ChargePoint and NATSO achieve 150 DC fast-charging spots

ChargePoint and NATSO have installed 150 DC fast charging spots in the first year of the National Highway Charging Collaborative.

The collaborative is increasing access to EV charging along highways and in rural North America by filling infrastructure gaps along the National Highway System, including along the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) designated alternative fuel corridors. The FHWA also highlights the National Highway Charging Collaborative as part of its Alternative Fuel Corridors Best Practices.

It has attracted support from some of the nation’s most prominent travel plaza, convenience store and truckstop brands, including Kum & Go, Donna’s Travel Plaza, Love’s Travel Stops and Trillium, its alternative and renewable fuel provider, and the Iowa 80 Group, among others. 

“ChargePoint’s ongoing effort to significantly expand access to charging across cities, rural communities, and along highways is core to our mission and the collaboration with NATSO is already making significant progress toward that goal,” said Colleen Jansen, Chief Marketing Officer, ChargePoint. 

“The National Highway Collaborative is poised to be one of the nation’s foremost examples of how partnerships can be designed to scale vital charging infrastructure. The progress to date has created the foundation for the scaling of fast charging to support long distance electric travel and enable fast charging in urban and rural communities as a complement to the buildout of level 2 charging nationwide. The buildout of charging is expected to increase in the coming years in line with dozens of new EV models anticipated to hit North American roads as the shift to electrification takes hold.”

NATSO President and CEO Lisa Mullings, said in order for consumers to move to EVs, they need to be confident that they will be able to refuel as reliably as they do today. 

"With thousands of established locations crisscrossing the nation, the private sector will ensure that drivers of electric-powered cars will not suffer from range anxiety. We are well suited to efficiently meet customer demand for electricity while providing the amenities and safe experience that they have come to expect as they refuel," she said.

Bloomberg NEF estimates EVs will make up 10 percent of all vehicles sold by 2025 and increase to more than 29 percent by 2030. With more than $11 million of public and private funding leveraged to date as part of the Collaborative, new fast charge sites are connecting rural communities and enabling long distance electric travel across more than eight states including California, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, and Washington. 

As part of an MOU announced in February 2020, the two organizations agreed that the National Highway Charging Collaborative will, by 2030:

• Deploy charging infrastructure at 4,000 travel centers and fuel stops, leveraging $1 billion in capital
• Provide charging infrastructure at fueling locations across the United States with a focus on connecting rural communities
• Expand availability of charging infrastructure and connect existing Federal Highway Administration-designated FAST Act corridors
• Work together to achieve policy outcomes to support each of these objectives

The Collaborative also advocates for public policies that are designed to create a business case for off-highway fuel retailers to invest in EV charging infrastructure.  In those jurisdictions, the initiative continues to identify an increasing number of public and private funding sources available to support the expansion of EV charging at strategically determined locations.