The Claim: An image shows a widely distributed and inefficient EV charging station

Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are on the rise in the United States. This month, a coalition of electric companies announced plans to further increase the infrastructure for charging electric vehicles by building “fast-charging ports that will allow the public to drive electric vehicles with confidence on the road. along major US travel corridors by the end of 2023, ”according to a press from the Edison Electric Institute. Release.

But some question the efficiency of electric cars, which is the subject of an image circulating on social networks.

“This is a photo of an electric car charging station popping up everywhere,” a December 2 Facebook post read.

The post was shared over 700 times in five days, but it was also captured and re-shared, racking up over 6,000 interactions in one Twitter post and another 6,000 shares in a reposted version on Facebook.

The post details the unit’s purported specifications before concluding that it provides EV users with the equivalent of 5.6 miles per gallon of diesel.

But this is wrong in several ways.

The published image actually shows a diesel charging station that was created by a retired mechanical engineer for use in rural Australia. There are only three such units and they provide EV users with over 50 mpg.

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USA TODAY has reached out to Facebook and Twitter users who shared the post for comment.

The EV charger is a private project intended for use in rural areas devoid of infrastructure

The claim that this unit is widely implemented came from a Facebook user listing a New Jersey residence, but the unit is only used in a limited capacity – and halfway around the world.

“There are only three of these units in Australia,” Jon Edwards, a retired mechanical engineer who created the Load Unit, told USA TODAY in an email. “They don’t appear everywhere.”

Edwards said he got the idea to create a diesel electric vehicle charging unit while driving his electric car through Nullarbor in Australia, a large area with inadequate electric vehicle fast-charging infrastructure.

“When I got back home in Perth I built one,” he said.

He said the photo in the Facebook post shows the first unit he built and installed at his home in Perth, Australia, in 2018. His BMW i3 is being charged.

Edwards has since created two more units and converted them all to run on waste vegetable oil in addition to regular diesel. He said his original unit had been moved to a workshop in Perth. Another unit is located in Jurien Bay in Australia and the third is to be installed in Caiguna in Australia.

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The units are intended to “provide fast charging for electric vehicles in remote off-grid locations with inadequate power supply,” Edwards said.

Australian shipper much more efficient than post claims

In addition to distorting the range of Edwards’ EV charger, the social media post provides incorrect specifications. It dramatically underestimates the miles per gallon of fuel supplied by the unit.

While the post describes the EV charger as delivering 5.6 miles per gallon of diesel, Edwards said it actually delivers over 50 mpg.

The message states that the unit has a 350 kW generator, uses 12 gallons of diesel per hour, and requires three hours to charge the vehicle in the photo. The vehicle can then travel 200 miles, the post said.

Edwards said the unit in the photo actually has a 60kW generator that uses less than 4 gallons of fuel per hour. He said it took around 45 minutes to charge the BMW i3s shown in the photo, which could then travel 125 miles.

The other two units made by Edwards have slightly different specifications, including a larger generator. The largest of the three is an 88KW generator. However, Edwards said it does not affect fuel efficiency.

The unit in the photo has been tested by Edwards and members of the Tesla Owners Club Western Australia, who published the results on their website in 2018. Edwards said the projected values ​​were recorded on the webpage, while the data he provided to USA TODAY is closer to actual values.

The vegetable oil version has been recently tested and has similar specifications to the traditional diesel version.

“When the unit is operated on waste vegetable oil, tests have shown that it produces 90% of the energy for the equivalent volume of diesel,” said Edwards.

Edwards’ creation was covered by an Australian EV news and analysis website in 2018.

While the photo in the social media post shows Edwards’ Australian invention, diesel electric vehicle charging stations are available in the United States.

For example, Larson Electronics rents and sells portable charging units for diesel electric vehicles, Rob Bresnahan, salesperson at Larson Electronics, told USA TODAY in an email. These are intended for areas with insufficient electricity or to help gas station owners assess local interest in electric vehicle charging before investing in a permanent unit.

Bresnahan says the company has distributed less than 100 units in the United States. Energy efficiency estimates were not immediately available. However, the device’s specifications say it offers up to 250 miles of range per hour of charge.

False claims about electric vehicle charging stations have already proliferated on social media.

PolitiFact debunked a Facebook post that incorrectly claimed that an electric vehicle charging system in Texas was diesel-powered and inefficient. The caption for this post was almost identical to the post referring to the Australian shipper, but included a different image.

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USA TODAY also debunked an image that allegedly shows a diesel generator charging an electric car. The image actually showed a battery-powered mobile charging unit used to provide roadside assistance to electric vehicles.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we find FALSE the claim that an image posted on social media shows a widely distributed and inefficient EV charging station. The refill units, which can now run on biofuel, deliver over 50 mpg, or about 10 times the amount claimed by mail. And this particular model is not widespread as the post claims, as it is one of only three created by an EV owner for rural Australia.

Our sources of fact-checking:

• Jon Edwards, December 7-10, email exchange with USA TODAY
• Associated Press, July 13, Electric Vehicle Charging Company Electrify America to Double Number of Electric Vehicle Chargers
• USA TODAY, October 26, General Motors offers its US dealers 40,000 charging points for electric vehicles for public use
• Reuters, November 8, Australia increases investment in electric vehicle chargers, avoids sales targets
• Infrastructure Australia, accessed December 7, Fast Charging Electric Vehicles on National Highway
• USA TODAY, December 22, 2020, Fact Check: Viral Image Falsely Claims Diesel Generator Charges Electric Car
• Tesla Owners Club Western Australia, December 11, 2018, charging electric vehicles with a Diesel-powered ChargePod skid – a solution for locations with insufficient power
• The Driven, December 14, 2018, Using diesel to charge EVs in the outback is greener than you might think
• The Driven, January 15, How EV Biodiesel Chargers Could Connect Remote Locations
• Chuffed.org, Accessed Dec. 8, The Big Lap Has Gaps. Let’s bridge this gap to unite the Nation
• Edison Electric Institute, December 7 Electricity companies come together to form a national coalition of electric highways
• Politifact, July 20, Fact-check: No, this Round Rock car charging station is not diesel powered
• Thomas Braunl, December 9, email exchange with USA TODAY
• Rob Bresnahan, December 8-9, email exchange with USA TODAY
• Larson Electronics, accessed December 10, Temporary Electric Vehicle Charging Station with Diesel Generator

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