Electrify America has reached an important new milestone: it has opened its 500th electric car fast-charging station in the US.
More are coming.
Electrify America was born out of the settlement deal between the EPA and Volkswagen over the Dieselgate standard.
They thought that instead of just having them pay a fine, they should force them to build a fast-charging network to support new electric cars coming to the US.
A few years later, it has grown to be one of the largest charging networks and the main charging partner for most new EVs coming to market in America.
Today, the company announced that it has now more than 500 charging stations in operation:
Electrify America announced it has opened more than 500 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the U.S., surpassing a significant milestone in the company’s expansion. With more than 2,200 individual DC fast chargers nationwide, Electrify America is delivering on its commitment to make EV ownership more convenient than ever.
Giovanni Palazzo, president and chief executive officer of Electrify America, commented on the announcement:
“Electrify America is raising the bar when it comes to the high speed charging experience needed to expedite the transition to an electric future. In just over two years, we’ve made great progress in expanding our network while maintaining a deliberate focus on delivering the fastest charging speeds possible – 150kW and 350kW. We are confident that reduced charging times and increased charger availability will help Electrify America, and the industry as a whole, deliver the future-proof charging experience that customers deserve.”
Along with the announcement of the milestone today, Electrify America has also announced that it will install solar-powered canopies to select locations.
It will protect cars from the elements while delivering solar power.
Furthermore, we previously reported that the charging network is installing Tesla Powerpacks at some of its charging stations.
In September, we reported that Tesla Powerpacks batteries were already deployed at ~60 Electrify America charging stations and now the company expects the number to reach more than 125 stations by the end of next year.
Also by the end of 2021, Electrify America plans to “install or have under development approximately 800 total charging stations with about 3,500 DC fast chargers.”
Electrek’s Take
This is impressive.
Considering the first station went online in 2018, Electrify America has been opening new stations at an average rate of nearly four stations per week.
Now what I’d like to see is more charging points per station.
Many automakers are partnering with Electrify America to provide fast-charging for their new electric vehicles in order to compete with Tesla and its Supercharger network.
Right now, usage is still low, but I could see a problem with traffic in the coming years if the capacity per station doesn’t increase.
What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
