Just like gas pumps and grocery store scales, electric vehicle charging stations across Santa Barbara County are regularly inspected to make sure consumers get what they pay for.
Cody Leeds, an inspector for Santa Barbara County's Department of Weights and Measures, spends his days testing the accuracy of EV charging stations across the county.
"We're making sure that it's type-approved, a safe device installed so that we can actually prevent fraud," Leeds said.
There are approximately 300 EV chargers across the county. Leeds checks their accuracy by plugging the connector into a mobile metering system that measures the output of energy.
"And energy is coming through!" Leeds said during a recent inspection.
The Department of Weights and Measures doesn't just monitor EV fueling stations. The agency also oversees gas pumps and scales at grocery stores to protect consumers.
"Every single item that's on the shelf that's priced goes through a scanner scale," said Inspector Scott Perkins. "So that when you spend your hard-earned money on something, you're getting what you pay for."
Most scales are checked annually, but EV chargers are inspected every two years because of their high accuracy, according to the department. When problems are found, they're rarely the result of intentional fraud.
"Very, very, very rarely do we see fraud on a device that fails. Mostly, if something fails, it's due to ignorance or lack of maintenance," Perkins said.
Consumers can verify if a device has been inspected and approved by looking for the county's seal and date of inspection on the equipment.
