EV charger maintenance: preventive, corrective and safety

A charge point is only worth something if it works when the driver needs it. A charger out of order means an unhappy user, a damaged image and an investment that does not pay off. Maintenance, both preventive and corrective, is what guarantees the availability and safety of charging infrastructure.

Preventive and corrective

Maintenance combines two sides. Preventive covers the scheduled visits that check the charger's condition, clean, tighten, test the safety devices and update the software, to head off failure. Corrective steps in after a breakdown, to get the charger back in service as fast as possible. A good strategy leans on preventive, which costs less than a string of repairs.

The checkpoints

• the condition of cables, connectors and sockets, which take heavy use;
• the screen, reader and payment system working properly;
• the electrical protections and the earthing;
• the display, signage and accessibility of the bay;
• the charger communicating with its supervision system.

Electrical safety first

A charger delivers significant power, in alternating current or in direct current for fast charging. Electrical safety is therefore central: checking the protections, the residual-current devices and the earth, verifying that there is no fault. These checks are the job of qualified, authorised staff, whose competence matters as much as the regularity of the visits.

Connectors, the wear point

Cables and connectors are the most handled parts, and so the most exposed to wear and vandalism. A damaged connector or a cut cable puts the charger out of service and can present a hazard. Close monitoring of them, between two preventive visits, prevents many outages.

Follow-up, key to a reliable fleet

Across a fleet of chargers spread over several sites, the difficulty is having an overview: which charger is down, which one has been repaired, which maintenance deadline is coming up. Without a clear inventory, the information scatters between operator, maintainer and supervision, and faults last longer than they should.

Slow and fast charging: different demands

A slow AC charger and a fast DC charger share neither the same technology nor the same maintenance constraints. Fast chargers, more powerful and more heavily used, demand closer monitoring of their power and cooling components. Adapting the maintenance plan to the type of charger, rather than applying the same cadence everywhere, focuses effort where the risk of failure is highest.

The maintenance contract

Maintenance is often entrusted to a contractor, under a contract that sets the services, the response times and the availability commitments. Tracking how this contract is delivered, with faults and delays to hand, makes it possible to check it is being honoured and to ground the dialogue with the maintainer. A contract with no follow-up leaves the manager with no way to check what they pay for.

Warranty and end of life

A charger has a limited lifespan and moves fast technologically. Tracking the commissioning date, the warranty period and component obsolescence helps decide the right moment to repair, upgrade or replace. A charger kept going well beyond reason ends up costing more, in faults and dissatisfaction, than a replacement planned in good time.

Tracking maintenance with KARTES

KARTES records each charger with its characteristics, maintenance deadlines and the history of its interventions and faults. Checks are captured in the field, photo included. You track the availability of your fleet, anticipate preventive visits and keep proof of upkeep, from the field to the dashboard. Maintenance becomes proactive rather than reactive.

Key points

• A charger's availability depends on preventive and corrective maintenance.
• Cables and connectors are the wear points to watch closely.
• Electrical safety calls for checks by qualified staff.
• Across a fleet, an overview of faults and deadlines is decisive.