Electrify America announced its “Boost Plan” to more than double its current electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in the United States and Canada, with plans to have more than 1,800 fast-charging stations and 10,000 individual chargers installed by the end of 2025. The expansion will increase the deployment of 150 and 350 kilowatt chargers – the fastest speed available today – and help pave the way for more electric vehicles in North America, the organization said.
The announcement today expands Electrify America’s previous commitment to invest $2 billion over 10 years in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, education, and access in the U.S. The initiative is a part of a global announcement by the parent company Volkswagen Group to substantially increase public charging infrastructure in North America, Asia and Europe.
“We have decided to double our current charging infrastructure in North America over the next four years to help meet the need for the rapid growth expected of electric vehicles by virtually all the auto manufacturers, and to help make EV adoption more accessible and attractive than ever,” said Giovanni Palazzo, president and chief executive officer, Electrify America. “We are making this commitment to support the plans by major automakers and the U.S. and Canadian governments to help the transformation to an electric mobility transportation system.”
Electrify America is the largest, open DC (Direct Current) Fast Charging network in the U.S. This new commitment builds on the company’s plans to have about 800 charging stations and approximately 3,500 individual chargers in the U.S. by the end of 2021 and will increase the total number of charging stations to more than 1,700 and 9,500 individual chargers by the end of 2025. The company has installed on average four stations per week since its first charging station opened a little over three years ago in May 2018.
As part of the expansion, Electrify America will not only multiply its presence in established U.S. regions, but also add the states of Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming and Vermont, bringing Electrify America’s network to 49 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Building upon Electrify America’s current two cross-country and two coastal routes for cross-country travel, part of this expansion will add a new electric vehicle charging highway to the upper Midwest, providing EV infrastructure to enable electric mobility in the region, the organization said.