, as only the session-specific ratings, charging statistics, and opinions will be disclosed to Consumer Reports without revealing individual user details.

Collaboration between Chargeway and Consumer Reports on charger dependability

Chargeway has indicated that information provided via their application will be utilized by Consumer Reports to develop a system for evaluating and documenting user experiences at public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. This system will be disseminated to charging network operators, car manufacturers, policy makers, and the general public. The aim is to offer a forum for EV drivers to enhance the public charging infrastructure and to foster responsibility within the sector.

"Functional charging stations are essential, yet when they aren't working properly, it's a significant inconvenience that eats into people's precious time," stated Drew Toher, who manages the sustainability campaign for Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports notes that out of its community of 1,600 participants, approximately 27% have encountered issues with public charging stations in the initial phase of the project. Additionally, Consumer Reports highlights that individuals who are not Chargeway users can join the community by signing up through the provided link.

"EV motorists no longer have to resort to venting their frustrations on social media platforms where they may feel overlooked. With the Chargeway mobile app, they have the opportunity to communicate their concerns directly to a prominent consumer advocacy group," announced Matt Teske, the creator of Chargeway, while discussing the collaboration. He further noted that Chargeway aligns with CR's mission "to empower drivers to actively participate in discussions about the dependability of public EV charging."

EV owners may justifiably sense a lack of attention, with unsuccessful charging efforts and negative incidents frequently met with insignificant direct messages that seemingly don't prompt any fixing or solving of problems.

Chevy electric vehicles spotted at a Tesla charging hub

Additionally, practical difficulties with charging equipment seem to be on the rise. Established by the federal government in 2023, the ChargeX Consortium aims to address the reliability of EV chargers before the deployment of $7.5 billion in charging facilities. They identified that a significant problem was the inconsistency in error codes among different EV chargers, causing confusion. J.D. Power's latest EV charging satisfaction survey showed advancements in user interface, but non-functioning chargers were responsible for 61% of unsuccessful charging efforts.

The latest editions of the Chargeway application for both iOS and Android devices now come equipped with a new reporting function.

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