Why is it so hard to find a charger for your electric vehicle?

6 snips

Oct 15, 2024

Amy Myers Jaffe, Director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab at NYU, joins Mike Battaglia, COO of Blink Charging, to tackle the pressing challenge of EV charging infrastructure. They discuss the frustrating reality of unreliable charging stations and the industry's struggle to keep pace with growing EV adoption. Mike sheds light on Blink's innovative approach and future plans, while they both emphasize the need for improved reliability and strategic placement of charging points to build consumer confidence in electric vehicle ownership.

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ANECDOTE

Mike's Path to Blink

Mike Battaglia's passion for cars started in high school, fueled by Car and Driver magazine.
This led to car sales jobs and eventually a career path combining automotive and consumer electronics, culminating in his role at Blink.

INSIGHT

Blink's Business Model

Blink Charging distinguishes itself by offering both equipment sales and an owner-operator model.
The latter involves partnering with properties, owning the infrastructure, and profiting from usage fees, like an electric gas pump.

ANECDOTE

Amy's Charging Challenges

Amy Myers-Jaffe, an EV owner, shares her frustrations with unreliable public charging infrastructure.
Her experiences range from broken chargers to software glitches, limiting her car's usability for longer trips.

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To make the leap from niche products to the mass market, electric vehicles need to reassure potential buyers that they have enough range and enough charging options that they won’t get stranded by the side of the road with a flat battery. Amy Myers Jaffe, director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab at New York University, has been suffering repeated frustrations in her search for working charging points for her EV. If the charging companies can’t get this right, it will be a big problem for expanding the market for EVs, and Amy is looking for answers.

In this episode Amy joins host Ed Crooks to discuss EV charging in the US, tacking issues including: Is the industry growing fast enough? Where should new charging stations be built? What technology will they be using?

Stepping in to give a perspective from the EV charging industry is Mike Battaglia, COO (and soon-to-be CEO) of Blink, a global leader in electric vehicle charging systems. He dispels some myths about EVs, and shares some of his predictions about the future of the charging industry.

Together Ed, Amy and Mike talk about the rise of charging stations, both in the US and around the world. Mike explains Blink’s business model, and talks about his plans for the company. They explore the challenges in public EV charging, from software glitches to maintenance issues, and discuss how companies are stepping up to solve them.

An EV is just one part of a complex system that includes charging points, power grids and generators, just as a gasoline vehicle is part of a system including filing stations, refineries, pipelines and oilwells. For EVs to succeed, the industry has to persuade customers to switch over to that new and unfamiliar system. Can the charging sector address those significant challenges and ease customers’ concerns?

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