By Viktors Nikolajevs, CTEK’s UK key account manager EVSE

For the operators of public electric vehicle charging – and for the EV drivers seeking to use it – the definition of a good time is uptime.

For the charge point operators (CPOs), uptime is potential revenue earning time, downtime is not. And as the EV driver pulls up to a public EV charge point, they have one simple question they want an answer to: will the charge point be up to the task of charging?

To answer that simple question with a ‘yes’, there’s a chain of elements that all have to be working. And that chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The hardware has to work, its software has to work, the electricity supply has to be working, the data must flow and the back end has to work.

The challenge facing CPOs and their hardware and other partners is to make uptime as close to all-time as possible. In the UK, the Public Charge Point Regulations require a CPO’s rapid charge point network (50kW plus) to be 99% reliable averaged over each calendar year

If 99% sounds a stretch, it is. CPOs have until 14 January 2026 to submit their first annual report overing the 2025 calendar year. Giving a taste of what those first reports might include, back-end platform provider Monta recently surveyed more than 200 UK CPOs to see how they were doing.

The survey results show only a fraction of CPOs achieving the 99% legal requirement. Monta’s report – The pain points and growth opportunities impacting UK Charge Point Operators in 2025 – reveals just 4% achieving uptime above 99.5%. A little over a quarter of CPOs (26%) are close to the rule, in the range of 97% to 98.4%. In all, 74% are above 95%. But that still leaves plenty some way off target.

The 99% target may be challenging for CPOs with networks of rapid DC charge points (and comes with the jeopardy of potential financial penalties and a reputational hit), but the drive for uptime applies to public charge points of all speeds.

The desire for maximum uptime also applies to AC fast charge point provision. The Public Charge Point Regulations are aimed at pushing all CPOs to try to ensure the public charging experience of EV drivers is consistent and positive, to support the transition to e-mobility. All CPOs should wish for this anyway.

Whether it’s fast or rapid, public charging’s uptime depends on everything working as it should. And when something isn’t working, the CPO and/or its back end provider need to know there is a problem and be able to quickly rectify it. So, what is the weakest link?

The Monta report cited slow maintenance response times as the most frequent barrier to uptime, identified by 45% of CPOs, just ahead of limited control over firmware and component durability. Three out of ten CPOs cited the inconsistent hardware quality across charger brands.

At CTEK, we are focused by our hardware being the strongest link in the charging chain. This autumn, the Helsinki-headquartered EV charging platform provider eMabler named CTEK as the winner of its first Best Hardware Partner Award based on real operational data showing a charging success rate of 98.6%.

eMabler identified four key hardware attributes for reliable charging:

• A robust structure that withstands not only physical wear but also the demands of continuous connectivity.
• High-quality components and production that ensure durability.
• Reliable data connections, without which operators cannot manage, monitor or monetise their networks.
• Stable firmware and meaningful updates that focus on robustness – not just features – are critical for dependable operation year after year.

Resilient data communication enables real-time integration with back end systems, automated alerts 24/7 and quicker fault resolutions. Everything that can be done to improve reliable communications should be done. For instance, at installations with multiple charge points those that can communicate via LAN cabling can have the edge over those relying on WiFi. Back to basics perhaps, but effective.

As the Monta report notes, the opportunity is there for CPOs and their partners to provide smarter and more integrated charging as they strive for that best of times: uptime.