7 Major Automakers Team Up to Build 30,000 Clean Energy Fast Chargers

Breaking News: A coalition of seven major automakers has announced plans to jointly build a network of over 30,000 clean energy-powered fast chargers across the US and Canada.

The auto giants – BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis – say they will leverage government incentives and their own funding to quickly develop and implement the new high-powered clean-energy charging network. Each charging station will have multiple chargers accessible by all EVs regardless of charging standard, offering both Combined Charging System (CCS) and Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors.

The automakers claim the US currently has only around 32,000 publicly available fast chargers for the over 2 million electric vehicles on the road. They estimate that at least 182,000 fast chargers will be needed by 2030 to support the millions of EVs expected.

New Network Features

Beginning later this year, the joint venture plans to add over 30,000 new fast chargers to help close that gap. The network will be:

• Powered by 100% renewable energy
• Support Plug and Charge capabilities
• Offer a seamless, convenient charging experience with canopies, restrooms, food and retail at many locations
• Some flagship stations will have additional amenities

Work on the new network is set to start later this year with the first chargers opening in the US next summer 2024 and in Canada at a later stage.

Unprecedented Level of Cooperation

The new fast charger network marks an unprecedented level of cooperation between rival automakers to accelerate EV adoption by making charging more widely available and convenient. The joint venture has the potential to significantly expand fast charging options for electric vehicle drivers across North America.

NEVI Initiative

The automakers aim for the new charging stations to fully comply with and potentially go beyond the standards and objectives set forth by the U.S. National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program. They intend for the new network to meet or exceed the goals of the NEVI initiative.

Our Thoughts

Having just completed a 2400 road trip in a 2022 Tesla, I’m thrilled to see this initiative announced and go forward. Even though I didn’t have any problem finding a supercharger on this particular trip, I know many areas don’t have adequate service for EVs – yet. And currently, many of the Tesla Superchargers are not in ideal locations. Many were next to bathrooms and food, but not all.

And after a heated discussion with a family member about the infrastructure needs of an EV network – I was, again, thrilled to be able to send him this announcement because of the clean-energy component. I claimed victory on that particular argument.

In the meantime, have you picked out your first or next New Travel Tech EV? Let us know about it in the comments.

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