EA launched its Congestion Reduction Pilot at stations in Southern California at select high utilization charging stations with congestion issues. The stations are also in areas where there are more EV chargers to ensure EVs with less range aren’t adversely impacted.

The point of the pilot is to reduce wait times. If someone sets their EV to charge to 90-100%, then it takes a much longer time to charge and can cause congestion.

Once a charging EV reaches 85% state of charge, the session will automatically end, and drivers will have 10 minutes to move their vehicle before idle fees are incurred. (And no, you can’t plug it back in to get more charge as it won’t work.)

Electrify America said it launched the pilot in response to customer feedback, and it says it will continuously monitor station performance and customer sentiment during the pilot, and adjust as needed.