Maryland utilities report improving EV charger reliability but fall short of 97% standard

Baltimore Gas & Electric and other investor‑owned utilities told the Maryland Public Service Commission that public electric‑vehicle charging networks showed measurable reliability gains in the first half of 2025 but still fell short of the 97% uptime yardstick the state uses to measure acceptable performance.

BGE officials said their public network logged more than 57,000 charging sessions in the past year and more than 350,000 sessions to date across the utility’s program, and that customer ratings on PlugShare improved from 6.0 to 7.1. BGE and other utilities attributed the biggest single cause of downtime to delays obtaining replacement parts from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for older “legacy” chargers, noting vendor warranties and OEM service agreements for early‑generation equipment have lapsed and lead times for parts can extend well beyond the 10‑day window used for uptime calculations.

Utility presenters described steps already taken to reduce downtime. BGE and others said they have switched network providers (to roaming SIM solutions that reduce connectivity outages), bulk‑purchased commonly failed parts, developed “triage kits” for truck rolls to enable same‑day fixes when possible, refined escalation processes with maintenance vendors, and increased real‑time monitoring and customer feedback channels. Switch, the network operator that won competitive procurements to migrate large numbers of utility stations this spring, said it completed migrations of hundreds of chargers by the April 30 transition date and that the migration plus improved diagnostic integrations with maintenance contractor Charger Help have cut connectivity and response times in many locations.

Still, several commissioners and public commenters pressed utilities on persistent failure modes beyond supply chains, including hardware obsolescence at DC fast chargers, environmental issues (extreme weather and insect infestations were cited), limited availability of replacement parts, and sites that receive few charging sessions. Potomac Edison and SMECO said their portfolios showed better median port uptimes in some quarters, but averages across Q1–Q2 left most utilities below the 97% target.

On funding and accounting, BGE said roughly $6 million in federal grant funding affecting EV infrastructure is on pause and that its EV Phase 2 proposal would record about $2.3 million in operations and maintenance as a regulatory asset; other utilities described phase‑2 filings that anticipate continued maintenance plans and potential regulatory asset treatment. Utilities also noted they continue to seek grant funding and federal programs (NEVI, DOE awards) to support future repairs or equipment replacement.

Public and stakeholder witnesses urged faster progress. The Office of People’s Counsel and independent drivers who monitor charging performance argued that long lead times for OEM parts and reliance on vendors show the utilities still carry outsized operational risk. Staff recommended more complete, consistent reporting and said it does not recommend penalties yet because the NEVI calculation is annual and only six months of data were available for review.

Utilities and the network provider said they expect continued improvement in Q3 and Q4 as newly procured parts are installed, triage kits and API integrations mature, and aging stations are evaluated for replacement or retirement. Commissioners pressed utilities to document vendor response times and supply‑chain mitigation steps and to work with the established EV working group to standardize reporting templates.

The commission did not take a formal vote at the hearing; utilities and stakeholders were asked to continue work in the EV reliability working group and to provide the next quarterly reports with unlocked workbooks and consistent port/connector nomenclature for staff review.