Good day, fellow EV obsessive ⚡🎓🔌

Year-end brings the inevitable reviews of where we’ve been and what we’ve seen throughout 2025, which will gradually transition to previews and predictions for 2026.

Whether it’s the Tesla Charging team’s relentless addition of 100+ Supercharger stalls most weeks, or the frantic hustle of new operators to make their offering a cross-continental alternative to the established order, the year ahead will be hectic.

On the subject of stalls and sites of North America’s top charging operators, we’d love to hear your preferred metric to gauge network growth…⤵️

Now, onto your digest of this week’s EVI developments across the US and Canada ⤵️

News - One of the final automakers in the queue for North American Supercharger access can be crossed off the list, as BMW gained entry to the NACS partner club this week. Shortly after BMW shipped that software update to its EV owners, Tesla demonstrated its more fun-filled approach to both charging and EV ownership, with the introduction of Charging Passports for Tesla owners.

Numbers - Nine Tesla owners will win free lifetime Supercharging next month, if their 2025 charging activity places them in the top 3 of one of these categories: i) longest distance between Superchargers, ii) most energy delivered, and iii) most unique Superchargers visited this year.

Nuance - Beyond the holiday fun and competitive aspect of Tesla’s new Passport feature, the gamification of charging holds massive potential to influence driver behaviour. On an individual level, it obviously engages Tesla’s most active, passionate owners, encouraging them to share and amplify Tesla road trips. From a business perspective, the move is even more fascinating. With sufficient uptake, Tesla can pull levers to adjust utilization across regions, and at specific locations. A promotion to introduce its early Supercharger for Business (SfB) clients, for example, could be a quick way to attract new customers to those sites and generate case studies that brings in new SfB leads.

Next Up - BMW will begin transitioning new vehicles to native NACS ports next year, beginning with the i5 M60 and the upcoming iX3. Test vehicles with the native port have been observed testing in recent months around Colorado and Utah. For Tesla owners, only a few more weeks of 2025 remain to cram in activity for that ultimate EV road tripping perk: free fast charging for the life of the vehicle.

News - Blink Charging filed to sell millions of shares this week, seeking to generate cash in an increasingly competitive charging market. At a time when new charging names are popping up every month, this week’s spotlight lands on one of the sector’s longstanding brands for both L2 and DC charging solutions.

Numbers - Blink has 1,805 DC ports across 613 fast-charging locations in 46 states. The company’s stock sale will see 14.81M offered to raise capital, but the immediate impact on its stock was negative, as investors expressed concerns over diluted shares.

Nuance - Despite being in the top 10 of North American fast-charging providers, more than three-quarters of the Blink Charging DC network is located at auto dealerships. While there are occasional examples of dealership-based charging done right, years of overpriced, underpowered locations with minimal amenities have conditioned early EV drivers to use these sites as a backup, or avoid them altogether. Viewed as a public charging option, this paints an uphill battle to win fast-charging customers, in any meaningful volume, for networks that are heavily leveraged to dealerships.

Next Up - With only 11% of its network made up of public DCFC, destination charging and fleet charging solutions represent more promising areas for Blink heading into 2026. Both the AC and DC infrastructure markets are crowded, however, making for what we expect to become fierce competition for new business over the next 12 months.

News: Level 2 charging is live at One Alexandria Square, a new life sciences campus in San Diego, CA. EV Passport’s Regional VP of Partnerships, Dean Sise, confirmed that the progressive new facility went live with its chargers on his company’s platform this week.

Numbers: “105 Level 2 chargers and 16 DCFCs are now officially online,” according to Sise, demonstrating the kind of ratio we could expect to see more of between AC and DC charging options, as more property groups incorporate mixed-use charging solutions into their portfolios.

Nuance: The overlap between life sciences, sustainably-designed properties, and electric vehicle charging makes destination charging increasingly common at campuses like this. What’s especially notable is the addition of services such as EV valets and clear signage to charging stations, which in the past have been an afterthought.

Next Up: California is taking steps to streamline EV charging permits so that developments like One Alexandria don’t think twice about adding chargers, especially those suited to the relatively long dwell time of a workplace. Expect to see more L2 deployment on this scale, as EV adoption in the state continues to grow and Right-to-Charge policies begin to bite.

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Explore a sample of the 2025 Tesla Supercharger report here.

News - We could be gearing up for a whirlwind final few weeks of the year, as IONNA eyes a milestone that seemed out of reach as we entered December, and Tesla Charging continues its unmatched expansion in parts populated and remote, not the least of which is the latest batch of Supercharger activations in Alaska.

Numbers - DC charging ports at 72 charging locations added to the Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) this week, spread across 28 states and provinces. Less action in Canada this week but the US is back above 20 states with new adds, following a slow week in edition 48. And, for whatever the milestone is worth, we look likely to push past 17,000 DC fast charging locations in the AFDC in the next week or two.

Notable New Stations + AFDC Additions:

🟠 Will IONNA add 100 DCFC sites in its first year of charging EVs? The first 40 locations taking 10 months to roll out suggested not, but seven new sites in five states this week indicate the kind of acceleration that could make it happen. With the site count now past 50 and this week’s additions in Missouri (x3), one each in Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota, and the company’s first Rechargery open in New Hampshire, triple digits aren’t as far away as we thought.

🟢 Electrify America added 30 new DC stalls across four states (FL, MI, NJ, VA), with the largest a 10-stall fast-charging location at the Target store in Glen Allen, VA.

🍁 A new BC Hydro site in Pitt Meadows adds eight DCFC stalls (and four L2, for good measure) at this location in the eastern suburbs of Vancouver. Another smaller site in Hanceville, BC, gives the network 10 more fast charging ports this week.

🍑 Georgia Power opened three new locations across the state in conjunction with ChargePoint. Nashville, Ocilla, and Eatonton each add two CP Express Plus units serving four charging stalls.

⭕ Red E continued expansion in its core markets, with three new locations in Massachusetts and two in Michigan (details on those below). A sixth site in Rocky Mount, VA, rounds out this week’s additions, though it’s smaller than the others and located at a dealership.

⚡ Something of a surge in NEVI activations this week, and not from the usual suspect (PA and WI, in recent months). A couple of new Red E locations in Alma and Flint put Michigan back in action with federally-supported sites, and it’s also a welcome return for Texas, with a Love’s location in Natalia, TX now showing in AFDC. This marks the Lone Star state’s first NEVI activation since September and brings TX up to 11 open NEVI locations.

🔴 Tesla added 92 stalls to the US Supercharger network, with seven new locations across five states (AK, CA, FL, GA, TX). 24 stalls at Buc-ee’s in Hillsboro, TX, and a 20-stall location in Melbourne, FL, are the largest locations, while the additions in Alaska represent Tesla’s drive to keep building, regardless of federal policy. The Alaska Energy Authority has confirmed that the former NEVI award sites won’t receive federal funding, effectively punishing Tesla for building during the FHWA-imposed pause.

🔷 EVgo opened two more California locations in partnership with Ethan Conrad Properties, adding a total of 18 new fast-charging ports.

🔶 Ford Charge continues to cement its presence as the most compelling dealership-based charging option by far, with five new map pins spread across four states (AZ, FL, MN, TX). All have four DC stalls, so we’ll go with the two in Arizona to highlight from the bunch: Anderson Ford in Bullhead City and Kingman.

⭐ Mercedes-Benz High Power Charging opened its first Utah location, in Riverton, south of Salt Lake City. A second location in Connecticut is also now energized in North Haven, continuing the network’s remarkable acceleration into New England in the fourth quarter.

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

📝 More IONNA permit action from AlejandroEV66 on X/Twitter, with new pipeline locations identified in Bridgeport, CT and Mesquite, NV. The company itself is now confirming live site activations, as well as the regular “fences up!” alerts, which this week included new Rechargeries slated for Gaithersburg, MD, Blaine, MN, and Gallup, NM.

🚧 Construction is progressing at NEVI sites across the Midwest, with Michigan sites starting to open and locations in Minnesota + Wisconsin progressing despite the seasonal freeze. Heated tarps are reported on site in North Branch, MN, which could become the state’s first active NEVI location and would expand Kwik Trip’s EV charging into a second state. With another seven sites still on the TxDOT list labeled as “Opening 2025”, we’re also watching Texas for either a wave of activations (or revised timelines).

🔴 No new Tesla locations from MarcoRP on X/Twitter, who is taking a well-deserved social media break. The last locations noted that we haven’t yet reported are new Superchargers in Weilia, HI, and South Padre Island, TX.

News - SparkCharge deployed a battery-integrated mobile charging solution for car share service Zipcar in East Boston, MA. The deployment is a pilot funded by MassCEC, with a view to expanding EV access to communities through car share fleet programs.

Numbers - The “Mobile-Powered Battery Trailer” can deliver an impressive 320kW of power, but the most valuable number will come from cost savings. The system’s integrated battery draws power from the Zipcar facility’s existing grid connection, removing the need for potentially expensive and time-consuming upgrades.

Nuance - SparkCharge has been on the mobile charging scene for many years now, securing a high-profile Shark Tank win back in 2020 for its modular “Roadie” charging unit. Although we’ve seen the company deploy its mobile solutions for public use, such as the infamous Masspike Memorial Day charging closure in 2023, the need for flexible fleet EV charging has become a more productive use case in recent years.

Next Up - Shared mobility programs hold great potential to open up EV access in densely populated areas. This is especially true for those who can’t stretch their budget to purchase an electric vehicle outright. Charging in urban environments remains a challenge in many use cases, but SparkCharge is based out of exactly that setting, in Somerville, MA, and is better placed than most to unlock convenient charging with its mobile solutions.

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

This week, we’re back with the Field Frequency podcast for a wide-ranging EV chat I enjoyed with Field Advantage’s Jason Cortes.

🎧 Where EV Narratives Fall Short: Facts, Friction, and the Electric Future ⚡

We covered the areas where narratives and education around electric vehicles are falling short. What worked - or at least what was endured - in the early days of EV adoption and charging is much less effective as we move to mainstream consumers.

The stories we share and the services delivered need to shift. Happily, we’re starting to see early signs that everyone from automakers to new charging companies could rise to the occasion.

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:

Ontario Energy Board adds 2026 delivery rates, better designed for EV charging

bp pulse $0.01 per kWh Chicago Gigahub launch event this Thursday (Dec. 18th)

Tesla explores “Micromenity” partnership with modular structure firm BOXABL

Modal Pods emerges from stealth mode to offer turnkey EV charging amenities

Rangeway partners with ReNüTeq for sustainable charging architecture

Application period open for Rebuild Illinois funding opportunity (DCFC + L2)

NMDOT opened up the state’s third phase of NEVI funding (deadline: 12/31/25) - Full application details here.

Now in phase 2, Arizona is accepting bids for 34 NEVI stations (deadline: 1/16/26)

California’s FCCP incentives program application period remains open (deadline: 1/29/26) — assistance with applications is available here

Michigan’s DTE is now accepting applications for grants from its Emerging Technology Fund through January 31st, 2026

Round 3 of the Illinois NEVI funding is now open, with $65.6M available including applications for M-HDEV charging sites (deadline: 2/13/26)

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

See you next week for all the latest EVI development in edition 50 of The Weekly 1.21⚡ We might even preview some new segments and format shifts for you, if time allows… 👀

Cheers,

Steve / Plug & Play EV