Reliable EV charging depends on more than functioning hardware. It requires coordination among charge point operators, software providers, equipment manufacturers, site hosts, service organizations, and the technicians working directly on the equipment.
In Episode 43 of Field Frequency, host Jason Cortes welcomes Hilary Taylor, co-founder and CEO of WattsUp, for a conversation about the EV charging reliability problem—and the gaps in ownership, information, and accountability that may allow it to persist.
Hilary shares how her electrical engineering career took her from wireless EV charging to mobile and megawatt-level charging systems. She also recounts the difficult road trip that helped her recognize the scale of the industry’s reliability challenge and ultimately contributed to the creation of WattsUp.
Jason and Hilary examine how hardware, software, environmental conditions, and disconnected service workflows can compound charger failures. Hilary explains how WattsUp seeks to connect the industry’s fragmented systems by combining machine learning, contextual data, prescriptive operational workflows, and structured feedback from field technicians.
The discussion also explores why technicians need context in addition to instructions, how environmental and utility data may prevent unnecessary truck rolls, and how predictive insights could support stronger service-level agreements and more consistent uptime.
Topics discussed include:
