The abysmal dependability of public chargers is a major problem, and fixing it is going to require some serious technical expertise and industry-wide cooperation. So it’s encouraging to see industry heavyweight SAE International, which calls itself “the oldest and largest technical society for engineers in the US, and the largest mobility standards organization in the world,” taking aim at the issue.

SAE has launched Sustainable Mobility Solutions, a new “innovation unit” focused on zero-emission transportation. The unit’s first initiatives will center on the reliability of EV infrastructure, as well as partnerships for workforce development.

SAE will soon publish “Charging System Performance Reporting,” a comprehensive study of charging failures along with a proposal for a system for evaluating those failures and finding solutions.  “The publication makes major contributions to reliability for EV drivers and represents the most comprehensive technical review of EV charging system performance, data reporting and reliability to-date,” said SAE Technical Consultant Craig Rodine.

Training has always been central to SAE’s mission, and the Sustainable Mobility Solutions unit will establish a couple of new training partnerships. DEKRA, a provider of testing, inspection and certification services, will collaborate on online training and certification in such areas as cybersecurity and safety. “Interoperability and seamless charging experiences are critical to the adoption of electric vehicles, but both require skilled technical workers who understand EV charging infrastructure, safety and cybersecurity,” said Fernando Rodriguez, VP of DEKRA Americas.

ChargerHelp!, a provider of field-based EV charger technicians, will partner with SAE to certify the thousands of technicians needed to keep charging stations operational. “It is crucial that specialized maintenance technicians are well trained to help inform the industry how the software works together with the hardware, [to] support high uptime of the chargers, while practicing maximum safety,” said ChargerHelp! CEO Kameale C. Terry.

Source: SAE International