Why Reliability Is the Real Currency in EV Charging

How trust, measured in uptime and delivered through engineering excellence, drives the future of electric transportation

The 3 AM Test: When Reliability Reveals Its True Value

Picture this: It’s 3 AM in Houston, and an emergency towing fleet needs to dispatch vehicles immediately. The trucks are electric, the call is urgent, and there’s no room for error. This isn’t a hypothetical—it’s the reality that Moe Shariff, who manages both towing operations and apartment complexes across Houston, faces regularly.

“Our trucks need charging infrastructure that works at 3 AM during emergency calls, not just during business hours,” Shariff explains. His observation cuts to the heart of what we at Blink Charging have built our entire network around: reliability isn’t a feature—it’s the foundation.

In conversations with fleet managers, property owners, and drivers across the nation, one truth emerges consistently: in the new economy of electric transportation, reliability has become the real currency. Not speed. Not even price. But the unshakeable confidence that when you need to charge, the station will work.

Beyond the Marketing Promise: What Industry Leaders Really Think:

The Fleet Manager’s Non-Negotiable

When we asked industry experts what reliable charging meant to them, Evan Shelley, Co-Founder & CEO of Truck Parking Club, didn’t mince words:

“Reliable charging means more than uptime. For fleets, it means predictability. Trucks and commercial vehicles run on schedules, and charging delays ripple through delivery timelines. A station can be cheap and fast, but if drivers can’t depend on it being operational, it loses all value.”

Shelley’s fleet operations have taught him a crucial lesson: “I’ve seen fleets bypass convenient locations with poor reliability scores and reroute drivers to dependable stations further away. The extra miles are worth avoiding downtime.”

This isn’t just about inconvenience—it’s about business survival. When your entire operation depends on vehicles being charged and ready, reliability transforms from a nice-to-have into an existential requirement.

The Hidden Infrastructure Story

But what creates true reliability? Ed Sartell, President of Sartell Electrical Services, brings nearly 40 years of electrical expertise to the conversation, revealing an often-overlooked truth:

“Most charging companies focus on the software side, but I’ve seen $50,000 charging stations fail because the underlying electrical infrastructure wasn’t properly designed for continuous 80-amp draws. A charging station advertising 150kW is useless if the electrical infrastructure can only sustain 75kW without thermal protection kicking in.”

This is why at Blink, we’ve invested heavily in what you don’t see—the electrical backbone that ensures consistent power delivery. We design our systems for 125% of maximum load, not the bare minimum code requirements. It’s the difference between a station that works and one that works when you need it most.

The Metrics That Matter: Proving Reliability in Real Terms:

Peak Performance, Not Average Statistics

Dave Symons, Managing Director of DASH Symons Group, who manages complex integrated systems across 400+ unit residential estates, shares a critical insight from his technology integration work:

“True reliability isn’t measured by advertised uptime percentages, but by how systems perform during simultaneous peak demand. The best metric is successful charging sessions completed during your busiest 4-hour window each day, not overall monthly averages that hide peak-time failures.”

This philosophy drives our approach at Blink. We don’t just measure whether our stations are “online”—we track:

• Successful Session Completion Rate during peak hours
• Sustained Power Delivery under maximum load conditions
• Mean Time to Repair when issues arise
• Load Management Performance during simultaneous usage

Clay Hamilton, President of Grounded Solutions, validates this approach with a real-world example: “We installed a 12-station Level 2 system at a corporate campus where all employees charge between 8-9 AM. The previous contractor’s system would trip breakers when more than 6 stations ran simultaneously.”

The Blink solution? Dynamic load management that distributes power intelligently across all stations without failure—reliability that directly impacts business operations.

The Personal Cost of Unreliability:

When Trust Breaks Down

Sometimes the best way to understand reliability’s value is through its absence. Katie Breaker, Director of Sales & Marketing at Birdieball, shares a story that resonates with countless EV drivers:

“I have been stranded at a charging station with a down unit and without support to call. What should have been a 30-minute stop turned into hours of stress. Since then, I always check station histories and only go to networks that give me almost 100 percent success rates. The peace of mind is worth the sacrifice of a little convenience.”

This single experience changed how Breaker approaches every charging decision. It’s a reminder that behind every charging session is a person with somewhere to be, and one failure can destroy trust for years.

Rob Dillan, Founder of EVhype.com, emphasizes this multiplier effect: “All it takes is a single bad charging experience to convince any driver that owning an electric vehicle is too risky. Brain-dead easy, reliable, assured charging—that’s what eliminates ‘range anxiety,’ still the number one reason not to buy.”

The Business Case: Why Reliability Drives Everything:

The Ecosystem Effect

Gene Genin, CEO of OEM Source, who works across both IT and EV organizations, captures the competitive reality:

“In a market with ever-increasing numbers of companies selling the same thing, getting things to work properly can help a company stand out from others. It is companies who are able to offer people a network they can trust and depend on to charge their cars who will be the most attractive option for both consumers and business fleets.”

But reliability’s impact extends beyond individual choices. Niclas Schlopsna, Managing Consultant and CEO of spectup, who advises EV startups, explains the ripple effect:

“Even minor downtime, or chargers that perform inconsistently, creates major operational headaches. A slightly higher charging fee is acceptable if the station guarantees availability and consistent output, because downtime can ripple through schedules and logistics, costing far more than the extra cents per kWh.”

The Trust Equation

Mohammed Kamal, Business Development Manager at Olavivo, distills it to its essence: “While cost, convenience, and speed matter, reliability is the key factor that ensures a smooth charging experience.”

This is why at Blink, we’ve made a fundamental commitment to transparency. As Schlopsna advises: “Charging companies can communicate this by being transparent with operational metrics, sharing historical uptime data, maintenance schedules, and real-world session reliability. Investors, drivers, and partners respond to evidence, not marketing claims.”

Engineering Excellence: The Blink Difference:

Building Reliability from the Ground Up

Our approach to reliability isn’t accidental—it’s engineered. Here’s what sets Blink apart:

Infrastructure First

• Electrical systems designed for 125% of maximum load
• Redundant circuits and oversized conductors as standard
• Thermal management systems preventing performance degradation

Real-Time Intelligence

• Live monitoring dashboards tracking each station’s performance
• Predictive maintenance using AI to prevent failures
• Dynamic load distribution ensuring consistent power delivery

Human Support

• 24/7 customer support with real people who answer
• Direct communication channels for immediate issue reporting
• Transparent service logs accessible to all stakeholders

David Cornado, Partner at French Teachers Association of Hong Kong, adds another dimension from his chemical engineering background: “Inconsistent voltage delivery can accelerate battery degradation, making reliability about more than just uptime—it’s about protecting the entire energy ecosystem.”

The Path Forward: Scaling Trust

From Individual Confidence to Mass Adoption

The experts we spoke with were unanimous: reliability is the gateway to widespread EV adoption. As Shelley emphasizes: “Scaling EV adoption depends on reliability being treated as infrastructure, not convenience. Without it, fleets won’t transition.”

This is why Blink has committed to:

• Publishing live uptime dashboards for all to see
• Third-party verification of our performance metrics
• Continuous infrastructure upgrades and redundancy
• Partnership with local electrical contractors for rapid response

The Accountability Standard

Rob Dillan challenges the entire industry with a simple standard: “If companies claim to charge you for reliability, then it should be a measurable KPI audited, not some fluffy promise. These are the signs of accountability: being willing to publish live uptime dashboards, third-party verified repair times and customer satisfaction scores.”

We agree. That’s why Blink doesn’t hide behind marketing percentages. We publish our worst-day performance data and peak-hour success rates because we believe transparency builds trust, and trust drives adoption.

The Bottom Line: Every Session Matters:

In the end, reliability in EV charging comes down to a simple truth: every charging session represents a promise. A promise to the parent rushing to pick up their child. A promise to the fleet manager whose business depends on vehicles being ready. A promise to the property owner who invested in charging infrastructure for their residents.

At Blink Charging, we don’t take these promises lightly. We’ve built our network, our technology, and our company culture around a single principle: when you need to charge, it works.

Because in the new economy of electric transportation, reliability isn’t just the real currency—it’s the only currency that matters.

Ready to experience charging you can count on? Visit blinkcharging.com to find a Blink station near you, or contact our team to discuss fleet and property solutions built on a foundation of reliability.

Join the conversation: How has charging reliability shaped your EV experience? Share your story using #BlinkReliability

About Blink Charging

Blink Charging Co. (NASDAQ: BLNK) is a global leader in electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment and services, enabling drivers, hosts, and fleets to transition to electric transportation through innovative charging solutions. With thousands of charging stations deployed across multiple countries and a commitment to engineering excellence, Blink is building the reliable infrastructure necessary for the electric future.