Even more than before, I think that Ontario should have handed the bulk of ChaDeMo installations to Flo Network or Circuit Électrique rather than fund the KSI mess. Previous experience matters.
You've got the responsibilities of parties involved confused. It's a common thing I've noticed in the critiques of KSI.
FLO doesn't install their own fast charging stations, AFAIK. This is still up to various contractors, municipalities, businesses, etc, to fund and locate these stations. FLO operates the internet infrastructure payment network, customer support services, etc.
AddEnergie manufacturers the stations, and when you buy a station from them, there's a mandatory 5 year Global management service which encompasses the payment network (FLO or branded otherwise), and mandatory prepaid maintenance fees for 5 years. FLO and AddEnergie are effectively the same company (who knows to what degree that is the case, but they seem attached at the hip) and FLO seems to be one example of their white label management service offering. NB Power's eCharge network would be another example.
"Going with KSI" is akin to saying "going with general contractor X" for FLO stations. KSI, opaquely, seems to operate myEVRoute payment and support network but I don't know for sure. It would be fair to say myEVRoute as a payment/support network has been bad but many other criticisms should land upon the hosts who haven't allocated enough electrical capacity to allow these stations to operate at full power, are charging too much for what they are offering. Criticisms about hardware working poorly belong with ChargePoint, as the supplier of the hardware.
What you are correct in saying is that "experience matters" in terms of being a network operator. FLO charges a premium for this -- $750 per fast charging station per year, mandatory 5 year pre-paid subscription. Maintenance fees are $750 per station per year again. (all figures here are from a year-old quote from AddEnergie). I suspect this was not something KSI was willing to play along with, figuring they could do it for cheaper. They were probably right. I'm not convinced AddEnergie has taken enough measures to drive the price of their products or services down. Unfortunately the end result for us now is lacklustre customer service from myEVroute, but I think the province would have had a very difficult time mandating one provider over another given the costs involved.
