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How CPOs Can Build Maintenance Programs That Protect Performance and Profitability

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Key Takeaways

- US charging networks report uptime between 98.7% and 99.9%. However, the ChargerHelp 2025 Annual Reliability Report shows only 71% of charging attempts succeed, with over one-third of failures occurring on chargers that appear fully available. Closing the gap between reported uptime and actual driver experience is the primary challenge a structured maintenance program must address.
- The Alternative Fuels Data Center reports over 18,000 new direct current fast charging (DCFC) ports deployed in 2025, representing a 30% year-over-year increase. As networks expand at this rate, maintenance challenges increase accordingly.
- An effective maintenance program is built on advanced real-time monitoring, data analytics, self-healing automation, and structured service level agreement (SLA) management.
- Charge point operators (CPOs) should measure maintenance return on investment using two key indicators: customer satisfaction data and revenue analysis at the individual charger level.
- In both the US and Europe, regulatory requirements link maintenance performance directly to funding eligibility and compliance. Selecting a software partner that supports open standards and interoperability is essential for scalable operations.

Maintenance program design is a central topic on the agenda at this year’s EV Charging Summit and Expo, and for good reason. For CPOs, keeping chargers online is not just a technical task. It is the foundation of revenue generation and driver trust. A failure to charge costs the operator both lost revenue and a damaged reputation.

The Pillars of a Successful Maintenance Program

Reliability across US networks depends primarily on operator performance, site age, and proactive maintenance. Smaller CPOs with disciplined maintenance consistently outperform larger, reactive operators.

The ChargerHelp 2025 Annual Reliability Report found that despite reported uptime of 98.7% to 99.9%, only 71% of charging attempts actually succeed. More than one-third of failures occur on chargers that appear fully operational.

What are the most common causes of EV charger failures, and how can operators address them proactively to prevent driver impact?

The Driivz 2025 State of EV Charging Network Operators survey identified vehicle-specific compatibility problems as the leading cause of failed sessions (45%), followed by faulty hardware (42%), OCPP compliance issues (39%), bad firmware updates (33%), network disconnections (32%), and payment processing errors (29%). The table below links each issue to a corresponding maintenance response.

Source: Driivz 2025 State of EV Charging Network Operators survey. *Percentage of respondents selecting each issue as a top-3 cause of failed sessions; totals exceed 100%.

The five pillars of a maintenance program that addresses these failure types are:

Advanced real-time monitoring. 24/7 visibility into charger status, error logs, and session outcomes. Charger issues, which can be resolved remotely and automatically, is a key capability for maximum uptime and network stability.
Data analytics and failure pattern recognition. Tracking failure– mode status across the network, identifying which sites, charger models, and connector types require priority attention. This approach replaces guesswork with evidence-based decision-making.
Self-healing automation. Remote resolution of faults without requiring a field technician visit. Self-healing algorithms that automatically restart or reconfigure chargers reduce session failures and lower operational costs.
Structured SLA and ticketing management. Structured workflows with defined response-time commitments ensure rapid resolution of issues that require on-site attention, minimizing downtime and preventing revenue loss from offline chargers.
Firmware and software update management. Over-the-air updates that address software faults and OCPP compliance gaps, reducing intermittent failures that undermine driver confidence even when chargers appear available.

These functions are increasingly powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). A peer-reviewed analysis in Computers and Electrical Engineering (ScienceDirect, November 2025) found that ML-based predictive maintenance solutions enable early fault detection in EV charging infrastructure, directly reducing downtime and improving reliability. This marks a shift from reactive monitoring to systems that identify failure conditions before a driver plugs in.

Monitoring ROI on Maintenance Programs

A maintenance program is only effective if its impact can be measured. Two key indicators provide this insight.

Customer satisfaction as a leading indicator

Driver satisfaction reflects the real experience of the charging session. The ChargerHelp 2025 Annual Reliability Report shows that only 71% of charging attempts succeed, with session success rates declining as charging infrastructure ages. Maintenance programs that address aging equipment prevent the failed sessions that damage network reputation and drive customers to competitors.

How can CPOs determine if their maintenance programs deliver a return on investment?

The answer is two-fold: customer satisfaction data indicates whether drivers complete sessions and return, while revenue analysis by individual charger reveals which assets generate income and which incur service costs that exceed their output.

Revenue-producing chargers as a lagging indicator

Not all chargers contribute equally to revenue. Some operate reliably and generate consistent income, while others require service visits that cost more than they return. Each failed session reduces the margin between utility costs and driver payments. Linking maintenance data with session and revenue data at the charger level highlights these discrepancies.

Operators who track which chargers generate revenue versus support tickets can make informed decisions about repair, replacement, and resource allocation. Persistent failures at specific sites or from certain manufacturers also provide actionable insights for future procurement.

The Driivz platform offers real-time analytics and visual dashboards that connect charger performance data with revenue and session outcomes, providing operators with the visibility required to assess performance at scale.

How Proactive O&M Strategies Build Trust

Operations and maintenance (O&M) strategies that extend beyond reactive repairs support regulatory compliance and foster driver trust, which is necessary for long-term network growth.

US market: NEVI uptime requirements

In the United States, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program requires federally funded charging sites to maintain greater than 97% uptime per port annually. Sites that do not meet this standard risk losing program funding. NEVI program requirements establish that maintenance standards must be incorporated from initial deployment, ensuring federally funded stations meet reliability expectations from day one.

European market: AFIR compliance obligations

In Europe, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) (EU) 2023/1804, effective since April 2024, sets binding requirements for uptime, payment transparency, and data sharing. From April 2025, CPOs must provide static and dynamic charging data through open APIs. New alternating current (AC) chargers must comply with ISO 15118 from January 2026. CPOs that do not meet these obligations risk losing eligibility for funding and failing regulatory audits.

Conclusion

Maintenance is a business strategy, and successful CPOs treat it as such. Reliability improvements require deliberate decisions regarding monitoring systems, AI-powered diagnostics, and structured maintenance workflows.

The growing industry focus on maintenance programs, reflected in events like the EV Charging Summit and Expo, signals that this shift is already underway. CPOs who have built proactive, data-driven programs see the results in session success rates, driver retention, and network profitability. Those who have not yet made this shift are losing revenue on every failed session.

Talk to the Driivz team about a maintenance program that protects your network and your bottom line.

FAQs

Uptime measures whether a charger is technically available. First-time charge success rate (FTCSR) measures whether a driver can start and complete a charging session on the first attempt. A charger can report 100% uptime and still fail to deliver a successful session. FTCSR is the more accurate measure of real-world network performance.

Maintenance frequency depends on the charger’s age, utilisation level, and local conditions, such as climate and traffic. The ChargerHelp 2025 Annual Reliability Report found that session success rates decline as charging infrastructure ages, which indicates that maintenance intensity should increase over the life of the hardware. CPOs should also monitor error code frequency and session failure patterns to identify when specific assets require more frequent attention.

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program requires federally funded charging sites to maintain greater than 97% uptime per charging port annually. This requirement applies to sites that receive NEVI funding. CPOs must track and report outage duration and error codes to demonstrate compliance. Failure to meet this threshold can affect continued access to program funding.

The Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) is the communication standard between charging hardware and the software platform managing the network. When chargers do not fully comply with OCPP standards, they may fail to communicate correctly with the back-end system, resulting in session failures, billing errors, or chargers that appear available but cannot initiate a charge. The Driivz 2025 State of EV Charging Network Operators survey found that 39% of respondents cited charger-specific OCPP compliance issues as a leading cause of failed sessions.

CPOs should look for a platform that supports hardware from a wide range of charger manufacturers, uses open communication standards such as OCPP and ISO 15118, provides real-time monitoring and remote diagnostic capabilities, and supports over-the-air firmware updates.

Rami Honig

Rami has 30 years of experience in technology. He started as a software developer and moved through multiple roles, including project management, product marketing, product management, and technical and content writing. He has worked in various industries from educational software, through mobile navigation systems to IT infrastructure, and mobility. At his current role in Product Marketing at Driivz, Rami uses the diverse experience he has gained over the years to explain how Driivz’s technology brings value to the EV charging industry.

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