The Weekly 1.21⚡(EVI News #26): The Boom & Bust of US EV Incentives. Summer Spike for DCFC Prices. NEVI Funding Thaw.

Good day, fellow all-electric road tripper 🛣️⚡

We hit the highway this week and summer travel is starting to stretch schedules, so please excuse areas that are briefer than usual… or, if that’s a good thing, let me know and I’ll keep it that way! Comments always appreciated, so get in touch with your thoughts.

Even with a shorter work week, the past seven days has been anything but uneventful. Here’s a rundown of relevant EVI developments ⤵️

📢 Boom & Bust Federal Policy Shifts EV Focus Back to States

News - The passage of a signature budget reconciliation bill in Washington DC sets up a boom and bust scenario for US EV sales in the second half of 2025, with the transition period, state-level incentive surges, and shifts in charging infrastructure programs the next areas to watch.

Numbers - $7,500 and $4,000. Those are the federal incentives for new and used electric vehicles, respectively, that will be killed after September 30th, 2025. This switches focus to the state level, where lawmakers can step in to ease the path for electric vehicles to reach cost parity with combustion models. Colorado, for example, offers a core $3,500 tax credit for new EVs purchases or leases, with a further $2,500 stackable if the vehicle’s MSRP is below $35,000. This could become a model for ZEV-friendly states seeking to fill the eventual gap left by nixed federal incentives.

Nuance - After a final spike, EV sales will undoubtedly take a hit in the near future, as consumers and automakers adjust their approach to pricing all-electric and hybrid models. Away from purchase incentives, programs with previously secured funding show signs of unlocking critical funds to continue initiatives like NEVI. With private investment ramping and the industry unifying around one connector type, watch for charging infrastructure to lead the positive side of EV headlines heading into 2026.

Next Up - With ZEV states likely to step in with increased or extended EV incentive programs, the stage is set for a patchwork expansion of both adoption and infrastructure in the United States. States that have been on a path to mainstream adoption of electric vehicles will continue that progress, while those with a regressive stance on transportation run the risk of being left behind. Charging infrastructure could be the exception, as funding freezes are challenged and ambitious new players with deep pockets are building out nationwide networks, but the gap in EV ownership between ZEV-friendly and ZEV-neutral to hostile states is about to get considerably wider.

🔍 Charging Vendor Spotlight: ZEF Energy

News - Minneapolis-based ZEF Energy operates a network of chargers primarily in the Great Lakes region, with a mixture of DCFC and level 2 charging for travel + local EV drivers.

Numbers - 207 DC fast charging ports at 92 locations in 14 states. Around half of those sites also offer AC charging, with just over 100 L2 ports at the network’s fast charging locations.

Nuance - Although approximately 80% of its fast charging network is located in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, ZEF bucks the label of “regional vendor” with DCFC stations as far-flung as New York, Texas, and Oregon.

Next Up - With only eight DCFC sites energized so far in 2025, ZEF Energy isn’t on a trajectory to become a national charging network just yet. Nonetheless, its stations are some of the only options in more remote parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Meanwhile, the company’s ongoing partnership with Kempower opens interest in new markets, such as the EPB Fast Charge site that opened in southern Tennessee this past spring.

🔌 AC/DC: Future Proofing Apartment Charging with Simple (Yet Smart) Outlets in California

News: The smart outlet revolution continues in California, as Pando Electric installs its Bring Your Own Cable (BYOC) charging solution at an apartment complex in East Palo Alto, future-proofing residential EV charging there for the foreseeable future.

Numbers: 92 Pando outlets that can deliver up to 9.6 kW of power are now available. Barely 10% of that number currently drive electric vehicles, but the primary barrier for EV ownership is now removed. Every Woodland Creek resident now has the option to buy a BEV or PHEV, if they wish, and will have a place to charge their vehicle.

Nuance: It's one thing to install destination charging for existing residents. Adding L2 charging for every potential future resident is quite another, demonstrating both the trajectory of EV ownership in ZEV-friendly states and the value of simpler AC charging solutions like Pando Electric's smart outlets.

Next Up: BYOC solutions have barely scratched the surface of their potential in North America. While they may not be the right fit for every property owner, the sheer scale of installations like this one at Woodland Creek shows how quickly a complex can go from uncompetitive on EVs to fully capable of providing charging for every resident.

🛣️ On the Road: This Week in DCFC

News - A fairly standard week in terms of activation numbers, but the players involved aren't all the usual suspects. Shell Recharge is the most notable among them, with significant new charging hubs in California putting the network on this week's map. Tesla had to one up everyone else, of course, with a remarkable new CA Supercharger that can be powered without the grid now semi-opened.

Numbers - 275 DC charging ports at 74 charging locations added to AFDC this week.

Notable New Stations + AFDC Additions:

🔴 After passing the 70,000 stall mark globally last week, including around 35,000 in the US and Canada, Tesla Charging confirmed 228 new stalls at 11 new Superchargers across the US. States and provinces energized this week are: CA, CO, FL, GA, MA, NJ, OK, PA, and TX. Eclipsing all of the others this week is the soft launch of the Lost Hills, CA hub, which features a massive 84 stalls, powered by 11MW of solar paired with 10 Tesla Megapacks. Even more impressive? This is only half of the planned site, with another 84 stalls and a driver lounge coming before the year is out… 🤯 More on this site soon.

🟡 Shell Recharge hubs in San Francisco and Torrance add 28 new DCFC ports this week, representing a solid 10% of new non-Tesla ports from just two locations. Again, expect greater coverage on these locations as the site reports start to roll in.

🍁 BC Hydro brings four new fast charging ports to North Vancouver, at a site that also adds six level 2 chargers, while on the other side of the country Quebec is the main province showing activity. There, five new DCFC ports from Circuit électrique and two more from ChargePoint make for new fast charging options in Saguenay and Montréal.

 🤠 A new Francis Energy station in Clyde, TX brings four new CCS1 and an equal number of NACS/J3400 ports to the stretch of I-20 between Abilene and D-FW. Despite the NEVI confusion prompted by January's change in administration, three more station activations that received federal funding are on deck to complete the wider route from D-FW to Odessa, TX by the end of the year.

⭐ iONNA opened its 17th and 18th locations, mixing new and established states in the process. White Bear Lake is home to Minnesota’s first Rechargery Relay, adding 10 new stalls next to a regional favorite QSR, Culver’s. Back in the Midwest, adding the Massillon Rechargery @ Sheetz brings iONNA’s Ohio tally to four stations. Check out the neat video above from Walter Schulze and his merry men/women reporting in from iONNA stations across the country. Together, they cover 50% of the current network!

☂️ Not a new location, per se, but sticking with iONNA, the brand new canopy at the Scranton Rechargery@ Sheetz is also worth a mention. I charged there on Memorial Day weekend before it started construction, and iONNA (+ construction partner) got it back up and running in time for another holiday charge session, this time for July 4th. Not just a quick turnaround, but also a thoughtful one to minimize disruption for EV travel 👏

🛍️ Mercedes-Benz added new stations in time for the holiday weekend, with Norfolk, VA and Delray Beach, FL among the latest stations energized. If you catch this before July 8th, promotional pricing of $0.25/kWh should still be in effect, so find a station along your route and get yourself a discounted fast charge on this rising network.

⚡ Another impressive week for Pilot-Flying J in conjunction with EVgo eXtend, as new stations in Limon, CO, Midway, FL, Denham Springs, LA and Walcott, IA add to the growing travel network in time for summer road trips.

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 Increases Drive Summer Price Spike

News - Average prices rose across the board for DC fast charging in the United States, comparing rates at the start of July to June 2025, led by increases at Tesla Superchargers.

Numbers - The national average rose by one cent, back to its previous high in our index at $0.54 per kWh. Every region’s average also increased, except for the Southeast which just about held at its June level of $0.50 per kWh. Worst hit was California and the West Coast, where the average rose to a whopping $0.59 per kWh, 3 cents higher than June.

Nuance - Increases at Tesla Superchargers across the US contributed to nationwide price increases, with an average of two cents per kWh across the Superchargers tracked in our index. Other notable increases include prices at some Costco/Electrify America stations rising by 10 cents per kWh and continuing fluctuations at Francis Energy sites outside the company’s home state of Oklahoma.

Next Up - This data is fresh from the index just as we hit the road for July 4th, so watch for a deeper dive into seasonality and holiday price swings in next week’s edition.

🚛 Fleet Focus: Gateway Fleets Taps XCharge for Battery-backed Delivery Vehicle Charging

News - XCharge North America confirmed the installation of its battery-backed fast charging system at the Gateway Fleets depot in Riverside, CA.

Numbers - 430 kWh of storage in the dual-battery XCharge GridLink system ensures enough energy is available for predictable charging of medium-duty fleet EVs.

Nuance - Last-mile delivery is a natural fit for all-electric fleet vehicles, with slower roads and stop-start driving making the most of EV efficiency. However, time is still money when it comes to replenishing charge and getting back on the road. A battery storage system with enough capacity to recharge, for example, four Brightdrop delivery vehicles before depletion is a good indicator of where BESS fits into the fleet electrification equation.

Next Up - Gateway's flat-rate EV leasing and infrastructure access model is just starting to gain traction with last-mile fleet operators, who are weighing up compliance with California's ZEV fleet ambitions with federal opposition to the state's requirements. Even with a temporary reprieve, most West Coast fleet operators understand that electrification is an inevitable part of their future and will be looking to systems like XCharge GridLink to take the first step into keeping electric delivery vehicles up and running.

🎧 For Your Listening Pleasure

In every edition, we recommend one of the best listens on electrification, energy, or something similarly EV-related.

This week’s offering takes us back to the Plugged In Podcast from Inside EVs, for a timely assessment of the state of electric vehicles in the United States.

🎧 The State of EVs with Ben Prochazka | Plugged In Podcast 🚘🚛

In this episode, Executive Director of the Electrification Coalition Ben Prochazka joins hosts Tim Levin and Patrick George to discuss the politicization of EVs and the challenges of fleet electrification.

🔋💯 Topping Off…

Here’s a selection of news items we couldn’t squeeze into other sections, followed by select EVI incentive program updates we think you’ll want to know about:

Attorney General declines to appeal court decision unfreezing $875M NEVI funds

Quebec’s EV Battery Recovery Program now available across Canada

US Electrical Code reviews changes to home EV charging installations

Federal Transit Administration Low/No Emission Bus grant program NOFO - Deadline: Monday July 14th, 2025

The application period for California’s FCCP incentives program has been pushed back from a July to August open date (window: 8/5/25 to 10/29/25)

CEC’s Communities In Charge wave 4 funding for L2 connectors ($8,500 per plug - up to 40) coming soon (window opens August 5th, 2025)

If you found this edition useful, kindly forward it to a friend, colleague, or family member to share our efforts.

See you next week and remember, that campsite NEMA 14-50 outlet often doubles as EV charging ⛺🔌 ⚡

Cheers,

Steve / Plug & Play EV

🔔 Essential EV Follow - Midwest Charge

📍 Charge Site of Week: Steamer’s Stop (Fulton, IL)