EVgo, one of the largest electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging networks in the United States, has announced plans to significantly improve the user experience this year. The company has unveiled its new EVgo ReNew maintenance program, which focuses on the reliability of DC fast chargers and maximizing uptime.
Over the coming year, EVgo plans to replace, upgrade, or retire hundreds of stations as part of its ReNew program. The exact number of charging stalls that will be included in the program is not known, but it is expected to be a few times bigger than the 125 charging stalls upgraded, replaced or removed by the company in the first three quarters of 2022.
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The ReNew program will focus on six core pillars of reliability: Prevention, Diagnostics, Rapid Response, Analysis, Resilience, and Continuous Customer Service. This includes ramping up in-person preventative health checks of chargers, improving system monitoring, diagnostic and recovery tools, replacing legacy equipment, and retiring problematic chargers.
One of the main solutions for the reliability issues of older chargers, particularly 50 kW units from 10 years ago, will be new chargers with additional features. EVgo previously ordered 1,000 ultra-fast chargers from Delta in mid-2022.
The decision on which legacy chargers will be renewed will be based on historical charger performance, current and forecast user demand, technical capacity at the location, and proximity to other fast charging stations. Some stations may receive new or additional chargers rated at up to 350 kilowatts (kW), while others may be decommissioned.
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EVgo currently operates more than 850 charging stations in over 60 metropolitan areas across more than 30 states. Cathy Zoi, CEO at EVgo, emphasized the company’s dedication to reliability as it modernizes its infrastructure and works to deliver a consistent, high-quality charging experience across its network. “As more EVs come to market with expanded ranges, large battery packs, and higher power charging capabilities, EVgo is invested in building and maintaining a charging network fit to welcome and support an all-electric future for every driver,” she said.
