Your Guide to the Electrify America EV Charging Network

Electrify America, one of America’s largest open public EV charging network, is a great example of this. It also provides some of our most powerful DC fast-charging stations.

What is the Electrify America EV Charging Network, and how can it help you?

Electrify America, one of America’s largest open-source EV charging networks, is a public charity. Volkswagen Group of America created the company after it was found guilty of violating Clean Air Act. The United States Environmental Protection Agency discovered that the automaker used cheat machines to make sure that their engines only used emissions controls during emission testing.

Volkswagen accepted a series of steps to promote electric vehicle adoption in its punishment for the emissions scandal. Volkswagen was able to make Electrify America a charging network that will offset future emissions. This was a key component of its way forward.

The Electrify America company first appeared in 2017 but the first charging station was not open until 2018. The company is currently valued at close to $2.5 billion. The first charging station opened in 2018 but it wasn’t until 2017.

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How Many American Electrify America EV Charging Stations Are There?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Electrify America maintains 839 charging sites in the U.S. and has 3,701 charging points. The website of the company shares similar numbers with 791 active stations, 90 soon, and a total of 3,551 live charging points. As new stations are added and some units need repair, the number of charging points changes.

Electrify America’s locations span the entire country. This allows you to travel coast-to-coast using the network alone. EVs tend to be popular in areas where there are more charging stations, such as California and Florida.

The Interactive Map from the Alternative Fuel Data Center states that North Dakota doesn’t have any Electrify America Stations. A few states have limited numbers of stations such as Iowa and Minnesota. Even in the middle of the country, there are enough stations for a successful route.

How do I find an Electrify America Electric Vehicle Charging Station?

Electrify America provides a searchable map of all station locations via its website. The Electrify America mobile app can be downloaded and used to find an available station. The app will alert you when new charging stations become available.

The Electrify America App can be downloaded for Android and Apple smartphones via the Apple App Store, and Google Play Store. The company’s app integrates with Android Auto and Apple Car Play. This means that it can be used in cars that support smartphone integration.

How do you use an Electric America EV Charging Station?

When you arrive at an Electrify America charge station, be sure to park on the side nearest your car’s charging port. Also, make sure the cord is within reach.

You can verify the charger’s screen to make sure it is working and that it has the correct charging connector for your EV. A symbol on the charger should show what a compatible port looks like.

By holding the connector in your hands, plug it into the car’s charging port. After it clicks into place, release the button. You’re now ready to make payment and initiate the charging process. After you’ve completed the payment, your screen will display information about the charging session.

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How Fast Can Electrify America’s charging stations charge EVs?

Electrify America offers peak chargers that can charge up to 350 kW. It is currently the fastest in the market. EVgo, at least one other American company, has 350 kW DC Fast chargers.

It’s important that you note that not all Electrify America stations can provide 350 kW. Many stations can charge at speeds up to 150 kW.

How much does an Electrify America Charge Station cost?

Prices for charging may vary depending on where you live and can be subject to changes at any moment. Charging rates depend on where the charger is located and whether or not the EV owner has a payment card or an account with that provider. Per-minute charging rates depend on the maximum charging speed of your EV and the charging station’s capability. Some stations charge for time spent connected while others charge per watt.

Electrify America aims in all US states to charge per kWh, but some state regulatory bodies require that it set the pricing per minute. The length of your charging session or how much energy it receives will determine the cost. Each state of the USA has its policies.

Electrify America recently simplified the pricing of per-minute charging. Its high-power chargers only have two power levels. After the EV contacts the charging station, it will determine which speed it can accept. The charger will display the per-minute rate. The charging speed and rate have been established. It doesn’t matter how fast the speed fluctuates. The rate is the same throughout the entire session.

Guests can currently charge $0.43/kWh at an Electrify America Station in most states. Members pay $0.31 per kWh plus a monthly fee of $4. For EVs that can charge at more than 90kW, per-minute rates are $0.16 per minute. They can also charge $0.32 per minute for those with speeds exceeding 90kW.

To prevent people from leaving their EVs plugged in and occupying a place after they are done charging, there’s an idle fee. You will pay $0.40 for every minute that the car is unplugged after it has been charged.

How can you pay at an Electrify America charging station?

There are a few ways you can pay to charge at an Electrify America station. You can also pay as a guest. The charging station will display the pricing. Unless you have a supported mobile wallet, you will have to use a debit or credit card when you pay. Electrify America supports Apple Pay (Google Pay) and Samsung Pay.

Other options include paying as a Member. You likely know the basics of charging before you approach the charging station. However, you can set up a digital account at the moment of charging.

Once you have an Electrify America subscription, you can use your wallet to access it. Simply tap your phone on the digital reader to pay or swipe to start the app. Pass, Pass+, and Premium Offer members have the option to use the Electrify America mobile app to pay or a supported carmaker’s app.

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Does Electrify America Support Charge and Plug?

For electric car owners, Plug and Charge make it easy to charge their vehicles at public charging stations. It is essentially “plug & play” for EVs. Once Plug and Charge are set up, plug in your EV to any of the supported charging stations and the charging session commences.

 Plug and Charge can be used by many charging networks such as Electrify America. Plug and Charge will automatically identify you, your EV type, and the method of collecting payment.

When is it a good idea to use an Electrify America charger station?

Most EV owners charge their EVs at the home. It’s easier and more cost-effective than charging at a public place. Some owners of electric cars may not have the capability to charge at their homes. Some car owners may not yet have access to a Level-2 charging station. Others might not have an area outside where they can plug the plugin.

It is possible for people who live in rental properties or apartments to have trouble getting permission to install a Level 2, charging station. In such situations, EV owners may need to plan their week around visiting a public charging station (e.g., an Electrify America DC rapid charger).

The most obvious usage case for public chargers is road trips. Electrify America’s network is the only one in the U.S. that allows road trips to be made virtually anywhere in the country, apart from Tesla’s Supercharger network.

Is the Electrify America Network more efficient than other fast-charging networks such as Rival Networks?

Each one of the most important charging networks in the U.S. has its pros and con. While Tesla Supercharger is the network with the most DC fast charger points, it is only currently available to Tesla owners. Also, it does not offer a peak charging rate that’s as high as Electrify America’s.

Electrify America does not have much competition, aside from the Tesla Supercharger Network, in the fast-charging space. It is more expensive than competitors, it can take longer to charge and stations may be out of order. You might also have to wait for help from the company’s support staff.

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