Peak EV Fast Charging Is Up 50%, And So Are EV Fast Chargers

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Naturally, electrical car gross sales have gone up this 12 months, as we’ve reported, and there are definitely much more electrical autos on the highway than there have been a 12 months in the past. Gross sales numbers are simply gross sales numbers, although. Is there proof of much more electrical car charging? Sure, there may be!

Apparently, on the 12 months’s peak charging time within the US, EV quick charging was up almost 50% in comparison with the identical time in 2023. That peak charging time is Thanksgiving week, after all.

“During the Thanksgiving travel week, public fast charging stations in the US experienced nearly a 50% increase in charging sessions versus the same period in 2023,” Paren writes. “However, the actual utilization declined slightly due to a nearly 50% increase in the number of additional new fast charging ports available.”

Specifically, the Paren crew examined information from what they deemed had been “travel” stations, from Monday–Sunday of Thanksgiving week. “Black Friday 2024 saw a 54% increase in charging sessions compared to 2023, while Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving had the lowest year-over-year (YoY) increase in sessions at 39%. The overall average YoY increase for the week was 48%.”

Regardless of 48% extra quick charging, the utilization fee at these “travel stations” was 22%, down from 24% the 12 months earlier than. Meaning the charging infrastructure grew barely greater than the necessity for quick charging. That must be nice information for anybody involved that EV quick charging infrastructure isn’t rising quick sufficient.

Listed below are some extra particulars from the Paren crew on utilization charges: “The Sunday after Thanksgiving had the highest utilization rate for the week at 25%, meaning that the average ‘travel’ fast charging station in the US saw six hours of EVs plugged in and charging for the day. That equates to roughly 10 charging sessions. Interestingly, the 25% utilization rate for Sunday was slightly higher than the 24% rate for Saturday, even though Saturday saw a higher volume of charging sessions. This is likely due to a higher percentage of drivers on Sunday charging for more minutes to reach their destination, whereas much of Saturday’s charging session volume may have been more for adding range, topping up for local travel, and preparing for the long drive home on Sunday.”

Is Thanksgiving Week Actually Peak EV Quick Charging?

One may assume that, with simply ~25% quick charging utilization, is Thanksgiving week actually peak EV quick charging time? Sure, Thanksgiving week undoubtedly is. Throughout 2024, 8 out of the highest 10 days had been throughout Thanksgiving week! That mentioned, the rise in quick charging will not be as dramatic as anticipated. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, the busiest day for journey quick charging, the classes had been solely 24% increased than the common for the 12 months.

EV Charger Reliability Going Up

Undoubtedly, reliability of EV quick chargers (or lack thereof) has been one of many greatest stains on the EV transition. It’s been the a part of your complete EV ecosystem that has in all probability struggled probably the most. Nonetheless, the excellent news is that’s enhancing too. The “Paren Reliability Index” elevated by 3.4 proportion factors this 12 months, reaching 85.5%, I do know — 85.5% remains to be not almost sufficient, however at the very least it’s a notable step up from 82.1% reliability.

The usual is meant to be 97%, however there are apparently loopholes permitting failures in EV charging reliability to persist. “While many charge point operators (CPOs) claim ‘uptime’ rates meet or exceed the 97% National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) minimum requirements, that metric typically only captures whether the charging system was turned on, not whether a driver was actually able to complete a charging session.” If you happen to’re touring to an space you’re not aware of — and even in case you’re touring to an space you’re aware of — it’s good to verify a crowdsourced web site like PlugShare or ChargeHub to be sure you can depend on particular stations alongside your route.

Keep tuned for findings from Christmas week. Paren goes to be wanting intently at these numbers and bringing out the highlights as nicely.