The Weekly 1.21⚡(EVI News #12): Optimism at EVCS. EA's NACS Experiment. Supercharger Price Shifts.

Good day, fellow electron aficionado ⚡💡

If you attended the EV Charging Summit & Expo (EVCS) in Las Vegas this week, you likely left with renewed optimism, something shaken during the first few months of the year. Seeing one segment of the industry gather to speak consistently about expansion will have that effect.

The overriding sentiment, which I’ve been reiterating since November, is that the EV horse has already bolted. Both around the world and in North America, attempting to close the stable door now does little to stop the industry’s momentum.

That said, let’s plug into another week of rejuvenating EVI news ⤵️

📢 EVCS 2025 Exemplifies Industry Momentum

News - The EV Charging Summit & Expo in Las Vegas, NV brought together a wide range of software, hardware, and charging-adjacent vendors to discuss challenges and opportunities across the charging sector.

Numbers - On the educational side, 220 speakers across 65 sessions in three days covered almost everything attendees could want to know about development in the EV charging sector. On the show floor, more than 200 exhibitors engaged with thousands of attendees, including prominent charging operators, industry associations, and EV media.

Nuance - The notion that electric vehicles and infrastructure will be upended by a more adversarial political environment was firmly rebuked by almost everyone we heard from at the EV Charging Summit & Expo. The event has grown significantly and everyone from panelists to exhibitors and media analysts seemed to agree that a combination of positive outlook and practical approaches to addressing industry challenges show the sector in its most promising light for years.

Next Up - Coverage from the event has already started to flow, such as Tom Molougney’s interviews with EVIQO, Pando Electric, and several other EV charging products that caught his expert eye. We’ll keep an eye on EVCS content over the next seven days and bring you the best of the rest in edition 13 next week.

🔍 Charging Vendor Spotlight: On the Run

News - The brand On the Run operates in countries around the globe, but it’s the Parkland-owned segment in Canada that we’ll focus on in this spotlight. There, the brand has energized tens of charging stations in high-adoption EV markets like British Columbia.

Numbers - 216 ports at 57 DC charging stations, located across three Canadian provinces. Most stations are dual connector CCS1/CHAdeMO, topping out at 200kW for CCS-equipped vehicles. No NACS/J3400 handles deployed to date.

Nuance - On the Run operates EV charging in very defined regions, principally serving provinces with high electric vehicle adoption like BC and Ontario. Its initial deployment of battery-integrated hardware from Freewire Technologies hit a bump when the manufacturer ceased operations in May 2024. The network has continued to serve customers, however, and at EVCS VP of Operations Scott Sharabura confirmed plans for expansion, with 400kW hardware to be deployed at select sites this year.

Next Up - What is currently a small presence in eastern Canada, comprising four stations in Ontario, could quickly stretch from Quebec to the border with Michigan if On the Run meets its planned expansion of new stations. More than 100 “future charging stations” are mapped out by On the Run, all of which currently list target openings in 2025.

🔌 AC/DC: 3V Infrastructure to Catalyze MFD Charging Options at Bridge Investment Properties

News: NYC-based 3V Infrastructure will work with Bridge Investment Group to bring L2 charging to multi-family properties in the group's portfolio.

Numbers: Almost 100 properties under Bridge’s management across 17 states will deploy AC charging options for residents and visitors, using 3V’s service offering to deliver charging solutions at no upfront cost to the property owners.

Nuance: Energy services firm SitelogIQ will also be involved in the partnership, managing the engineering, procurement, and construction aspects of deploying AC charging solutions across a wide range of sites.

Next Up: If multi-family dwelling charging infrastucture is your end of the EV market, see our “Webinar of the Week” section to sign up for 3V Infrastructure’s info session with the Zero Emission Transportation Association’s Corey Cantor on Friday April 4th.

🛣️ On the Road: This Week in DCFC

News - Additions to the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) picked up the pace last week, with some notable names and locations and a promising range of states and provinces seeing new or upgraded fast charging stations.

Numbers - 268 fast charging ports at 74 charging stations, added to AFDC listings this week across the United States and Canada.

Notable Locations Added to AFDC:

🔷 Revel’s march into urban EV charging switched cities this week, with the addition of 12 new 320kW Kempower satellites in San Francisco, CA. The Mission Hill district site is also the company’s first on the West Coast, with four more in the works around the city and more planned in L.A. Video from the ribbon cutting ceremony courtesy of KRON4 here.

🟦 We keep returning to British Columbia for DCFC action and the province didn’t disappoint this week, with two new BC Hydro locations in Abbotsford (ICBC) and Gibsons (Community Center) and FLO adding a new station in Squamish. The BC Hydro sites also feature five L2 ports each, which always earns bonus points in our book.

⚡An Electrify America site awaiting upgraded hardware in Orlando, FL garnered more attention than most this week, as instead of the expected single connector, 350kW gen. 4 EA hardware that we’re now used to seeing, the company instead deployed 400kW Alpitronic Hyperchargers. The units include four connectors, two of which are J3400/NACS handles, meaning that almost any EV will be able to charge at these stations without an adapter. The pilot sites in Orlando and Waterford, CT will likely set the stage for a wider expansion of the new connector type at Electrify America locations nationwide. Coverage from Orlando via The Arkansas eTraveler channel here.

🟢 In more predictable Electrify America news, 10 dispensers from the network’s current generation of hardware were added at Costco in Napa, CA. As with other EA stations at the retailer, Costco sets the pricing at this site and this station comes in 12.5% cheaper than the nearby EA location at Napa Premium Outlets, at $0.49 per kWh.

🔶Rivian continues the gradual opening of its Adventure Network, with existing stations in Whittier, NC, Greenville, SC, and Atlanta and Macon in Georgia all now available to owners of non-Rivian models. More than 20 RAN sites are now public stations, but recent price hikes across the network are making observers question how compelling the newly opened stations will be compared to nearby DCFC alternatives (example in video below).

📍 A flurry of activity from Pilot-Flying J’s consistently expanding network saw six openings across five states this week, with familiar four-stall/two-dispenser deployments in Texas, Alabama, Illinois, and South Carolina. The missing state there is North Carolina, which adds a 100kW Delta dispenser to the usual 2 × 350kW units. This is believed to be due to a state quirk related to Volkswagen Dieselgate funding, which still requires a CHAdeMO connector to qualify for NC funds from that settlement. LEAF and Outlander PHEV owners in NC, rejoice🎉 .

⭐ Francis Energy continued its streak of new NEVI activations, this time in Texas with two new SK Signet 400kW dispensers equipped with four ports in total. At just 26 days turnaround, the station in Plainview, TX is the quickest build under the NEVI program to date, based on the state’s documented construction start date of March 1st, 2025. Watch Electric Era builds in Delaware, however, to see how long that record lasts… ⚡👀

To see how and where the leading charging vendors are expanding, check out The Network Architect Channel on YouTube for DCFC updates like this one.

💲DCFC Pricing: Supercharger Rate Shifts

News: A period of relatively low volatility ended this week, as Tesla applied new pricing at many of its Supercharger locations. We’ve logged changes at 79% of the Tesla charging sites monitored in Plug & Play EV’s US DCFC Pricing Index since last week’s update, indicating that adjustments occurred nationwide.

Numbers: Prices increased at 33% of the Superchargers in our index, while decreases were logged at 46% of Tesla sites. Shifts were mostly in the range of one to four cents per kWh in either direction, indicating tweaks rather than sweeping cuts or price hikes. However, individual Supercharger locations in California registered increases as high as $0.16/kWh more, while a couple of East Coast sites logged cuts of $0.07/kWh.

Nuance: The ROVE charging hub in Santa Ana, CA is always an interesting spot to revisit for pricing, as it hosts both Tesla Superchargers and third-party vendor DCFC options. ROVE recently slashed prices to $0.48/kWh across the board, while Tesla still sets the pricing at Superchargers. The latter increased by $0.04/kWh (peak) and $0.10 (off-peak) for non-members, making Superchargers now 14% more expensive than ROVE during the day for visitors who don’t own a Tesla or pay for the company’s membership plan.

Next Up: Tesla tends to remain stable after network-wide price adjustments, so it’s over to individual charging vendors to revisit pricing and make changes according to what’s happening in their respective operational areas. At EVCS 2025, Stable Auto CEO Rohan Puri advocated for more dynamic pricing models, rather than the relatively lethargic pricing strategies some major charging vendors have adopted in North America.

✒️ Policy: Quebec Revives Roulez Vert EV Incentives

News - Quebec’s "Roulez Vert" (Drive Green) rebates for zero-emission vehicles will be reinstated next month, after the provincial government agreed its 2025-2026 budget. The program was previously paused after funding ran out in February.

Numbers - Up to $4,000 (CAD) for customers buying a new battery-electric vehicle or $2,000 (CAD) for buyers considering a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The program also includes incentives for used BEVS up to $2,000 (CAD) and used electric motorbikes to $1,000 (CAD).

Nuance - As with states stepping in where federal programs falter in the US, Canada’s EV-friendly provinces are rising to the challenge of catalyzing adoption. The federal government of Canada suspended its zero-emission vehicle incentive (iZEV) program at the start of 2025 and currently has more pressing matters to deal with, as elections and expanding tariffs take their toll on the national economic outlook.

Next Up - As well as incentives, the budgeting makes provisions for the displacement of road and transportation funding that switching to an EV brings. From 2027, Quebec will implement a yearly registration fee of $125 for BEV owners and $62.50 for plug-in hybrid drivers to offset those losses. No-cost access to toll-based infrastructure like ferries and bridges in Quebec will also end for EV drivers in 2027. Taken together, these moves could recoup $75 million for wider transport infrastructure by 2030.

🚛 Fleet Focus: EV Realty Partners with CALSTART

News - Fleet electrification platform EV Realty announced a partnership with industry group CALSTART. EV Realty's solution combines charging resources across different fleets, making high-power charging more accessible for vehicles from delivery vans to semis (Class 2b through Class 8). The partnership aims to optimize these resources through CALSTART’s industry connections and potentially reduce costs for EV fleet operators.

Numbers - CALSTART brings to the table its 285 members and the major programs it manages for the State of California, which include more than $1 billion in vehicle incentive and technical assistance programs across the United States.

Nuance - With aggressive fleet electrification goals in California, shared charging infrastructure offers a path to offset the significant upfront costs of deploying systems to keep fleet EVs on the road, making money for their owners. EV Realty’s platform sharing grid-advantaged locations and development readiness will align with CALSTART’s member data on transition and charging trends. Ultimately, the goals of catalyzing fleet electrification and increasing charger utilization to increase revenue and bring down costs are brought a step closer with partnerships like this.

Next Up - Look for the integration of CALSTART members into EV Realty’s growing infrastructure portfolio, including the charging locations and related assets the company recently acquired from electric fleet operator Gage Zero.

🎧 For Your Listening Pleasure

In every edition, we recommend one of the best listens on electrification, energy, or something similarly EV-related. To most people, Mercedes-Benz means quality. Does that extend to EV charging?

🎧MB-HPC CEO Andrew Cornelia talks fast charging fixes with Plugged-In🚘

In this edition of the Inside EVs Plugged-In Podcast, the team talks to MB High Power Charging’s CEO, Andrew Cornelia, to cover how the network aims to elevate a fast charging landscape that has been notoriously lacking in North America.

💻 WoW - Webinar of the Week

As EV adoption grows, more and more owners face charging challenges because they live in locations with limited or no home charging options. How can we change that?

💻EV Adoption Trends + Multi-Family Dwelling Charging Implications 🔌

In this webinar on Friday April 4th, 2025 at 1PM (Eastern), ZETA’s Research Director Corey Cantor joins Aubrey Gunnels, CEO of 3V Infrastructure, to dissect the current state of electric vehicle adoption in North America and how these trends are influencing charging options at multi-family properties.

Register here for their latest analysis and takeaways.

That’s a wrap on North American EV infrastructure for another week.

The goal is to improve this digest with every edition, so hit reply with your suggestions for new areas to cover (or the things you don’t need to see!)

And remember, there’s always another EV charging app to download… 📲😩

Cheers,

Steve / Plug & Play EV

🔔 Essential EV Follow - Anup Parikh