A2Z EV Technical Statement on the Hope, BC Charging Incident
Following the August 2024 charging incident in Hope, British Columbia, A2Z EV conducted a complete engineering review in parallel with the investigation led by Technical Safety BC (TSBC) and the charging station operator. The conclusions reached by TSBC that the cause of the incident was due to a malfunction inside the charging station, not with A2Z EV's adapter were consistent with the technical findings provided in our report.
The event began with a malfunction inside the commercial DC fast charger within the charging station. According to TSBC’s official report, the charger within the charging station experienced an internal short circuit that allowed voltage to appear on the protective-earth (ground) circuit. This extremely rare and abnormal condition travelled through the charger cable within the charging station into the connected adapter, which led to an arc-flash during the startup sequence.
In a normal EV charging setup, no current should flow continuously through the ground conductor — it exists only as a safety path in case of a fault. In the Hope incident, the charger within the charging station developed an internal short that energized this ground line, allowing continuous current to flow where none should. This abnormal condition caused heat buildup and an eventual arc-flash. The adapter simply became part of the fault path; it did not cause or sustain the current. Under safety standards, the charging station should have instantly detected and interrupted that fault.
Link to the report made by TSBC : II-1748998-2024_(_50512).pdf
All diagnostic data and event logs used in our analysis were provided directly by the charging-station manufacturer. These logs confirmed multiple insulation-monitoring warnings before the event, showing that the charging station had an existing ground-fault condition that was not cleared in time.
Our own inspection found no manufacturing or insulation defect in the connected A2Z EV adapter. The damage observed was consistent with exposure to an external ground fault originating from the charging station. The adapter became a secondary path for current once the charger’s internal fault energized the ground circuit.
Under normal operating conditions, this event would never have occurred.
It is our understanding the charging-station operator has since conducted a review of its systems and made internal adjustments aimed at preventing similar occurrences.
At the time of this event, there was no certification framework for EV charging adapters in North America. The new UL 2252 / SAE J3400-1 standard now provides those requirements, and A2Z EV has already initiated and obtained certification of the majority of its North-American adapters.
Looking Ahead
We recognize that EV charging is a rapidly evolving field where interoperability between multiple systems—vehicles, adapters, and charging stations—is critical. We will continue to collaborate with regulators, charging network operators, and automakers to ensure customers have access to safe, compliant, and reliable charging solutions.
A2Z EV stands by the integrity of its testing programs and product safety, and we will remain transparent with our customers, partners, and regulators as we work together to build a stronger and safer EV charging ecosystem.
- A2Z EV