If you haven’t been hearing about Electrify America yet, I’m sure you will soon.
Electrify America is an Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure company with plans to boost the electric vehicle industry by offering reliable, convenient charging stations nationwide. Thanks to the Volkswagen Clean Air Settlement, Electrify America is now investing $2 billion over the next 10 years in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, education/outreach, and access/exposure. The company is creating a nationwide network of DC Fast Charging (DCFC) stations and Level 2 charging stations.
The charging infrastructure budget will be divided between four cycles, at $500 million each. The goal is to learn from each cycle before deciding how to proceed with the next, so the money can be used most efficiently. Electrify America has about 80% of their sites picked out for their first cycle, and are expecting to have all locations completed or under construction by June 2019. Cycle 1 consists of 484 DC charging sites in metro areas and along highways, and more than 2,800 Level 2 charging stations at work places and multi-unit dwelling locations.
This network, in combination with the other networks already out there or in development, is HUGE for EV adoption. Long road trips will be a breeze as a the simplicity of charging a battery becomes closer to that of filling up a gas tank. Creating more access to charging stations will lead more people to want electric vehicles, which will lead to more charging stations, and so on. This big advancement in charging infrastructure is just one of the many things that will come to shape the future of electric vehicles.
Find the map and specifics of the proposed cycle 1 stations here.