A Rivian R1T was reportedly "fried" while charging at an Electrify America station, leaving the electric truck’s owner stranded as the connector refused to disengage. EV sales are on the rise, with more consumers keen on lowering their carbon footprint. However, there are a few lingering concerns among early adopters. These include the scarcity of chargers (especially in rural areas) and range loss in cold weather. However, reports of EVs getting bricked at charging stations could soon become another hurdle for EV adoption.Twitter user snkrticians claimed his R1T truck was "fried" during a charging session at Electrify America in the San Diego area. After plugging the car into the charger, he reportedly heared "a loud boom," which was followed by several error codes on the vehicle's infotainment display. What's more, the cord refused to disengage from the EV, despite the driver’s best efforts, which included using the truck’s manual release port. The Electrify America technician arrived after a seven-hour wait and attempted to pry open the connector, but that didn't work either. Eventually, Rivian offered the driver rideshare credits which he used to get home.
More EVs Bricked At Electrify America
Surprisingly, electric models getting bricked while using an Electrify America charger isn't a one-off incident. The owners of a Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Bolt also encountered similar situations where their EVs developed faults during a charging session. In November 2022, Ford driver Eric Roe said his F-150 Lightning was bricked while charging at an Electrify America station. In subsequent tweets, Roe mentions that the incident eventually caused a battery issue with his electric truck, which now only charges to 88 percent due to a damaged module that needs to be replaced.
Meanwhile, Twitter user Burn_This_App claimed that he had a similar issue after plugging his Chevrolet Bolt into an Electrify America charger. The EV was left to charge with 28 percent battery remaining at a charger in Chipley, Florida. After about 15 minutes of charging, the driver claims that sparks and gray smoke emerged from the Electrify America charger. Similar to the other drivers, the Bolt displayed multiple error codes. Electrify America is one of the world's largest operators of DC fast chargers, and its compatibility with most EVs' connector types (CCS plug) makes it a popular choice. However, the multiple reports of EVs getting bricked or fried is concerning.
Unlike Tesla owners who charge at Tesla-owned Superchargers, the biggest issue for other EV users is the lack of culpability in a situation like this. Affected users will need to deal with both their EV manufacturer and Electrify America, and it won't be surprising to see blame being laid on either side. With even more players like Mercedes-Benz and ChargePoint getting into the EV charging station business alongside Electrify America, rules will need to be established to compensate drivers when there's a problem caused by a third-party public charger.
Source: snkrticians/Twitter, Eric Roe/Twitter, Burn_This_App/Twitter