Quick links: New type of job | Why EV chargers break down | $36 million in federal funds unfrozen | Grocery workers ratify new contract
An effort to make sure public electric vehicle chargers work when EV drivers need to plug in is getting revved up by an unlikely source: Goodwill of Colorado.
The nonprofit, known for operating thrift stores, began training folks this week in Aurora for a career as EV station technicians. Out-of-service chargers have become such an issue that data analytics firm J.D. Power found that 1 in 5 EV drivers last year couldn’t charge at public stations due to malfunctions, broken equipment and payment failures. The stat has improved slightly to 1 in 6 being down in the first quarter, said the analytics firm.
“What happens right now is when an EV charging station goes down, typically whoever owns it will send out an electrician. But the electrician isn’t really equipped to diagnose the problems with the charger (or) repair these problems,” said James Sanchez, director of education and training at Goodwill of Colorado. “So their response to whoever owns it is, ‘Let’s just chuck it and buy a new one,’ which is not a very effective method of fixing it.”
As one of the top states for EV sales, Colorado also has an outsize share of public EV charging stations — with more than 6,000 charging ports statewide. More than one-third are in rural areas and disproportionately impacted communities, according to the state. Just like gas pumps, working EV ports are a must for consumer adoption, Sanchez said.
“If you were an owner of a gas vehicle and you went to the gas station and the pump was down, you would be furious,” he said.
There’s a little computer inside the machines so a technician equipped with the knowledge of what can go wrong can more easily diagnose and repair software and hardware issues on the spot. At Goodwill’s new Clean Tech Accelerator, students are getting hands-on repair experience, will learn electrical codes and charging standards and be certified in EV station operations and maintenance as well as workplace safety and construction basics.
The four-week program is part of the nonprofit’s mission to help folks who have trouble getting hired. Goodwill also operates an adult high school in Aurora, runs programs leading to careers at banks and in information technology and cybersecurity and offers general job support.
“We have a real emphasis on serving individuals who may have a justice involvement in their background or may have other barriers to employment, such as gaps in job history or maybe they were a stay-at-home mom and are reentering the workforce,” said Stephanie Bell, Goodwill’s brand manager. “Providing them with free training and opportunities to elevate the quality of their lives is something that’s really important to us.”
Goodwill is covering training costs, job placement support for one year and providing a small stipend during training. The cohort of 14 students began training Monday at Goodwill’s Excel Center campus in Aurora. Two more four-week training programs are planned this year, with the September class already halfway filled.
A new type of job
A quick glance at the PlugShare map of charging stations Friday showed a minuscule number of locations under repair in Colorado, including one in a parking lot in Leadville that users began complaining about broken hardware a month ago.
And online at job sites like Indeed.com, there are very few explicit openings for EV charging technicians though you might find the role listed differently in an automotive service job. Hourly pay ranges from minimum wage to $35 and $45 an hour in coastal cities.
Sanchez said that it’s still a nascent market so the Goodwill program is teaching trainees other skills, too.
“Not to sound cliche or anything, these are jobs that don’t quite exist yet. But electricians and other companies are starting to see the need for this type of position,” he said. “To help bolster that, the OSHA-10 and construction basics (certifications) are designed to give that individual the opportunity to (be a) more viable and much more rounded candidate.”
But the small number of openings may be because certification is also new. It was crafted a few years ago by ChargerHelp, a Los Angeles startup “solving the single most-important and most-common hurdle” to EV adoption: EV chargers must be reliable.
Why EV chargers break down
ChargerHelp CEO Kameale Terry founded the company after working at a firm that developed software for charging stations. Initially, she planned to write a repair guide. She wound up creating a curriculum for a Society of Automotive Engineers EV certification.
“There wasn’t anything in the industry that certified people. We want everybody to use it so the whole industry can mature,” Terry said. “Because if the industry doesn’t mature then it’s no good to us as a company.”
In its EV station reliability report published last year, ChargerHelp found that 4.7% of America’s public EV charging station ports were out of service. But depending on the location, charger type and station ownership, the number of nonfunctioning ports was as high as 70% — “an extreme edge case on one specific network,” according to the report.
Issues weren’t always about software, though sometimes software reported stations were working or available when they weren’t, and vice versa. In many cases, screens to help users view information or cables connecting the screen to the charger were damaged and needed to be replaced. Broken or confusing payment systems also contributed to down times. Electrical issues and vandalism accounted for less than 2% of symptoms.
ChargerHelp, backed by nearly $22 million in venture capital, has built a database of 19 million unique data points so the company can troubleshoot issues from afar. But for those it can’t, it sends technicians to the site.
As a business, it takes a comprehensive approach to fixing issues, such as offering a fixed-rate repair service so clients worried about fees don’t wait to call for help. And it pays technicians a living wage, starting at $30 an hour, to retain a dedicated, trained staff. The company supports clients in 17 states, though not yet Colorado (“working on it,” she said).
Her greatest need for trained workers are in states like Maryland, where there are laws requiring chargers to work 97% of the time. In Philadelphia, owners of nonworking chargers can get fined.
“The bigger issue right now is that we need more laws requiring people to fix their charging stations because what usually happens is that folks are getting money from different rebate programs or state programs but essentially, they’ll leave a station broken,” she said.
She’s also producing a buyers guide to charging stations to help public governments and companies better understand what they’re buying and making sure the charger and software meet the uniform Open Charge Point Protocol, instead of one that’s marketed as “protocol capable” but is untested and uncertified.
“We should not be at 1 in 5 (chargers down) but because there hasn’t been any uniformity on how we deploy in the U.S., this is where there is a lot of opportunity for software to break down,” she said. “If you’re doing certification and you’re certifying the software, it allows the worker to be more successful because they understand what can potentially break.”
Goodwill Industries International contracted ChargerHelp to teach its trainers. Similar Goodwill programs have rolled out in Detroit, Houston and Atlanta.
Colorado gets back $36 million in frozen federal EV funds
Colorado was one of the top states for buying an EV last year, thanks to generous state and federal incentives. While clean car sales dipped in the first quarter this year, the state is still among the top 10 in the nation for EV registrations based on 2023 data, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
And populationwise, Colorado ranked third for the number of registered EVs per 10,000 people, at 153, compared with California at 322 and Washington state at 195.
But state tax credits have dwindled or been cut this year due to the shrinking state budget. The Colorado Energy Office says it’s still moving forward with its DC Fast Charging Plazas program, which has seen the introduction of 12 sites in rural communities in the past year.
While the Plazas program is partly state funded, some of the money comes from the federal government, as part of a $57 million award from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program. Those funds were frozen until late last month, when a federal judge sided with Colorado and 13 other states that faced a shortfall after the Trump administration sought to freeze federal EV infrastructure funds.
In her preliminary injunction last month, federal Judge Tara Lin said Trump overstepped his Constitutional authority since the funds were already appropriated by Congress.
The injunction freed up $36 million for Colorado, with another $12 million still expected, according to the lawsuit filed by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in May.
Some of the money is being used to create an EV charging network across the state. And with more charging locations, there’s going to be a need for more repairs, Sanchez said.
“For the most part, these EV chargers are out in the elements. We live here in Colorado and with the heat, hail, and snow, there’s going to be a need for replacement and repair of a lot of these chargers,” he said. “Just because it’s fixed once doesn’t mean it’s going to stay fixed.”
Sun economy stories you may have missed
➔ $4 million in federal funds released for Upper Colorado River Basin watershed restoration. The cash will allow work in fire-damaged watersheds and the Kawuneeche Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park to continue >> Read story
➔ Insurers fight laws in states like Colorado restricting surprise ambulance bills. In Colorado, a measure aimed at expanding protections from surprise ambulance bills got a unanimous thumbs-up in both legislative chambers. It was then vetoed by the governor. >> Read story
➔ Teacher apprenticeships are taking off in Colorado. Could they help schools chip away at the educator shortage? Since Colorado lawmakers established the Teacher Degree Apprenticeship Program in 2023, more teachers from a diversity of backgrounds are en route to the classroom >> Read story
➔ Older Coloradans are turning to the “Golden Girls” housing model to fight costs, loneliness. A nonprofit called Sunshine Home Share is helping older homeowners fill up their extra bedrooms with people who want cheaper rent in exchange for doing household chores >> Read story
➔ Nederland to buy Eldora Mountain Resort with support of ski industry heavy hitters. The purchase of Eldora will be funded by bonds to be paid off using lift-ticket and other on-mountain revenue rather than Nederland taxes >> Read story
➔ Cañon City’s Main Street makeover is eating into peak tourist season. But there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Shops and restaurants say they’re hanging on as best they can while the city nears the final stretch of improvements to make the longest historic Main Street in the state more appealing >> Read story
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Reader poll update
We last asked for readers to share their experiences working as an older adult who is working past the traditional retirement age of 65. We heard from several workers in their 70s and have reached out via email. Did you miss our email? Feel free to email us directly at tamara@coloradosun.com to share your experience.
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Other working bits
➔ Safeway and King Soopers workers ratify contract. After ending a three-week strike last weekend, Safeway employees in Denver-area stores voted to approve a new contract Thursday. Likewise, King Soopers employees who were part of a strike that ended nearly five months ago with no contract also ratified a new contract this week, according to updates from organizers at the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7. Contract details were not shared but are expected to be posted on the union’s site. >> UFCW Local 7
➔ Denver expects record-busting crowds this year. With the recent Fan Expo over the July Fourth weekend attracting 75,000 visitors, Visit Denver, the city’s convention and visitor bureau, said economic activity at the Colorado Convention Center is higher than in 2019. Corporate meetings and conventions are on track to generate $672 million in economic activity this year, up from $540 million in 2019. While some of the rise might be credited to price inflation, in-person attendance is also up to 277,451, or about 20,000 more people than last year.
➔ Need help with rent? Next round of state assistance starts July 14. The state’s Department of Local Affairs will open a new round of emergency rental assistance Monday at 5 p.m. Colorado tenants who are struggling to pay their monthly rent can qualify for up to seven months or rent or $10,000. There are some eligibility requirements and those facing eviction will be prioritized. Apply online at this link during the two-day period or call (303) 838-1200 for assistance. >> Details
➔ ICYMI: Colorado 4.8% unemployment rate unchanged in May. It’s higher than the U.S. rate of 4.2%, also unchanged from April, according to the latest data announced late last month by the state’s labor department. The month-to-month changes in employed Coloradans was flat, falling just 600 to 3,124,100 when unemployed counts also fell by 100 to 158,700. Compared with a year ago, the number of unemployed Coloradans is up 18% from 134,049. Also of note: Employers did create more jobs than previously estimated for April, adding 14,900 jobs rather than 8,400. In May, employers added 3,400 jobs. >> See Colorado data
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