binarypublishChargerHelp, a California-based startup, is working towards improving the reliability of EV charging stations in order to support America’s transition towards electric cars. The Biden administration aims to get half a million electric vehicle chargers working by 2030, a goal three times greater than today’s number. However, even as charging ports increase, their reliability is questionable. A study from the University of California, Berkeley found that up to a quarter of all public charging stations failed to work properly. ChargerHelp aims to address this issue.
- ChargerHelp charges companies between $40 and $100 monthly for access to technicians who can fix malfunctions.
- The company has 24 technicians and claims to have trained about a thousand through their development programs.
Evette Ellis, co-founder and chief people officer of ChargerHelp, stated that the company’s customer would be the one in charge of the charging machine. Its services aim to maintain the operational efficiency of the charging stations by providing trained technicians to fix technical issues that typically cause them to go offline. These issues have, so far, led to numerous complaints from drivers.
ChargerHelp was founded four years ago at the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator when Kameale C. Terry, who has experience in charging station software, partnered with Ellis due to her frustration at the lack of trained technicians in the field. Ellis, who has a background in workforce development, agreed to join Terry in creating a solution. Their company provides a “reliability as a service” where subscribers can access technician support for their malfunctions.
The issue of EV charger reliability is becoming more urgent with the increase in federal investment in the electric vehicle infrastructure. Companies like ChargerHelp that work to improve the functionality of these growing networks are critical to the future of electric transportation.
