Why Do You Need an EV Charging Station Maintenance Warranty?
Operating an EV charging station has empowered a wide variety of business types, from apartment owners to auto dealerships, to unlock new revenue streams and drive customer loyalty. But no investment comes without risk, and in the case of EV charging stations (as with any innovative technology) that risk takes the form of service interruption and downtime. Even a single station going offline can divert time and resources away from your core business. The solution is an EV maintenance warranty, which gives operators the peace of mind that issues are taken care of in a prompt and professional manner. We keep our station owners protected with EV Connect Shield.
EV Station Maintenance and Repair Schedule
The lifespan of an EV charging station is approximately 10 years, but maintenance, servicing and repairs should be ongoing. That’s not a reflection of the quality of hardware or firmware. It’s simply an acknowledgment that EV charging stations are typically placed in harsh outdoor environments, exposed to extreme heat and cold depending on the season, and not always treated with kid gloves by motorists.
What to look out for in your maintenance checks
Exposed or damaged wires
Changes (usually a reduction) in charging speed
Cracks or burns
Loose connections
Network issues that affect payment processing
Screen display failures
As part of your preventative maintenance routine, it’s important to keep plugs and cables clean and dry, and to check for any cracks or dents in the station housing. The advantage of taking out a maintenance warranty is that you can escalate any issue - no matter how minor - to the support team and get it resolved swiftly.
What’s Covered Under an EV Maintenance Warranty?
We offer EV Connect Shield maintenance cover to our customers, and it’s one of the most comprehensive parts and labor warranty plans you can put in place to protect your investment.
You’re covered for these:
24/7 support. You don’t have to wait until we’re ready
Remote proactive monitoring, troubleshooting, and performance management
Direct support line to support team. You don’t need to get your hands dirty
Labor dispatch within 24 to 72 hours. Onsite repairs in 48 to 72 hrs
Costs covered for technician labor, parts, or full replacement
Hardware parts coverage for L2 and DFCF stations from BTC, EvoCharge, JuiceBar, PowerCharge, and Tritium
Routine network and firmware upgrades
The most trouble you have to go to is making a phone call and marking the charging station in question with an out-of-service cover until help arrives.
It’s an Investment, not a Cost
You might have seen a study that found that 1 in 5 charging attempts in the US were unsuccessful because of station failure. In many cases, the downtime could be brief (firmware update) or quick to fix (cable repair), but the frustration for your customer can linger. With a maintenance plan in place, you can get your station back up and running faster - whatever the root cause - minimizing the expense of unplanned downtime.
Your business is able to take a more measured approach to Operations and Maintenance (O&M) as a result. Instead of scrambling to find a qualified contractor (and paying top dollar for emergency repairs), you can integrate the cost of repairs into your long-term budget. With a maintenance plan protecting your investment, you swap random cost spikes for consistent cost certainty, and won’t find yourself “held to ransom” by contractors in an emergency.
How to Get EV Connect Shield Coverage
The prohibitive cost of maintenance coverage is another item you can add to the list of common EV charging myths. In fact, total peace of mind is surprisingly affordable. The rate will depend on your type of business, number of parking spots, and other variables, as well as whether you want 3 or 5 years of coverage (depending on your software agreement).
To request your quotation for EV Connect Shield, request a free consultation today from our support team to find you the best Shield plan for your business here.