The Weekly 1.21⚡(EVI News #30) - EVgo's $225M Boost. MCS Sites Identified. San Francisco EV Fleet Funding.

Good day, fellow battery booster🔋📢

Despite a rocky start to the year, charging infrastructure in North America continues to go from strength to strength. Whether it’s new players in the space, existing operators strengthening their long-term outlook, or simply EV drivers reporting more successful first attempt activations at the station, the charging experience seems to improve every month.

Preconditioning complete, here’s your belated weekly trip through North American EV infrastructure developments ⤵️

📢 EVgo Secures Broad New Financing Facility

News - Nationwide charging network EVgo shared a new financing arrangement that unlocks hundreds of millions of dollars in new funds for expansion.

Numbers - A five-year arrangement for a $225M secured credit facility, with the option to increase that figure to $300M. EVgo equates this to around 1,500 new fast charging stalls across the United States.

Nuance - The deal is unique in the EVI world, to date, in that this type of funding typically indicates a known quantity investment, rather than the more developmental funding routes to which many of EVgo’s competitors are limited. To some extent, it validates the network’s more calculated approach to expansion. Building its owned and operated sites primarily in states and metro areas where EV adoption is highest, then leaning into commercial partnerships with the likes of Pilot-Flying J for travel charging presence, appears to be paying off as the charging market matures.

Next Up - After EVgo’s financial reports for 2024 showed a path to profitability in the near term, this credit facility from a group of commercial banks further confirms the company’s reputation as an established player in EV charging. The financing is not tied to any specific project, giving EVgo flexibility to deploy the additional capital where it is needed most.

🔍 Charging Vendor Spotlight: ViaLynk

News - ViaLynk is the emerging network of fast chargers from Lynkwell, an energy technology company headquartered in Albany, NY. Level 2 charging is also an important part of the network offering, especially in New York State.

Numbers - 174 DC ports across 55 locations in 11 states, with the majority of the network active in northeastern states. Only 16% of Vialynk stations are outside of the region.

Nuance - ViaLynk has grown from its New York home base with a mixture of hardware from various providers, including Tritium, Power Electronics, and Starcharge. Power is typically in the 75 kW to 180 kW range. Expansion has been achieved via some dedicated new sites, such as the EV Pavilion in Middletown, NY, and further afield by partnering with auto dealerships, such as Gray-Daniels Ford-Lincoln in Brandon, MS.

Next Up - Multiple station openings in Vermont and Massachusetts so far in 2025 suggest that New England could be the next fertile ground for ViaLynk’s network growth.

🔌AC/DC: San Francisco Fleet Charging Funded

News: With funding for fleet electrification rapidly falling out of favor at the federal level, the California Energy Commission (CEC) and City of San Francisco moved to keep momentum going with a combined $7.8 million for light-duty EV charging infrastructure.

Numbers: 403 chargers will be installed to charge the municipal electric vehicles serving San Francisco. Funding of $5M is secured via a CEC grant, with the city matching a further $2.8M.

Nuance: The expansion is required to charge some 800 electric vehicles on duty in San Francisco, making up approximately 40% of the city’s fleet. New charging infrastructure is essential to put new fleet EVs on the road, which is a goal of the city’s overall climate plan.

Next Up: A 2021 Climate Action Plan for San Francisco aims for the city’s municipal vehicles to transition to an all-electric fleet with net-zero emissions by 2040. An update to the plan is expected this year, in collaboration with the San Francisco Environment Department, to assess progress and the potential for future funding gaps.

🛣️ On the Road: This Week in DCFC

News - Another fairly quiet week in the AFDC listings, albeit with some notable stations delivering a high stall count and a wider range of states/provinces represented across the US and Canada this week, compared to the seven days prior.

Numbers - 227 DC charging ports at 44 charging locations in 24 states and provinces added to AFDC this week.

Notable New Stations + AFDC Additions:

 🍁 Petro Canada made progress on its upgrade program across the country, with new ChargePoint hardware installed at two sites in Saskatchewan and another in Markham, ON.

🟢 Electrify America was in full furniture partnership mode this week, energizing three new locations at IKEA stores (two in California, one in Virginia). The latter emphasizes how competitive public charging has become this year, as EV drivers also have new Rivian Adventure Network and Mercedes-Benz HPC stations at the nearby Norfolk Premium Outlets to choose from, all energized in the last couple of months.

💎 A week after energizing its distinctive J-shaped chargers at Toyota HQ in Ontario, Jule was at it again this week with the company’s first NEVI-funded site. Maybell, CO is the site in question, with four dispensers backed by a 440 kWh battery storage system delivering up to 150 kW per unit. The station brings both NACS/J3400 and CCS1 handles to the northwestern section of Colorado.

 🔋 bp pulse added 16 new ports across three locations, all at gas stations. Two in Florida and another new location in Lodi, NJ continue the growth of EV fast charging across multiple BP-owned brands, including Thornton’s, TCA, and the metro-area Gigahubs.

🔶 Rivian opened a new RAN location in St. Regis, MT, a welcome addition to a lonely stretch of I-90 between Missoula and the westward route to Idaho/Pacific Northwest.

⚡ FLO added another new station in Saskatchewan, this week in the wonderfully-named Assiniboia. A further two locations in Alberta and Ontario keep the company’s momentum going after a challenging end to July.

🦉 Regional travel center chain Onvo moved its activity from Pennsylvania to New York state, with a new four-stall ChargePoint Express station on the NY Thruway at Fultonville.

🔴 Tesla had a relatively quiet week but still added 76 new Supercharger stalls across six locations. Those were activated in California, Florida, Missouri, Oregon, and Ontario.

⭕ Pilot-Flying J added a new location in Sioux Falls, SD, joining several other charging vendors on the eastern side of the state, preparing EV drivers for the long westward stretch heading to Wall Drug and Badlands National Park.

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

 📝In the Pipeline - New Sites Planned/Permitted

🚛 It looks like six locations in California will be among the first to deploy the Alpitronic HYC1000 CCS/Megawatt Charging System (MCS) for fleet charging in North America, if filings uncovered by X/Twitter EV sleuth AlejandroEV66 are anything to go by. bp pulse will be the vendor, hosted at Travel Centers of America locations across the state.

🚧 Construction is underway at two new Kwik Charge stations in Wisconsin, according to the state’s DOT tracking site (WEVI). Keep track of this and other NEVI stations in the pipeline with this map.

✈️ The New York Power Authority (NYPA) shared a progress report on the latest EVolve NY airport charging hub, under construction at La Guardia in partnership with Electrify America. An “early fall” opening is expected for the 12-stall station, which will join the network’s existing JFK site in advancing electrification at major travel hubs.

🔴 New US Tesla stations are confirmed in permitting by MarcoRP1, with Superchargers slated for St. Augustine, FL, Wilkesboro, NC, Centerville, VA, and Brooklyn, NY. Ground has also been broken at the long-awaited Supercharger in Durango, CO, where Rivian also recently energized a fast charging station on its Adventure Network.

💲DCFC Pricing: Pilot-Flying J the Latest to Trial TOU

News - After almost two years of flat fee pricing, time-of-use (TOU) rates were spotted at a Pilot-Flying J fast charging station in Burbank, OH. The move is currently isolated, as other locations are not yet displaying multiple price tiers.

Numbers - The previous rate at Burbank, OH was network high of $0.69 per kWh, which is significantly higher than the $0.57 per kWh average seen across the network for much of its time in operation. Charging outside of the 9AM-10PM peak brings that price down to $0.54 per kWh, which remains a cent or two higher than the regional average.

Nuance - From “One Low Price” to several potential levels, Pilot-Flying J’s growing network of almost 200 locations could now follow the example of Tesla Superchargers, newcomers IONNA and bp pulse, and most recently Rivian’s Adventure Network in deploying TOU pricing. Like bp pulse, Pilot appears to be testing a three-window approach. Daytime hours maintain the station’s previous flat pricing, while off-peak hours represent a discount of around 22% at the Burbank, OH station.

Next Up - This could simply be a one-off at a station representing the highest price of Pilot-Flying J locations ($0.69/kWh), but it wouldn’t be surprising to see this now-established network attempting to fine-tune its pricing. The stations have been praised for convenience and amenities, but the high price compared to competitors has been a complaint for drivers. If bp pulse brings TOU rates to P-FJ’s direct competitor, Travel Centers of America, expect to see more variable pricing at Pilot and Flying-J centers too.

 🚌 Fleet Focus: Georgia Power Secures Funding for State’s Electric School Bus Pilot

News - The Georgia Public Service Commission has approved the state utility’s plans to continue funding a key program that paves the way for an electric school bus pilot, including V2X functions that will support local grid operations via the bus fleet’s batteries.

Numbers - Approximately $58M is allocated for Georgia Power’s Make Ready plan, which includes provisions to provide charging stations for 10 public school systems. These will include bidirectional power flow capabilities that allow the electric school bus fleet to provide power back to the grid during periods of peak demand or emergencies.

Nuance - Despite questions around electrification at the federal level, many states are moving forward with programs that lean heavily into electric vehicles and/or battery storage systems that support the grid. Georgia’s commission voted unanimously to approve its utility’s plan, which sets the stage for power production through 2030.

Next Up - Georgia Power’s Integrated Resource Plan targets at least 6,000 MW of new energy production by 2030. An additional 2,500 MW could also be requested if the utility shows a need and the program’s pilots prove able to deliver

🎧 For Your Listening Pleasure

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

Over to the UK for this week’s offering, which is appropriate as we’ve been on our travels there to see family for much of the past month. The smartly-named Driving Ohm pod comes from experienced English EV testers Andy and Harry, with observations relevant for North American EV enthusiasts.

🎧 Range vs. Charging Speed: Which Matters More for EV Journeys?⚡

This episode brings up a topic familiar to any electric road tripper: range or charging speed as a factor in optimizing long-distance EV travel. And for good measure, here’s a postcard of some of the less familiar all-electric models we snapped on our trip. 🔋📫

🔋💯 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:

States fight back on electrification and vehicle emissions standards

Paren releases Q2 2025 State of US EV Charging Report

CCIC launched to monitor and improve charging infrastructure in Canada

Applications open for Municipal Electric Vehicle Initiative in Saskatchewan (up to $75,000 [CAD] for 50% of L2 + L3 charging infrastructure costs)

Charge Up New Jersey has opened applications for its latest round of several incentives, including Clean Fleet and MUD EV charging programs

Nova Scotia’s CHARGED program is now accepting applications for up to 50% of funding for L2 and DC fast charging projects

California’s FCCP incentives program opens this week (window: 8/5/25 to 10/29/25)

CEC’s Communities In Charge wave 4 funding for L2 also opens this week

The City of Lodi, CA issued an RFP for assistance expanding DCFC via public-private partnership (deadline August 22nd, 2025)

If you found this edition useful, share the love by passing it on to a friend, colleague, or family member with an interest in electrification.

See you next week, and remember,

Cheers,

Steve / Plug & Play EV

🔔 Essential EV Follow - Scott Case, Recurrent

📍Charging Site of the Week: Franklin’s EV Hub (Little Rock, AR)