One of the largest Tesla supercharging stations in Southern California has found itself switched off temporarily by the local government.
What's happening?
According to The Daily Bulletin, the charging station in Upland, California, has been shut down by the county. San Bernardino County's Weights and Measures division sent inspectors to the site in July and found that the charging stations were improperly labeled, resulting in the charging station being shut down.
"Their labeling did not comply with state requirements. They were delivering more amperage than specified on their labels," David Wert, the county spokesperson, told The Daily Bulletin via email.
Why is this important?
The charging station in Upland is one of the largest in Southern California. It houses 64 bays and is one of the primary stations serving the entire Inland Empire region of California.
However, proper labeling of the chargers is important for both the consumer and the provider of the electricity. It makes sure that everyone knows what they're getting and what they're paying for.
A mislabeled station could theoretically allow Tesla to charge customers of those stations more money than what the customer thinks they're being charged to keep their car running. (The Daily Bulletin's reporting didn't indicate whether anyone had reported a concern about being overcharged.)
Nonetheless, isn't the first time this has happened to Tesla's charging stations, according to Wert.
"We had been working with Tesla and the state for about six months to address this issue before taking this action," Wert said. "San Diego County placed 16 chargers out of service last week for the same violations."
Losing those chargers impacts more than just EV owners; local businesses are seeing decreased foot traffic as a result.
"It does look like a cemetery," said Gina Lucido, a customer at a nearby ice cream shop, remarking on the covered charging stations. "It's sad."
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What's being done about the charging stations?
Tesla told the reporter that the situation had been handled; that new stickers had been applied to the stations several days earlier, but Wert said that if that were the case, the county had not heard from them yet.
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It's the main factor 💯 "They stand ready to promptly reinspect the chargers as soon as they hear from Tesla," Wert said.
Until then, the nearest charging station is six miles away from downtown Upland, in Ontario, meaning residents will have to make a bit of a drive to make sure their cars are fully charged and ready to go.
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