If there’s one thing that prevents people from buying an EV, it’s the fear of not being able to charge on the road. For years the story has been a lack of charging infrastructure, creating a climate of uncertainty and doubt about the viability of an EV to do the job of a “regular” car. Well, it’s true until it isn’t and perception lags behind. So where are we today?
As of February, there were more than 61,000 charging stations across the U.S. with about 175,000 chargers. Compare that to nearly 200,000 gas stations with an estimated 900,000 – 1.8 million pumps and you can see there’s a lot of room to catch up. Add the challenges of proprietary charging connectors, brand-specific networks, non-working chargers and “icing,” the practice of ICE vehicles blocking EV chargers. It’s enough to turn a significant number of would-be EV buyers away.
But all these issues are improving, with more chargers being installed at an increasing pace* adoption of standard connectors and a focus on improving charger uptime. With a reasonable amount of planning by mapping your trip ahead of time, you could cross the country and back without much disruption. Here’s what you’ll need to know.
*+48% from 2022 to 2023 vs. 14% the year prior, according to the Department of Energy
Networks
Like Shell, Gulf or BP for petrol, there are a small number of companies that offer charging stations for EVs throughout the U.S. Tesla took the lead with a proprietary network for its owners as a way to kick-start the market. Volkswagen, as a consequence of Dieselgate, formed a subsidiary called Electrify America (EA) to build charging infrastructure. Now there are many network providers, but the category is dominated by four major charging networks in the U.S.
The table below provides a picture of locations and mix of charging ports. Level 2 ports aren’t much help on a road trip as they’re only going to get you 14-35 miles of range per hour. You’ll want Level 3/DCFC (direct current fast charging) ports, which can take anywhere from 17-52 minutes to charge a battery from 10% to 80%. This is dependent on the charger and the vehicle itself. Ideally, you’d want nothing but Level 3/DCFC (direct current fast charging) ports for faster charging, but as the saying goes (ironically accurate in this case), any port in a storm.
| Network | Locations | Total Ports | Level 3 Ports | Level 2 Ports |
| Chargepoint | 38,500 | 70,000 | 3,300 | 67,000 |
| Tesla | 6,500 | 36,500 | 26,000 | 10,500 |
| EVgo | 1,000+ | 3,400 | ||
| Electrify America | 950 | 4,250 |
Sources: Chargepoint & Tesla, Electrify America, EVgo
Until recently, Tesla’s network, which has by far the most Level 3/DCFC ports, was available only to Tesla owners. In January, it opened up to all makes, though it was slow to roll out. Now available to anyone with a NACS connector or adaptor, it’s become much easier to charge on the road. The remainder of providers make up about half the number of Level 3 ports, but offer many thousand more Level 2 chargers.
At the current pace of development the number of charging stations is expected to be more than the number of gas stations by 2032. However, that pace is expected to accelerate, so it’s likely we’ll surpass that milestone by the end of the decade. Newer entrants like EVPassport, Blink (which recently acquired SemaConnect), and EVConnect (now owned by multinational electrical infrastructure giant, Schneider Electric) are all investing in the charging future.
Compatibility
Unfortunately, there isn’t yet a standard for charging connectors, so to utilize the networks above, EV owners may need an adapter. There are three main connectors different EV brands and charging networks use – CHAdeMo, CCS and NACS. Tesla uses NACS and, by virtue of its head start and dominant market share, will become the standard beginning in 2025. In the meantime, there are numerous adaptor options for sale ranging from $40 – $250. Owners of EVs with CCS and CHAdMo connectors will find it worthwhile to buy a high quality NACS adapter to ensure capability with a wider range of charging stations.
Charging and Route Planning Apps
For many EV drivers, a combination of apps is the best approach to planning your road trip. Tesla owners may be the exception, and with the recent opening of its Supercharger network to non-Tesla owners, it’s a leading option for most. Still, knowing and having the right apps available is the key to success.
There are two categories of apps, which when used together provide the most complete experience – charging network apps and route planning apps. Each of the networks above have their own apps for locating stations and managing payments. It’s likely you’ll want 2 or 3 depending on where you drive and the make of your EV. Route planning apps aggregate the locations of disparate networks and offer route guidance for your trip, including planned charging stops. There is crossover in the functionality of each, so some EV owners may find that one app does the job. Anecdotally, users report a combination works best.
Tesla
Tesla owners live in a bit of a closed system, a luxury of the breadth of its network and integrated design of the ownership experience. The on-board navigation has route-planning that directs users to the appropriate Supercharger station as part of the trip planning. If you’re looking to buy a Tesla, the task of charging on the road is significantly easier.
Chargepoint, Electrify America, EVgo
Each of these apps allow you to search for nearby locations, find available chargers, and monitor your charging in progress. Critically, they all allow you to see the cost of charging when you search. I haven’t used them, so I can’t offer personal feedback, but all are rated 4.5 or 4.6 stars.
PlugShare
With route planning that covers nearly 30 charging networks, including the top networks listed in this article, PlugShare earns a 4.6 star rating in the Google Play Store. Users can input their vehicle make and charger type to filter for compatible stations, so they can plan their charging stops in advance. It also displays availability, cost, charging speed and local amenities.
A Better Route Planner (ABRP)
ABRP is often recommended by Reddit users for mapping out trips, but Play Store reviews drag it for being slow and difficult to use. EV manufacturer, Rivian, purchased ABRP in 2023, so I expect it will improve.
On-board Apps
Makes that receive kudos for their on-board apps are Tesla, Rivian, and Lucid. Tesla is the standard, Rivian recently launched an update, and Lucid has partnered with Electrify America. In addition to integrations with the vehicle’s user interface, all simplify the payment process through your pre-existing accounts.
Hitting the Open Road
Until charging stations are ubiquitous and connectors standard, EV owners will need forethought when road-tripping. Depending on the make of your EV, you could use the onboard app to plan and execute. But for many drivers, the best approach is to plan your route ahead of time through an app like PlugShare. You might be able to reserve and pay for your charging directly through it, or you’ll need to download a charging app for your expected stop. If you have Carplay or Android Auto, you can input the charging station into your navigation app and emulate the ICE experience you’re accustomed to.
It’s a little more work, but if you’re committed, taking the great American road trip with an EV isn’t a difficult task.
The Road to Electric Vehicle Adoption 
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