Round Rock TX EV Charger Is Not Diesel Powered

26th July 2021

Round Rock TX EV Charger Is Not Diesel Powered

The charging station prefers using solar power when they can (Getty Images).

The Claim

An electric vehicle charger in Round Rock, TX runs on a diesel generator, which means that EVs only get about 5.6 miles per gallon.

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Emerging story

On July 11 a Facebook post began circulating from Round Rock, Texas which shows a bank of EV chargers along with the claim that they are running on a diesel generator. “That 350kw generator uses 12 gallons of diesel fuel per hour,” it begins. “And it takes 3 hours to fully charge a car to get 200 miles. That's 36 GALLONS for 200 MILES!!! 5.6 mpg.”

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Misbar’s Analysis

The particular EV charger in question is run by Electrify America and is located at 4401 North I-35, Round Rock, Texas. The station is a Level 3 charger. Car and Driver explained that a level 3 charger will provide 80% battery capacity to a vehicle in about half an hour — it does not take 3 hours to fully charge a car. Electrify America told Politifact that they do not use a diesel generator to power this charger. In fact, Electrify America prefers to use solar-powered chargers when they can.

Interestingly, these are the exact same figures and very similar wording used in another debunked viral claim about EV chargers. The math is incorrect in both cases. The original article details the statistics created by the original engineer. Even the worst-performing car on the list gets 6.014 liters per 100km, which actually converts to 39.14 miles per gallon. This all ignores the fact that this charger does not run on a diesel generator.