The National Charging Experience Consortium has more industry involvement than other government-led consortia, Smart said.
The industry has struggled with charging consistency and reliability for a number of reasons, including lack of data sharing as automakers and charging companies are reluctant to share data with competitors. The national labs will keep members’ data confidential and provide an independent review of data from all participants, Smart said.
Industry participation is critical to scaling and validating EV charging infrastructure, Smart said.
“Our goal is to produce solutions that industry buys into and can immediately implement to overcome barriers to charge infrastructure, reliability and usability,” Smart said.
Ford and GM each said that collaboration is key to deploying a reliable charging network.
“Bringing together a cross-section of industry, academia and government will address current challenges and drive swift improvements to the entire charging experience, helping Ford customers and all EV drivers realize all the benefits of driving electric,” Bill Crider, Ford’s head of global charging and energy services, said in a statement.
Boosting consumers’ charging confidence with a reliable network will also be crucial for broad EV adoption, Electrify America and EVgo, two of the largest charging networks, said in statements to Automotive News.
“This effort requires everyone in the charging ecosystem—automakers, policymakers, charging manufacturers and [electric vehicle service providers] like EVgo — to collaborate on solutions,” an EVgo spokesperson said.
