Electrify America, which is known for its growing network of DC fast chargers, as well as for the questionable reliability of said chargers, is rolling out an update to its smartphone app that makes it easier for customers to see which chargers are out of service in real time.
The update was announced on the company’s official X account alongside a small list of other improvements both to the app and the charging network itself.
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No more driving to an EA charger to find out it’s out of order
Electrify America is rolling out a new update to its smartphone app that makes it easier for users to see which chargers are out of order in real time thanks to a new banner that appears inside the app.
Seeing when chargers are out of service leads the list, followed by the simpler reporting of issues by selecting defined topics from a drop-down menu. In other words, the company is taking steps to address the lack of user-friendliness that’s sometimes associated with it.
As a reminder, Electrify America ranked at the bottom of the list in last year’s J.D. Power US Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Public Charging Study in the DC fast charging category, behind Tesla’s Supercharger network, ChargePoint, and EVgo, with 538 points out of a maximum of 1,000.
With this latest batch of updates, EA is also addressing charger reliability issues. The same image that mentions an improved smartphone app says that the company has replaced power modules to improve power delivery across the network.
Another change is the implementation of idle fees at more locations across the United States, which should improve the availability of EA’s DC fast chargers. The company doesn’t say which locations will get idle fees, but the smartphone app takes care of that.
The new app is available on both iOS and Android, and EA says it will continue to publish periodic updates on social media so that people can find out what’s new in the charging network and the mobile app.
Electrify America operates more than 840 stations with over 3,700 individual fast chargers in 47 states. Most EA chargers are capable of delivering up to 350 kilowatts of power, and all of them are currently equipped with CCS1 cables, but that will change soon, as Electrify America will begin retrofitting and installing new units with Tesla’s NACS port.
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