All 150-350 kW Electrify America Charging Stations Shut Down

Late last week, the Volkswagen subsidiary announced that a majority of their currently operating high-powered Electrify America charging stations would be shut down due to a potential safety issue regarding their liquid-cooled cables.

According to Electrify America, the decision to shut down the majority of their U.S. fast chargers (150 kW – 350 kW) came at the recommendation of their supplier HUBER+SUHNER, a leading supplier of high-powered charging cable technology, while they take time to fully investigate the potential safety risk. While the exact details of the potential safety hazard remain largely unknown and unexplained, Electrify America briefly mention that the issue may stem from the liquid-cooled cables provided to them by HUBER+SUHNER. The recommendation to cease operation of all chargers currently utilizing the technology was extended to all HUBER+SUHNERS’ customers worldwide.

Giovanni Palazzo, president and CEO of Electrify America, commented on the announcement in the company’s most recent press release, stating:

“The safety of our customers is our highest priority. Out of an abundance of caution, Electrify America is shutting down all of our stations that use the HUBER+SUHNER high-powered cables until we can confirm that they can be operated safely. We are confident that HUBER+SUHNER will investigate and resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”

Electrify America was quick to point out that not all of their currently operating electric vehicle chargers will be affected by the shutdown, explaining:

“Electrify America chargers not affected by the high-power cable issue will remain open and available for use. The 50kW CCS chargers, all CHAdeMO connectors and L2 chargers are not impacted.”

This recent development will undoubtedly stand as a massive obstacle for the Volkswagen subsidiary. As of late, it appeared as though Electrify America was making good on their promise to promote cleaner, more sustainable forms of transportation by supplying a number of electric vehicle chargers to states like California and Ohio. It is likely that a majority of Electrify America’s charging stations will be reinstated once HUBER+SUHNER fully assess the scope of the potential safety hazard, but there is currently no estimate regarding how long their investigation will last.

Source: Electrify America