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Gas pumps get periodic state issued inspections. Why not EV chargers?

xattt 4y ago
Because it’s a regulatory Wild West right now. It’s probably assumed that chargers would be certified under electrical regulations.
- InitialLastName 4y ago
  Right, and the electrical regulators/inspection agencies probably assume the state DOT is in charge of inspections.
RicoElectrico 4y ago
In Poland UDT (which among other things inspects elevators, cranes, boilers etc.) takes care of that. I've seen their test lab car parked nearby my home regularly. https://www.udt.gov.pl/przewodnik-udt-stacje-i-punkty-ladowania-pojazdow-elektrycznych https://www.udt.gov.pl/przewodnik-udt-stacje-i-punkty-ladowa...
cduzz 4y ago
[flagged]
- last_responder 4y ago
  Where would you get enough pickle juice to fill a gas station supply gas tank?
  - cduzz 4y ago
    It doesn't take a lot of "not thing" to make a thing no longer a thing. https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/x1mn7w/septic_pumping_company_delivers_milk_on_sunday/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/x1mn7w/s... And pickle juice is just an example of random impurity.... (I think the most common impurity is grit and / or water; often stirred up after new gas is added to a tank)
1970-01-01 4y ago
I've said this as well. It is exactly what's needed. Local Weights and Measures inspectors should be going to EV stations and giving out fines for stations that are misbehaving.
rsync 4y ago
"Gas pumps get periodic state issued inspections. Why not EV chargers?" From an infrastructure standpoint a gas pump (and related tubing, tanks, filters, nozzles, etc.) is quite a bit more complicated and fragile than a charging receptacle. A charging station really shouldn't be much more complicated than a streetlight, minus the UI and billing components. All of this to say: I don't know how often electric charge stations should be inspected but I hope it would be quite a bit less often than a gas pumping station ...
- Mountain_Skies 4y ago
  Ensuring that the gas pump actually pumps out the amount of gas the customer is being charged for is something that shouldn't apply to EV chargers since the vehicle itself can monitor the amount of electricity it receives but there are safety issues that certainly need to be tested for and if government subsidies are being received, SLAs that should be enforced with verification.
- creaturemachine 4y ago
  You might be thinking of a level 2 AC charger which is really just an intelligent relay, but a DC fast charger is a completely different animal. It has to take 400-600VAC and convert it to variable voltage, variable amperage DC and serve it to a very temperamental load. The cables themselves are liquid cooled. Much more complicated than pumping a metered liquid.
- pixl97 4y ago
  Anything that involves dangerously high amounts of electricity and an interface with the general public should have a regular inspection interval. You will end up with dead end users if you do not.
bitshiftfaced 4y ago
Probably part of it is that gas stations must store gas in underground tanks, which can pose an environmental hazard. Topside leaks from faulty valves, hoses, nozzles, and human error can also cause an environmental hazards. There's also a matter of accuracy in how much fuel you receive and how much you pay for. I'm assuming it's much easier for an elective vehicle to independently verify how much of a charge they received compared to a gas car.
bhauer 4y ago
Not to be flippant, but this potentially has not happened because Tesla has demonstrated it's an unnecessary burden to building a reliable charging network. If you build a charging network intelligently (for example, by putting the user interface in the car, not the stalls) and are motivated to keep it functioning, there's no need for a regulatory agency. Customers should be selecting vehicles that don't have to deal with the deliberate incompetence of Electrify America.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

Because it’s a regulatory Wild West right now. It’s probably assumed that chargers would be certified under electrical regulations.

InitialLastName 4y ago
Right, and the electrical regulators/inspection agencies probably assume the state DOT is in charge of inspections.

RicoElectrico 4y ago

In Poland UDT (which among other things inspects elevators, cranes, boilers etc.) takes care of that. I've seen their test lab car parked nearby my home regularly. https://www.udt.gov.pl/przewodnik-udt-stacje-i-punkty-ladowania-pojazdow-elektrycznych https://www.udt.gov.pl/przewodnik-udt-stacje-i-punkty-ladowa...

cduzz 4y ago

[flagged]

last_responder 4y ago
Where would you get enough pickle juice to fill a gas station supply gas tank?
- cduzz 4y ago
  It doesn't take a lot of "not thing" to make a thing no longer a thing. https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/x1mn7w/septic_pumping_company_delivers_milk_on_sunday/ https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/x1mn7w/s... And pickle juice is just an example of random impurity.... (I think the most common impurity is grit and / or water; often stirred up after new gas is added to a tank)

1970-01-01 4y ago

I've said this as well. It is exactly what's needed. Local Weights and Measures inspectors should be going to EV stations and giving out fines for stations that are misbehaving.

rsync 4y ago

"Gas pumps get periodic state issued inspections. Why not EV chargers?" From an infrastructure standpoint a gas pump (and related tubing, tanks, filters, nozzles, etc.) is quite a bit more complicated and fragile than a charging receptacle. A charging station really shouldn't be much more complicated than a streetlight, minus the UI and billing components. All of this to say: I don't know how often electric charge stations should be inspected but I hope it would be quite a bit less often than a gas pumping station ...

Mountain_Skies 4y ago
Ensuring that the gas pump actually pumps out the amount of gas the customer is being charged for is something that shouldn't apply to EV chargers since the vehicle itself can monitor the amount of electricity it receives but there are safety issues that certainly need to be tested for and if government subsidies are being received, SLAs that should be enforced with verification.
creaturemachine 4y ago
You might be thinking of a level 2 AC charger which is really just an intelligent relay, but a DC fast charger is a completely different animal. It has to take 400-600VAC and convert it to variable voltage, variable amperage DC and serve it to a very temperamental load. The cables themselves are liquid cooled. Much more complicated than pumping a metered liquid.
pixl97 4y ago
Anything that involves dangerously high amounts of electricity and an interface with the general public should have a regular inspection interval. You will end up with dead end users if you do not.

bitshiftfaced 4y ago

Probably part of it is that gas stations must store gas in underground tanks, which can pose an environmental hazard. Topside leaks from faulty valves, hoses, nozzles, and human error can also cause an environmental hazards. There's also a matter of accuracy in how much fuel you receive and how much you pay for. I'm assuming it's much easier for an elective vehicle to independently verify how much of a charge they received compared to a gas car.

bhauer 4y ago

Not to be flippant, but this potentially has not happened because Tesla has demonstrated it's an unnecessary burden to building a reliable charging network. If you build a charging network intelligently (for example, by putting the user interface in the car, not the stalls) and are motivated to keep it functioning, there's no need for a regulatory agency. Customers should be selecting vehicles that don't have to deal with the deliberate incompetence of Electrify America.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]