NAmEVI News #4: A DCFC Giant Awakens. Electrifying NY Accommodation. NEVI in New Mexico.

Good day, fellow watcher of winter range❄️ 📊

As we bid adieu to January, we’ve reached the fourth edition of our weekly EVI update. Things will look a little different throughout February, with fresh features and a permanent name gradually introduced. If you find this digest useful, share it with a colleague or another EV enthusiast to spread the word.

For now, it’s been another busy week for EV infrastructure so let’s dive in… ⤵️

Walmart’s Looming DCFC Network Adds Alpitronic

News - Walmart’s in-house DCFC project is stirring, with at least four locations showing signs of activity in January and 400kW Alpitronic Hyperchargers spotted on-site.

Numbers - More than 250 Walmarts already host Electrify America DCFC stations, but this project is a different beast altogether. In a 2023 press release, the retail giant promised high-powered fast charging at thousands of Walmart and Sam’s Club stores across the country. Now, that project appears to be gathering pace at sites in Texas.

Nuance - Early Walmart Charging test sites in Arkansas and Texas featured ChargePoint DC dispensers, including the CPE250 and higher-powered ChargePoint Express product. Deploying Alpitronic hardware represents a familiar shift, as the Mercedes-Benz HPC network followed much the same path.

Next Up - Walmarts #1117, #2105, #2973, and #5673 in the eastern Dallas Metroplex are the early sites to watch, according to reporting from The Arkansas eTraveler channel, which specializes in coverage of all things Walmart charging and regional EV coverage in the mid-South. Give them a follow to stay updated on this major DCFC project.

Charging Vendor Spotlight: bp pulse

News - Global fueling giant BP is expanding its EV charging brand, bp pulse, in the North American market. Charging hubs near airports/metro areas and travel centers on major highway corridors will be a primary focus.

Numbers - 36 stations currently listed across 12 states. Pricing set between $0.48 to $0.54 per kWh, with an average of $0.49 per kWh.

Nuance - BP has a compelling set of brands to serve EV drivers, from smaller form convenience store chains such as Thornton’s (Midwest) and ARCO (predominantly West Coast) to larger TravelCenters of America (nationwide) sites. Adding high-capacity Gigahubs to serve metropolitan areas and airport traffic gives bp pulse a wide remit to serve different segments of EV drivers.

Next Up - NEVI site awards in nine states put 30+ new stations on the map for various brands under the bp umbrella, including TravelCenters of America and Thornton’s fueling stations. Activations at major airports including Logan in Boston, MA and Dulles in Virginia are expected by spring 2025.

AC/DC: ChargeSmart Electrifies NY Overnight Charging

News: A New York-based charging vendor is quietly solving the destination charging challenge for EV travelers in the Northeast, with the widespread deployment of powerful AC charging at hotels across its home state and, soon, neighboring states.

Numbers: Plugshare shows more than 70 ChargeSmart EV locations with destination charging at sites with accommodation across upstate New York. In many cases, the site features AC charging up to 19.2kW, which is a major boost for models with large battery packs like trucks or three-row SUVs.

Nuance: Hospitality seems to be the main driver of installations entering 2025 and it’s easy to see why. As sales increase and DC fast charging prices rise, EV drivers are crying out for more destination charging options to supplement their travel charging and take advantage of overnight stays. Starting the day with 100% SOC is always a win.

Next Up: The ChargeSmart station map has an intriguing mix of additional AC installations at New York state hotels and DC fast charging deployments, located at both hotels and auto dealers. Watch for increased integration of both AC and DC charging at this kind of site host as the company expands into neighboring states.

On the Road: This Week in DCFC

News - Activations picked up as expected this week, with a new NEVI state on the map, BC Hydro busy, and West Virginia finally adding fast charging at two key locations.

Numbers - 79 new fast charging stations across the United States and Canada were added to AFDC listings since our last edition, picking up the pace to levels seen in previous weeks. The 14,304 North American station count at the end of January represents a 6.5% increase over the count at the end of 2024.

Notable Locations Added to AFDC:

🪫Wild, wonderful, and woefully short of fast chargers no longer, as West Virginia lights up two travel plazas with EV charging strips. The fully renovated plazas off I-64 and I-77 open up the south of the state to EV drivers with new Velion chargers from Lincoln Electric, delivered by DC America. The companies are based out of Ohio and West Virginia, respectively, demonstrating the value of DCFC initiatives to regional companies.

 🔵 BC Hydro added new stations in Surrey, BC, adding seven new dispensers capable of up to 180kW at two sites serving the Metro Vancouver region.

⚡ The first NEVI site is New Mexico was energized… and it wasn’t the Supercharger that everyone had been eyeballing in Lordsburg, NM. Instead, newcomer Electric Era lit up a station in Akela Flats to beat out Tesla Charging. From shovels to sessions in less than two months? This is what we like to see!

🔴 Tesla was unusually quiet this week, with no new Supercharger adds, but its connector type is starting to become a common sight at third-party locations. Stations from BC Hydro, Circle K, and DC America all deployed NACS/J3400 handles at their new sites.

🦫 Mercedes-Benz added a new pin to its HPC network map with another location at Buc-ee’s in Kodak, TN. Five Alpitronic dispensers serving 10 stalls adds another option for drivers on I-40, with access to Great Smoky National Park just 25 miles to the south.

🔵 Although the bp pulse Gigahub in Jacksonville, FL has been charging EVs for a month, its ribbon cutting was notable, with several EV advocates covering the event. As noted in our vendor spotlight above, the brand expects to energize tens of similar sites this year.

🟢 The New York Power Authority team behind EVolve NY keeps on trucking, with two new NEVI-funded site added this week. Katonah and Saugerties are the latest additions, serving drivers on I-87 and bolstering the state’s first NEVI site in Kingston, which is less than 12 miles from Saugerties but is one of the most heavily-used NEVI stations.

For a neat weekly digest of new fast-charging locations added to the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC), subscribe to The Network Architect Channel on YouTube for DCFC updates like this one.

Pricing

Charging prices held the familiar $0.53 per kWh average, but that stability belies pricing tweaks from individual vendors. Price cuts from Tesla were the driving factor behind volatility of 25% in our US DCFC Pricing Index*, but the January changes are spread across 11 different vendors, with Francis, EVgo, EVCS, and Tesla most active with adjustments.

Across a representative sample of almost 300 sites covering every state, we logged 47 pricing changes from December to January. 38% of those changes were down, 62% were price increases, averaging a shift of +$0.02 per kWh across the index.

Which charging vendors active in multiple states represent the best/worst deals? 

This gets complicated by membership plans and time of use (TOU) pricing, but in terms of non-membership, “pull up and pay” public pricing, EVgo averages out as the most expensive, at $0.60 per kWh.

Circle K maintains its most affordable vendor status with an average of $0.45 per kWh, although FPL Evolution deserves a special mention for its rock-bottom pricing of $0.30 per kWh. Only open to EV drivers traveling in Florida, of course, but a good deal nonetheless, if you’re planning a trip to the Sunshine State.

Read our breakdown of January’s EVCPI here on Linkedin.

*Note: An index for Canadian stations is nearing completion and expansion of the U.S. pricing index is underway. Look for those to debut in a digest later this month.

Fleet Focus:

News - Fleet electrification firm 7Gen has acquired EnergizedAI, a data solution built to monitor fleet charging systems, enhance reporting, and decrease operating costs.

Numbers - EnergizedAI was awarded $150,000 in grant funding from the California Sustainable Energy Entrepreneur Development (CalSEED) program in 2023. The 7Gen acquisition underscores the significant progress made by the team over 18 months.

Nuance - Adam J. Mandel, founder of EnergizedAI, joins the 7Gen team as a senior product advisor, adding applied AI credentials to the operational expertise of the company’s existing team. Mandel also led the partnership between Rivian and Amazon, working on fleet vehicle automation systems.

Next Up -.EnergizedAI’s proprietary algorithms will be integrated into 7Gen’s existing suite of fleet management software, flagging opportunities to drive efficiency and help its electric fleet customers reduce operating costs and/or decrease emissions, depending on their business priorities.

For Your Listening Pleasure

Every week, we’ll recommend one of the best listens out there on electrification, energy, or something similarly EV-related. This week’s suggestion covers a wide range of EV topics, from EV history and evolving technology to the importance of efficiency.

🎧 Peter Rawlinson Talk Efficiency & Lucid’s EV Tech with Everything Electric 🔋

With Lucid attracting headlines for its fast charging capabilities and the Gravity model’s adoption of a native J3400 port, it’s valuable to hear from the CEO that improving efficiency is at the core of the company’s mission, with 6 miles per kWh on the roadmap.

That’s a wrap for another week and we’re officially one month old…how is this thing going? Gently tap reply to send thoughts/suggestions/critiques my way.

And remember, it’s not range anxiety unless your battery pack has no “secret” buffer 🪫

Cheers,

Steve

Essential EV Follow - Corey Cantor