ETHAN LIPMAN’s Post

Reflecting on 2023, Charge Point Operators (CPOs) got poor marks for #uptime. Throughout the year, when I chatted privately with peers in the transportation electrification space, all of us consistantly agreed that the current EV infrastructure business models do not capture enough profit margin to support proactive operations and maintenance programs, on-site support, or the most basic human needs that we've come to expect when we stop for petrol⛽ (like a caffeinated beverage, and a clean bathroom 🚽) Companies like EVgo and Electrify America are deploying chargers and making a margin on the EPC contracts while they sub-contract out the O&M to companies like Pearce Renewables, OWL Services and ChargerHelp! As the first #NEVI funded charging stations open, we will soon find out if the policy work translates to a real world 97% uptime for EV drivers. https://lnkd.in/gN85E39T Tesla built their vertically integrated charging business in a way that has historically served only Tesla, and they did that with plenty of public money. Their charging infrastructure works well for the same reason that Apple's iPhone works well with a MacBook Pro, some Airpods, and iCloud. Now that Tesla's walled garden is opening up, I'm hoping that Tesla has some tricks up their sleeve to deal with cable reach issues and all the other problems that ChargePoint and EVgo and Electrify America have been dealing with for years. I've penned a letter asking for Santa to help put me in touch with all architects and project developers so that EVPV LLC can help y’all plan for charging infrastructure as part of every single new multifamily development. I also asked Santa for increased Auto OEM collaboration around charging port location, and i’ve asked for a requirement that ISO 15118 be required as part of SAE J3400. What changes do *you* want to see in 2024 to improve electric vehicle adoption and customer experience? What did *you* ask from Santa for Christmas? Finally: I am biased, because I was quoted in the article below: but I think Jeff St. John wrote a well balanced 3-Part article here for Canary Media Inc. #evcharging #evcharginginfrastructure #merrychristmas Edit: I am adding a few links in the comments to support my claim about #tesla using public money. *Everybody* leverages grant money and gov’t subsidies to build public infrastructure. All good. I just don’t like the superhero narrative about Elon building superchargers. That’s not what it was. It had much more to do with Carrington Bradley and the internal team he built while working with Black & Veatch.