Electrify America, LLC is electric vehicle DC fast-charging network in the United States, with more than 850 stations and over 3,700 connectors as of December 2023[update]. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group of America, established in late 2016 by the automaker as part of its efforts to offset emissions in the wake of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Volkswagen, as part of its settlement following the "Dieselgate" emissions scandal, invested $2 billion in creating Electrify America. In June 2022, Siemens became a minority shareholder of the company. Electrify America supports the CCS and CHAdeMO connector types with plans to add NACS connectors starting in 2025. Electrify America has been the target of significant criticism for the perceived lack of reliability and maintenance of its stations.
As part of a consent decree reached with United States officials in 2016, Volkswagen agreed to numerous actions, with US$2 billion in total, to promote electric vehicle use over 10 years to atone for the additional air pollution it caused. One aspect of the program was a pledge to establish a public electric vehicle charging network.
The Electrify America brand was unveiled in January 2017, along with its first phase of station buildout. Its first station opened in May 2018, in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
In June 2022, Electrify America received its first external investor with a $450 million investment from Siemens for a minority shareholder stake, valuing the company at $2.45 billion.[4][5]
Operations
An Electrify America charging unit in Arlington, Virginia
Electrify America stations use the Combined Charging System (CCS) and CHAdeMO connector types with plans to add North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors starting in 2025.[6][7][8] Stations are rated to provide a minimum of 50 kilowatts and up to 350 kilowatts, although the actual output is dependent on multiple factors including the vehicle's capabilities.[9][10]
The network's chargers support Plug & Charge, a standard that enables an electric car to talk to the charger and handle authentication and billing.[11]
Drivers can find stations through Electrify America's website,[12]smartphone application or through networks like PlugShare. They can pay for electricity through the phone apps or with a credit card at the chargers. The Electrify America mobile app[13] lets users pay through their phone and receive discounted rates with a subscription.
Electrify America prices its electricity in most states where it operates based on the energy dispensed, charged by kilowatt-hour. In some states, such as Montana and Wyoming, users are charged by the amount of time their vehicle is plugged in. This is usually because the state allows only electric utilities to charge for the amount of electricity a customer uses. In August 2023, Electrify America announced that it would price their chargers based on time of use and slowly roll out this update to many of their existing chargers. In addition, Electrify America charges an idle fee when a car is done charging at select locations.[15]
Electrify America is also building a charger network in Canada called Electrify Canada, and added a commercial section in January 2021 targeting business, utilities and government agencies. Electrify Commercial provides customized end-to-end EV charging solutions to businesses, utility companies, fleet owners, travel centers and convenience stores. In May 2023, they announced an agreement with Rocky Mountain Power to provide fast charging options across the state of Utah with Electrify Commercial providing the charging equipment, installation, and ongoing operations with maintenance.
Electrify Home is also a business unit of Electrify America. They provide charging solutions targeted towards residential charging solutions and is offering a Level 2 residential charger, HomeStation, to its customers.
Criticism
Electrify America has been the target of significant criticism for the perceived lack of reliability and maintenance of its stations, especially in comparison to the Tesla Supercharger network. There are numerous reports of charge dispensers that remain inoperable or capable of only delivering limited power for weeks or months at a time.[16][17][18][19]
The perception is that Electrify America, and all U.S. charging network providers except Tesla, have been more focused on installing new stations than funding operations and maintenance. Electrify America, with almost 4,000 chargers, faces criticism for its day-to-day performance, with reliability issues and consumer dissatisfaction. Despite efforts to improve, drivers report frustration with broken screens, faulty payment systems, and chargers providing less than maximum charging speed. [16][18]
In December 2023, Electrify America announced it would spend $172 million to replace or upgrade 600 charging stations in California in response to the network's subpar performance. The upgrade would replace stations that were installed as part of the company's first two waves of expansion in 2018.[20]
