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Volunteers and vendors press PSC to hold utilities accountable for public‑charger reliability; Switch and Charger Help describe remediation plans
Summary
Public commenters and EV drivers reported dozens of nonfunctional public chargers in field checks; a volunteer group found low uptime at some ports. Vendors contracted by utilities (Switch) and specialist maintenance providers (Charger Help) said they are migrating networks and establishing operations and maintenance protocols, and urged PSC to
Multiple public commenters, including a volunteer group that visited hundreds of fast‑charging locations, presented field data showing nonfunctional ports and intermittent uptime at many utility‑operated sites. The volunteers reported examples where a significant share of ports at some sites were inoperative. Commenters and advocacy groups said ongoing reliability problems undermine public confidence in charging networks and deter EV adoption.
Vendors— response: Switch—selected in competitive procurements as a new network provider for several utilities—described network‑migration work and contractual uptime commitments. Switch said it has deployed operational teams, 24/7 monitoring and quality control procedures and has contractually committed to average uptime targets (the company cited a 97% network uptime average in other deployments). Charger Help, a maintenance specialist, said it provides field repair and parts recommendations, and is working with utilities to shorten parts lead times and improve response time.
Regulator and citizen proposals: Commissioners and staff asked for clearer uptime reporting and for penalties or credits when uptime targets are not met. OPC and MEA said they support accountability and suggested a short grace period for network vendors to remediate problems before penalties apply. Switch and Charger Help urged the PSC to allow contracted remediation to proceed and to require transparent, standardized uptime reporting to the docket.
Why it matters: Public charging reliability is a practical constraint on EV adoption and a focus of state reliability reporting law. Vendors and utilities told commissioners they have plans under contract to migrate networks and to improve operational performance; regulators want enforceable reporting and refund mechanisms to protect ratepayers who fund maintenance.
Next steps: The PSC signaled it will require ongoing uptime metrics, consider enforcement measures for persistent underperformance, and monitor vendor migration and maintenance activity through semiannual reports and the Phase 2 compliance process.
