Electrify America -- Congestion Reduction Pilot
Electrify America announced a new Congestion Reduction Pilot with the goal of reducing wait times at their charging stations. The announcement is below but the quick summary is that they intend to test out a cap on charging vehicles to 85% at their stations.
We at David.travel are interested in seeing how this develops because anything to reduce charging time is good news. I am sure there will be people who hate this especially cars with limited range but it is definitely worthwhile to test out.
Electrify America Announcement
At Electrify America, we’re committed to delivering a positive charging experience for every driver. As we explore strategies to reduce wait times and increase throughput across our network, we’ve launched a pilot that enforces a State of Charge (SOC) limit at select locations. Once a vehicle reaches 85% State of Charge, the charging session will automatically end, and drivers will have 10 minutes to move their vehicle before idle fees are incurred.
Inspired by our customers’ feedback, this pilot will be conducted across the stations listed below. Our team will continuously monitor station performance and customer sentiment during this pilot program and adjust as needed.
Congestion Reduction Pilot Stations
Plaza Del Sol (Station 200068) at 10982 Sherman Way, Burbank, California 91505Target T2328 (Station 200041) at 651 W Sepulveda Blvd, Carson, California 90745Ralphs 060 (Station 200046) at 1416 East Colorado St, Glendale, California 91205Bank of America Washington-Centinela CA9-160 (Station 200044) at 12316 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90066Bank of America LA Chinatown CA9-167 (Station 200070) at 850 N Broadway, Los Angeles, California 90012Vons 2598 (Station 200049) at 3233 Foothill Blvd, La Crescenta, California 91214Walmart Supercenter 2177 (Station 200144) at 3382 Murphy Canyon Road, San Diego California 92123Target T0767 (Station 200051) at 888 W Arrow Hwy, San Dimas, California 91773Target T1309 (Station 200047) at 14920 Raymer Street, Van Nuys, California, 91405Yorba Canyon Center (Station 200079) at 21580 1/2 Yorba Linda Blvd, Yorba Linda, California 92887
Explore Stations Nearby
Check the Electrify America mobile app or website to explore nearby stations not included in the Congestion Reduction Pilot.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is there a limit on how much my electric vehicle (EV) can charge at this location?
This station is part of the Congestion Reduction Pilot and has been identified as a high utilization station. To reduce wait times and ensure EV drivers can charge in a timely manner, the chargers at this station will end your session once your vehicle reaches 85% State of Charge (SOC). For more information on charging speeds, please see the section “What happens when I charge” on the Getting Started with Electrify America webpage.
How is this going to help with queuing?
The goal of the Congestion Reduction Pilot is to reduce queuing at select high utilization charging stations – thereby allowing more people to charge in a timely manner.
What percent are you limiting my State of Charge (SOC) to?
The Congestion Reduction Pilot will limit your charging session to an 85% SOC.
What is State of Charge (SOC)?
SOC is the equivalent of a fuel gauge for the battery pack in an EV. SOC is calculated by the vehicle and communicated from the vehicle to the charger. The units of SOC are percentage points, with 0% meaning no charge left and 100% meaning fully charged. If your car makes the information available, our charging stations will tell you the SOC of your vehicle as you charge.
Where can I find my vehicle’s State of Charge (SOC) information?
Each electric vehicle is different. It can often be found on your vehicle's dash or instrument cluster, but please see your vehicle's owner’s manual or automotive website for details.
Is this going to be across all charging stations? Is this going to be a network wide program?
This Congestion Reduction Pilot is currently limited to specific charging stations. We will be reviewing customer feedback and evaluating next steps.
When will this Congestion Reduction Pilot begin?
This pilot will begin in early July 2024.
Will you let EV drivers know if you roll this pilot out to additional charging stations?
Please reference this landing page for the latest pilot location list. We will share additional information as we evaluate the next steps for this pilot.
How long will this pilot last?
The goal of this Congestion Reduction Pilot is to reduce queuing and evaluate customer feedback. We will be monitoring the pilot daily and making ongoing changes and adjustments as necessary.
What are your future plans with this pilot?
We are evaluating the impact of State of Charge (SOC) limit enforcement on charging station congestion and queueing by reviewing customer feedback and station throughput. We will be monitoring the pilot daily and making ongoing changes as necessary.
Are you going to do this at charging stations where you must go long distances between chargers, and you may need that 100% charge?
We are currently only piloting at the locations listed above. We considered station utilization and the distance between stations when selecting locations for pilot programs.
How are you choosing the charging stations that have this limitation?
The charging stations in the Congestion Reduction Pilot were chosen due to high utilization and queuing concerns.
What if I arrive at a charging station with a State of Charge (SOC) at or over 85%?
The chargers will not start a session if an electric vehicle's SOC is at or above 85%.
What happens if I need to charge past that to make it to my next location?
The 85% State of Charge (SOC) limit will be enforced on all charging sessions at the select locations seen above. Please visit the Locate a Charger page to find another charging station near you if you’d like to explore other locations not involved in the Congestion Reduction Pilot.
What if I have a Premium Offer/charging plan with Electrify America and my automaker?
The 85% State of Charge (SOC) limit will be enforced on all charging sessions at the select locations seen above. Please visit the Locate a Charger page to find another charging station near you if you’d like to explore other locations not involved in the Congestion Reduction Pilot.
What should I do if I don’t want to charge at a location included in the Congestion Reduction Pilot?
We recommend planning your trip before departing and visiting this landing page to see which locations are included in the pilot program. Please visit the Locate a Charger page to find another charging station near you if you’d like to explore other locations not involved in the Congestion Reduction Pilot.
Why can’t I charge to 100% if the chargers are all empty/no one is waiting in line?
To reduce congestion at the pilot stations, all charging sessions and EVs will be limited to 85% State of Charge (SOC). Due to fluctuating customer utilization demands, this limitation will be in effect for all customers at all hours of this pilot to allow customers to charge in a quick and efficient manner.
What happens when my vehicle hits 85% State of Charge (SOC)?
Once your EV has reached 85% SOC, the charger will stop charging your vehicle, and the 10-minute grace period will begin. After the grace period is over, idle fees will be incurred.
Can’t I just re-plug in and charge to 100%?
Chargers in the Congestion Reduction Pilot are programmed to stop charging when your electric vehicle (EV) has reached 85% State of Charge (SOC). They have also been programmed not to begin a charge if it exceeds the SOC limit established. If you unplug and plug back in, the charger will communicate with your vehicle, register the vehicle's SOC, and will not begin to charge.
How will the charger know when my EV has hit 85% State of Charge (SOC)?
When you plug your EV into an Electrify America charger, the EV and the charger communicate – the vehicle tells the charger the current battery SOC, the battery temperature, and other information necessary to start a charging session. After that information is passed over from the vehicle, the Electrify America charger will start the charge if the SOC is below 85%.
Have other charging companies done this before?
Yes, other EV charging networks have enabled State of Charge (SOC) limitations.
What is a charging curve, how is it related to State of Charge (SOC) and how do I learn more about my charging curve?
Please see the “What happens when I charge” section on the Getting Started with Electrify America webpage.
How will limiting State of Charge (SOC) to 85% impact my electric vehicle’s range?
The range of each EV is different and depends on many variables such as the weather, the EV battery health, the terrain, etc. For further questions regarding your EV’s range, please see your vehicle manufacturer’s owner’s manual or automotive website.
How will limiting State of Charge (SOC) to 85% impact my electric vehicle’s battery health?
Toward the end of any charging session, you may notice charging speeds (kW) slow down. EVs “bulk charge” and slow their charging speed when they reach about 80%. Because of this, we recommend unplugging your vehicle after bulk charging has occurred.
Will idle fees apply since I am not able to charge to 100%?
Yes. Once your EV has reached 85% State of Charge, the charger will stop charging your vehicle, and the 10-minute grace period will begin before idle fees are incurred.
How much can I expect this new system to improve my wait times?
Electrify America anticipates that this will help reduce wait times for EV drivers.
How else is Electrify America going to reduce congestion?
In addition to rolling out idle fees across the network, Electrify America will continue to build more and larger charging stations to better serve the EV community.
We thank you for your cooperation as we continue to improve the charging experience across our coast-to-coast network.
