EVgo announced a major maintenance program – EVgo ReNew – designed to ensure that stations across EVgo’s charging network in the United States meet its quality and technology standards.

The network currently includes more than 850 charging stations in more than 30 states, and an even higher number of DC fast chargers. However, because EVgo is one of the industry’s pioneers, there is a substantial number of older chargers, which might not be as reliable as the new ones.

To maximize uptime and deliver world-class driver experiences across new and legacy infrastructure, EVgo plans to replace, upgrade, or in some cases retire, hundreds of stations over the coming year. That’s a really ambitious project.

To illustrate the program, EVgo shown a Delta charger unboxed at one of the sites. In 2022, the company ordered 1,000 DC fast chargers from Delta, including units with power output of 350 kilowatts.

The EVgo ReNew program will replace, upgrade, and, in some cases, retire hundreds of stations over the course of the year in order to enhance and build up charger availability and reliability.

Evgo explains that the program is comprised of six core pillars that outline EVgo’s approach to reliability: Prevention, Diagnostics, Rapid Response, Analysis, Resilience, and Continuous Customer Service.

The legacy equipment to be replaced, or if the replacement or upgrade is impractical, the problematic chargers will be retired.

“EVgo evaluates sites based on historical charger performance, current and forecast user demand, technical capacity at the location, and proximity to other fast charging stations. Where possible, EVgo will install new chargers with power levels up to 350kW. Through a combination of proprietary market analysis, data-driven insights and customer feedback, the program also identifies sites for decommissioning. In addition to site-level analysis, EVgo also works with site host partners to assess factors like charger placement, station size, and power levels to ensure charging options provide the greatest value for their customers and the community.”

Cathy Zoi, the CEO at EVgo, noted that “More than a decade ago, EVgo was one of the first companies to install public fast chargers.” The first station (50 kW CHAdeMO) was launched by EVgo in Texas in 2011. Those early chargers, also the initial batch of CCS or dual-head CHAdeMO-CCS chargers, were not necessarily very reliable. Today, with series production and additional diagnostic features, as well as higher power output, chargers are becoming much better.

“The EVgo ReNew program represents our ongoing dedication to reliability as we proactively modernize legacy infrastructure and work to deliver the consistent, high-quality charging experience customers expect across our network. As more EVs come to market with expanded ranges, large battery packs and higher power charging capabilities, EVgo is invested in building and maintaining a charging network fit to welcome and support an all-electric future for every driver.”