ReportWire

Tag: EV Chargers

  • Copper Wire-Stripping Thieves Who Target EV Chargers Are a Threat to EV Adoption

    Copper wire thefts have increased in Los Angeles and other cities, but with thieves looking outside of street lights for cables to cut, drivers expecting to use EV chargers are sometimes caught off-guard.

    But for the person trying to steal copper from the station, the crime is a dangerous proposition. Given the high voltage charging units use, and not a lot of money from scrap buyers, it’s only questionably worth the effort. For those trying to stop this scourge, a focus on the economics involved could potentially produce a solution.

    With a significant number of the cut cables and smashed charging units being harvested for copper wire now, companies, governments and EV advocates are proposing everything from greater enforcement and penalties to cables that cover a vandal with ink—similar to the measures employed against bank robbers. Such a system has also been discussed in the UK, according to a BBC story from April.

    Los Angeles-based ChargerHelp, which helps train technicians to diagnose and repair EV charging stations and offers data on station uptime and downtime, and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, recently spoke about the problem in that city where many neighborhoods continue to experience widespread copper wire thefts, leaving some of them dark. Thefts at public and workplace EV charging stations have also grown and also cost hundreds or thousands of dollars each to repair.

    “For level two, slower chargers, you’re seeing anywhere between $650 to $700 for the connector plus the labor. But then, when you start talking about DC fast chargers, it can go all the way up to $1,500,” ChargerHelp CEO Kameale C. Terry told Los Angeles’ KABC on Oct. 22.

    Some solutions sound simple, such as thicker cables that are harder to cut, or using wireless charging pads for cars. But thicker cables are heavier and more cumbersome to use for some drivers and the only EV with wireless charging capability set for sale in the US is the Porsche Cayenne Electric, which at this point has only been seen in prototype form.

    Several bills in California have been signed in the last few years to hold various agencies accountable for broken and vandalized public EV charging stations in the state, such as mandating governments to identify and repair broken charging units within 30 days.

    California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill into law that imposes stricter laws and penalties for metal recycling, including identification and personal information from the seller, identification of the vehicle used to transport the material, and proof that the metal being sold was legally obtained. There are also restrictions on what metal scrap buyers can lawfully accept, with an eye toward materials from EV chargers.

    Matt Petersen, CEO of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, said even charging stations at his offices, have been targeted. And he and Terry told KABC that they are concerned more downtime and vandalism of charging stations will further hurt EV adoption, and slow the addition of stations for existing electric drivers—unless solutions are found soon.

    “All our focus is, ‘How do we accelerate transportation electrification?’”

    Zac Estrada

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  • The Latest EVs Include Tesla Supercharger Ports, and That Means Dongles Galore

    Much like when Apple removed the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, the newest EVs’ switch to Tesla’s charging ports has plunged the world into dongle hell.

    With 2026 models of new and returning electric vehicles officially out on the streets, a new generation of EVs is finally here. These EVs such as the Lucid Gravity, Rivian R1S and R1T and Hyundai Ioniq 5 are all natively built with Tesla’s charging connector that allows a seamless connection to its Supercharger network.

    But we can’t escape adapters.

    The transition to Tesla’s NACS, or North American Charging Standard, now means that every plug at public charging stations like those from ChargePoint, Electrify America, EVgo and others outside the Supercharger network now require an adapter. Even home chargers will need an extra piece of plastic to work on new EVs. Like with the “courage” Apple summoned with its transition to Bluetooth connection from wired headphones, the next few years will require endurance—because it’s getting messy.

    Until now, only Tesla EVs (the Model S, 3, X and Y and Cybertruck) needed an adapter to work at every charging station outside the Supercharger network, but now a growing portion of the 4 million EVs in America (as of 2024) are barreling into dongle overload.

    A Hyundai spokesperson confirmed, “the vehicles come with two adapters,” as will Lucid’s new Gravity SUV for AC and DC charging. Rivian’s 2026 models will include a J1772 adapter for Level 2 charging for its Dual, Tri and Quad vehicles and its Quad Launch Editions will have a CCS Combo 1 DC fast adapter. In a word: messy.

    General Motors, Cadillac’s parent company, put out a summer blog post saying exactly that about the upcoming adapter situation, “That creates a little complication: there will be cars on the road with both standards, as well as chargers of both varieties in public and private settings.” The 2026 Cadillac Optiq will be the first GM EV to transition to NACS.

    While Tesla’s Supercharger network is thriving and growing (7,753 stations housing 73,817 individual connectors, up 16% from last year), home chargers and older network plugs won’t be compatible with the newest EVs. An Electrify America spokesperson wrote in an email, “Electrify America remains committed to supporting the future of the [NACS] connector.” She went on to explain that the company is testing NACS charging at stations in Florida and Connecticut “to gain insights into the customer experience and data on the hardware.”

    ChargePoint has taken more aggressive steps to escape dongle hell. Rob Newton, the network’s senior director of marketing, acknowledged in a call that in the past the “experience has been really clunky” when different charging systems are involved. ChargePoint has never provided adapters.

    Instead of relying on carmakers or individual EV owners to keep up with the latest dongles, ChargePoint is changing the source. Enter the Omni Port. Introduced this summer, the newest ChargePoint stations will have the adapter built into the station itself and drivers can select what type of EV they are charging. “You want to be able to pull up to a station and have confidence it works,” Newton said.

    New stations will come standard with an Omni Port, but older stations need to retrofit old connectors with a conversion kit from the company. Newton called it “future-proofing,” but it’s more about ensuring new EV owners can continue to use (and pay for kilowatt-hours from) non-Tesla charging stations.

    Nearly every automaker with an electrified model announced in the past few years that it was making the inevitable shift to the Tesla charging system. And now it’s happening — dongles and all. 

    Sasha Lekach

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  • How Technology Will Impact Multifamily Living In 2023

    How Technology Will Impact Multifamily Living In 2023

    As technology has evolved, the resident experience within multifamily communities has concomitantly grown ever more convenient, health-enhancing and efficient. Technology-infused amenities and interactive package and delivery rooms, as well as HoT, or Home of Things — among other technology breakthroughs — all herald greater comfort and satisfaction for apartment and condominium residents in 2023 and beyond.

    The ultimate goal of this revolution is “to create a personal experience that attracts quality tenants and keeps them long-term, especially when we consider younger tenants who may eventually get married and start families,” says Loren Nelson, vice president, national leader for multifamily with NELSON Worldwide.

    “Highest-paying residents won’t live or stay in communities without expected amenities, and are willing to pay for them. Specifically, things like smart home and access-control systems tailored to multifamily such as IOTA capable of customization and learning individual preferences, package locker systems that can include cold storage like Luxer One giving tenants access 24/7 to their deliveries, and EV chargers with no down time like Xeal Energy.

    “These things are key to draw and retain higher-paying tenants.”

    Evolving mail room

    Mail rooms of yesteryear were back-of-house affairs hidden from residents. They are being supplanted by advanced package and mail delivery rooms permitting building residents round-the-clock access to their packages, dry cleaning and chilled groceries.

    Meantime, the EV charging stations that were once luxuries are now being viewed by developers as necessities required to attract and retain sustainability-minded residents. EV chargers are also helping owners and developers reap greater net operating income on their parking spaces.

    In an effort to make EV charging as effortless as possible, many owners have begun introducing Xeal Energy technology that trims downtime.

    Enhanced entry systems now enable multifamily residents to screen cleaning or delivery services by easily accessing authentication or leveraging the use of temporary visitor passcodes. These technologies can also bring efficiencies to property management, helping managers gauge amenity space use and monitor safety, all while boosting resident retention and helping maintain lean and efficient staffing models.

    Exchanging data

    The multifamily experience is providing ever-greater connectivity and continuity linking all aspects of life, says John Badman, principal with global architecture, planning and design firm CallisonRTKL “We refer to this as the Home of Things (HoT), where physical objects within and surrounding the home are embedded with sensors, software, processing ability and other technologies that connect with and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communications networks.”

    For instance, he said, your refrigerator could communicate with your phone, which connects to your favorite supermarket. “This feeds into your health stats and connects with your watch, which is linked with your VR personal trainer,” Badman says.

    “Apartment light bulb sensors track your modes of transport and measure your carbon footprint. It sounds scary, but the HoT can offer a hyper personalization and insights into your health, wellness and environmental impact. Digital devices are brought together to achieve a more efficient, positive and futuristic lifestyle. If it gets too much, you can always turn the monitoring off!”

    Real-time data

    Technology is also assuming an increasingly pivotal role in architecture, engineering and construction of residential buildings. For instance, construction companies are advancing safety and productivity through such innovations as Water Hero, which delivers real-time water consumption data into a smartphone’s web interface.

    “The user receives an alert when a leak is detected, and the water is immediately shut off,” says Andrew D’Amico, founding president and CEO of New York City-based boutique construction management firm Urban Atelier Group, which has integrated Water Hero into one of its New York City residential developments.

    “Additionally, Water Hero alerts users when it detects high or low temperatures. It functions like a security system, allowing users to shut off water remotely while tracking the historical water consumption. Typically, this technology has been prevalent in the single-family market, but we’re seeing further innovation and interest in the high-rise and multifamily space.”

    Jeffrey Steele, Contributor

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