Why EV Chargers Fail — And How to Fix Them: Kameale Terry, CEO of ChargerHelp
Summary
What’s really behind the broken EV chargers we’ve all encountered — and how do we fix them for good? In this episode, ChargerHelp CEO Kameale Terry breaks down the surprising truth that 90% of charger downtime is due to software, not hardware. She explains how outdated protocols like OCPP 1.6, poorly structured service contracts, and misaligned incentives have made charger reliability a major roadblock, especially for fleets. Kameale also shares how field data is driving a new era of performance-based service models, and why 2025 is a critical year for setting standards, building accountability, and creating real uptime. If you care about EV infrastructure, fleet electrification, or the future of charging reliability, this episode is a must-listen.
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Links from this Episode:
What’s really behind the broken EV chargers we’ve all encountered — and how do we fix them for good? In this episode, ChargerHelp CEO Kameale Terry breaks down the surprising truth that 90% of charger downtime is due to software, not hardware. She explains how outdated protocols like OCPP 1.6, poorly structured service contracts, and misaligned incentives have made charger reliability a major roadblock, especially for fleets. Kameale also shares how field data is driving a new era of performance-based service models, and why 2025 is a critical year for setting standards, building accountability, and creating real uptime. If you care about EV infrastructure, fleet electrification, or the future of charging reliability, this episode is a must-listen.
⚡ Tune in now and don’t forget to Subscribe to our new newsletter!
Plus check out our new consultancy site: Grid Connections Consulting
Links from this Episode:
- ChargerHelp
- EV Charging Reliability Report (2024) by ChargerHelp
- Electric Vehicle Charging Summit & Expo: March 26–27, 2025, Las Vegas
- Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) managed by Open Charge Alliance
- ChargeX Consortium launched by Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
- Alliance for Transportation Electrification (ATE)
- Voltera
- Terawatt Infrastructure
- Electrada offering Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS)
- Revel helping power EV rideshare drivers.
- LAZ Parking EV charging partnership with EPIC Charging
Takeaways:
- Fleet operators are leading EV charging innovation — not public stations — because uptime directly impacts their bottom line.
- Bundled software + hardware contracts hurt reliability, often leaving no funding for operations and maintenance (O&M) when things break.
- Current EV charging standards lack enforcement — even widely used protocols like OCPP 1.6 suffer from inconsistent implementations.
- There’s no aftermarket for EV charger parts, making maintenance costly and unscalable for operators with mixed hardware brands.
- Proactive charger maintenance is finally possible thanks to field data and diagnostics, reducing the need for constant truck rolls.
- Commercial charging for rideshare and delivery fleets is a massive growth opportunity, especially for parking operators and urban depots.
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