The Weekly 1.21⚡(EVI News #16): Reliability On the Up. 500 Fresh L2 Ports for Vancouver. Largest DCFC Hub in New England Opens.

Good day, fellow eyeballer of charge amperage 📊👀

With a tumultuous first quarter in the rearview mirror, assessments of Q1 2025 are starting to appear and the EV sector is no exception...

Check out the latest reports from Paren and EVPower Insights for deep dives into what’s happening in our industry.

Okay, let’s plug into another week of EVI developments ⤵️

📢 US Charging Reliability On the Up (and NEVI Leads the Way)

News - Anecdotal evidence of higher quality hardware and CPO focus improving charging experiences is now backed by data, supporting what seasoned EV drivers have reported throughout 2024: fast charging in North America is getting better and busier.

Numbers - In Q1 2025, Paren’s US Reliability Index recorded notable improvements over the previous quarter. The first quarter of 2025 ticked up to 82.6, for an increase of 1.4 points (1.7%) over Q4 2024. By comparison, sites funded by the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program regularly posted 90+ scores in Paren’s index.

Nuance - Federally-funded sites led the way by outperforming non-NEVI stations to the tune of 7 points in recent weeks, a gap that Paren’s Chief Analyst Loren McDonald describes as “the closest the two have been to date.” While early and vocal customer complaints clearly pushed the industry to align on a single connector type and public access, reliability requirements set by the NEVI program have focused the sector on improving uptime and streamlining the wider charging experience for EV drivers.

Next Up - From network growth and power levels to utilization and NACS adoption, there’s plenty more to dive into in the full Q1 US Fast Charging Industry Report. On the NEVI side, it remains to be seen whether the relative reliability of stations tied to federal funding and the emerging geographical DCFC divide in more remote areas of the US will be enough to rekindle what remains of the program.

🔍 Charging Vendor Spotlight: ChargeSmart EV

News - Upstate New York-based ChargeSmart EV has been on a relentless march to add AC charging across its home state, while DCFC plans are also starting to take shape in the Northeast, Midwest, and Florida.

Numbers - 226 fast charging ports at 53 stations in seven states. However, we would be doing them a disservice by not also mentioning ChargeSmart’s impressive L2 installations in New York. These efforts have covered the company’s home state in destination charging, as we highlighted way back in edition 4, with more than 150+ such stations.

Nuance - No single site defines ChargeSmart EV’s build out, but the continuous stream of new stations shared every week on the company’s LinkedIn page has a couple of commonalities: hotels and home territory. ChargeSmart’s client list reads like an Expedia search results page. If you travel across New York state this summer and want to find overnight juice for your EV, I’d be amazed if they didn’t show up in your itinerary.

Next Up - Coming soon sites are, unsurprisingly, heavily concentrated in New York. However, signs of expansion in Massachusetts are also present. ChargeSmart’s wider network of DC fast charging at auto dealerships and hospitality locations could also open up opportunities to build a larger footprint across the Midwest and mid-Atlantic.

🔌 AC/DC: HyperCharge Plans Hundreds of L2 Ports at Vancouver’s Oakridge Park

News: An enormous mixed-use property development in Vancouver, BC, will deploy 500 level 2 chargers for residents, visitors, and employees.

Numbers: The 28-acre project will combine 3,000 residences and 700,000 sq-ft of office space, with a total of 6,000 parking spaces across the development. This works out as 8.3% of the planned parking set to offer the option of destination charging.

Nuance: Hypercharge will supply AC chargers to the development but they won’t all be the same hardware. Two-thirds will be wall-mounted chargers, while the remainder will use overhead cables to conserve space in more densely packed parking areas.

Next Up: Charging hardware arrived this month and will be gradually installed throughout 2025 by co-developers QuadReal Property Group and Westbank Corp.

🛣️ On the Road: This Week in DCFC

News - More steady progress as Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) additions go, with Canada still limited to a handful of entries but openings from several major vendors in the United States, including New England’s largest non-Tesla charging station to date.

Numbers - 248 fast charging ports at 60 charging stations added to AFDC listings this week. These additions also pushed the database past the milestone of 15,000 fast charging stations across the United States and Canada.

Notable Stations + Additions to AFDC:

✈️ Boston Logan isn’t synonymous with excellent EV charging, but a new bp pulse station just north of the city’s airport aims to change that. The first of many Gigahubs serving major US metro areas opened this week, boasting 20 charging stalls and up to 400kW of power from Alpitronic Hyperchargers and lower-powered Tritium PKM 150s. First impressions and coverage of the launch event via my video visit below.

🔴 Tesla continued a strong opening record in April with new Superchargers in five states - HI, CA, FL, OH, and PA - this week. The pick of the bunch is Findlay, OH, which builds on an older eight stall V3 site with 12 more V4 stalls, building on DCFC options either side of the Ohio town, which also has Pilot-Flying J NEVI sites to the north and south.

⚡Among the Superchargers activated, a new NEVI-funded site in New Castle, PA provides a handy bridge for EV drivers on I-376, connecting Pittsburgh to I-80 in the far west of the state. This is Pennsylvania’s 12th NEVI station energized and Tesla’s 11th.

🔷Nova Scotia Power continued its march to opening 15 new DCFC sites this year, with the utility’s latest 180kW site in Windsor, NS now open. Three subsequent locations in Millbrook, Sherbrooke, and Whycocomagh are expected in time for summer travel.

⭐New England’s Nouria added another two locations to its growing list of fueling stations equipped with the ADS-TEC ChargeBox system, as sites in Raynham and Milford, MA were energized this week. For anyone monitoring the brand’s station in Bridgton, ME, four ports now appear for the location listing which should mean it’s all set to meet NEVI requirements… watch for a site visit soon!

🟢 Electrify America celebrated four new stations this week, two of which were at Simon Properties Premium Outlets in Texas. Another in Chambersburg, PA adds redundancy to an area that recently received a NEVI-funded station. The fourth, in Orem, UT, is another of the many sites that EA has worked on as commercial partner for Rocky Mountain Power.

✅ Another two iONNA stations showed up this week, with additions in Wilcox, AZ and Corsicana, TX popping 20 more stalls into AFDC listings.

🔶Rivian ripped through another batch of gen. 1 site upgrades, making them accessible to all EVs capable of CCS1 charging. Existing locations in seven states now have the taller dispensers with longer cables, including multiple sites in Ohio and Maryland.

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.

🤖Technology: Tapping AI to Enhance EV Charging

News: Rising charging vendor Electric Era unveiled its new “Retailer AI” platform, which aims to deliver personalized charging assistance and retail engagement to sites that deploy the company’s charging systems.

Numbers: At the time of writing, Electric Era reports 17,272 charging sessions started and 559.3 MWh of energy delivered. Charging data is tracked in real time via the company’s Command Console, which is the technology informing the voice-activated AI assistant that will engage with EV drivers to deliver session info, offer advice, and answer questions.

Nuance: Electric Era has deep roots in fueling retail. One of the company’s earliest installations occurred at Plaid Pantry, a well-known C-store chain in the Pacific Northwest. Given its potential to influence customer behavior, the system’s promise expands beyond gas stations to grocery store chains, big box retailers, and hospitality/tourism applications.

Next Up: In the company’s video demonstration of the new platform, VP of Software Engineering Sith Dharmasiri confirms that Retailer AI will debut at select locations across the Electric Era network.

💲DCFC Pricing: Welcome Rates Can’t Offset Incremental Increases in April

News: Average prices for DC fast charging are creeping up again in our mid-April index, as incremental increases at a handful of vendors prove stronger than the trend towards welcome/launch pricing from newer players in the US fast charging space .

Numbers: The average of DCFC across the United States ticked up by one cent in April, back to $0.53/kWh after experiencing downward pressure from new players in March. Of the top 5 networks, EVgo remains the most expensive with an average of $0.60 per kWh (non-member rates). At an average of $0.49 per kWh even without membership, Tesla Superchargers offer the best value for a nationwide network.

Nuance: Increases at sites in California pushed the average for the West Coast region up to $0.56/kWh, a full two cents more than the next most expensive region, the Northeast. The Southeast remains the only region to post average pricing below the 50 cents mark, with average rates at $0.49/kWh in the most affordable area for DC fast charging.

Next Up: Welcome pricing and intro rates won’t last forever, but where will pricing settle for well-backed charging vendors looking to stake a claim in the DCFC market? With the travel season approaching, watch for some vendors to slip back to higher pricing and others to continue experimentation with launch rates, time-of-use pricing, and discounts linked to either membership or retail purchases, where adjacent businesses exist.

✒️ Policy: Chicago Moves on EV Infrastructure

News - The Chicago DoT shared its inaugural eMobility plan, Chicago Moves Electric, which is intended to provide a framework for electrification of various transport modes across the city.

Numbers - In terms of EV charging, the plan highlights an aim to deploy 2,500+ new charging stations over the next 10 years, which is approximately 3x what Chicago has in place today.

Nuance - CDoT highlights in the draft plan that neighborhoods on the south and west sides of the city suffer from disproportionate levels of air pollution, primarily from transportation emissions. The plan sees ZEV adoption and supporting infrastructure as a key piece of enhancing air quality and improving health outcomes for Chicago residents, particularly in these overburdened parts of the city.

Next Up - The plan also seeks zero-emission rideshare offerings only by 2030, as well as full electrification of city fleet vehicles by 2035. A period of public feedback is open until May 18th, 2025, after which CDoT will incorporate feedback from residents and stakeholders to refine and create a final version of the plan.

🚛 Fleet Focus: Greenlane Opens Colton Charging Hub

News - Greenlane Infrastructure confirmed the successful launch of its flagship commercial EV charging hub in Colton, CA.

Numbers - 41 charging bays, 12 of which are pull-through with Alpitronic Hyperchargers that deliver up to 400kW. Colton is also engineered with precast cable trenching for future equipment expansion and potential upgrades to megawatt charging.

Nuance - Think of Greenlane’s Colton hub as the ROVE of commercial fleet EV charging. This location provides lounge and refreshment facilities, on-site attendants, and 24/7 support for drivers. Overnight parking is available and office space can be leased, emphasizing the commercial leanings of the location, which sits at the intersection of I-215 and I-10, east of Los Angeles.

Next Up - Californian fleet charging stations in Long Beach, Barstow, and Baker are all slated next for Greenlane’s planned electric trucking corridor between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, NV. Expect to get more details about the company’s plans for electric fleet infrastructure expansion at ACT Expo this week.

🎧 For Your Listening Pleasure

In every edition, we recommend one of the best listens on electrification, energy, or something similarly EV-related. This week successfully marries batteries and EV maintenance, with two episodes of the I Like Batteries podcast:

🎧ILB Conversation with EV Tech Matt Lamontagne - Part 1 / Part 2 🔋

In these episodes, co-hosts Jeff Lynch and Mike Muldoon talk to independent EV technician Matt Lamontagne of Leo & Sons Auto Repair. The conversation ranges from specific models and common repair questions about electric vehicles, with a focus on the support Matt provides to owners who haven’t found the answers they need at traditional dealer service centers.

🔋💯Topping Off…

Here are a few additional items we couldn’t squeeze into other sections or have covered to some degree in earlier editions:

it’s electric celebrated its first L2 charging installation in San Francisco

LG Electronics dissolves EV charging business amid high competition/focus on core tech

Electrify America sues trio of cable thieves in Washington state

That’s another week of North American EV infrastructure developments in the bag.

Remember we’ll be talking to Andrew Cornelia of Mercedes-Benz High Power Charging this week. Hit reply if you’ve used the growing network or have questions about its plans for the future.

See you next week and remember, fueling isn’t a hassle if it happens while you’re asleep💤⚡

Cheers,

Steve / Plug & Play EV

🔔 Essential EV Follow - Loren McDonald