Something of the Inception about today’s entry, as our Daily text post channels the Fortnightly news video, which is a roll-up of The Weekly 1.21 ⚡ email newsletter… confused? You will be!
This is a developing space that we’ll use to add daily updates on the rollercoaster ride of EVs, infrastructure, and wider electrification efforts like battery storage systems. If you want to see something, drop Steve a note and we’ll see what we can do.
Lead item in the video is the DCFC hardware landscape in the first quarter of 2026.
The main takeaway is that the North American DC fast-charging field is composed of Tesla Superchargers, followed by everyone else.
But we all knew that. The interesting data comes from analyzing the “best of the rest” field by acknowledging Tesla’s dominance, setting Superchargers aside for a second, and figuring out which hardware manufacturers are moving to the front of the pack.
In the first quarter of 2026, that was Alpitronic. And by quite a long way, when we assess based on pure port count.
Alpitronic HYC400s went from 5% of non-Supercharger port additions in Q1’25 to 27% in Q1’26, deploying almost 700 connectors at more than 80 charging sites across the US and Canada.
By port count, Delta Electronics placed a distant second to Alpitronic (again, excluding Superchargers), with fewer than 400 ports added in Q1. Switching to site count brings things much closer, with Alpitronic scoring 16% of locations and ChargePoint right behind them on 15%.
However, it’s notable that ChargePoint sites are typically smaller than many of the providers that Alpitronic serves. Networks like IONNA and bp pulse are averaging closer to 10 stalls per site, with some as high as 20 opened in Q1. ChargePoint did manage a 10-stall location in Q1, but its average was 2.1 stalls per site. ABB appears in third, with 13% of non-Supercharger site additions.
The bottom line is that Alpitronic has the hardware reliability, production capacity, and, most importantly, the large CPO partnerships in place that could challenge Tesla for quarterly deployments as 2026 progresses.
Of course, Tesla isn’t standing still. The last V3 power cabinets were finally produced at Giga NY in Buffalo earlier this year, marking the transition to full V4 Superchargers from this point on. That unlocks full 1,000V, 500kW DC fast charging in a package that is quickly produced and efficiently deployed.
It’s also worth noting that Tesla is no longer going it alone. The Supercharger for Business program promises to shake up the North American DCFC landscape this year, by enlisting clients as diverse as local business owners and startup CPOs, like Suncoast Charging, to regional fueling chains like Wawa, to the Supercharger push.
Even competing networks are getting in on the act. Francis Energy is the company to open the most SfB sites through Tesla so far, as it upgrades older locations in Oklahoma to new Supercharger hardware.
This is far longer than I intend “The Daily” to go, so look to the YouTube channel and my Linkedin for deeper dives on DC hardware deployments in the US and Canada this year. Two words, one tip: Watch Walmart.