EVgo Inc. and General Motors have surpassed 1,000 fast charging stalls. The effort is part of the company’s collaboration to expand electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in the U.S.
The collaboration began in 2020 and was expanded upon in 2021. The plan is to develop and install 3,250 DC fast charging stalls in major metro markets. The current 1,000 chargers are installed in nearly 230 locations in 39 markets covering 27 states. Most of these stalls are 350 kW fast charging units.
GM and EVgo want to put charging stations where EV drivers already go and spend time, like grocery stores, retail centers, city centers, movie theaters and more. Additionally, the companies are working to serve the needs of those with possible trouble installing stations such as renters or those in multi-family dwellings.
The move adds capacity to GM’s own network of fast chargers. Recently, the company signed an agreement with Tesla Motors to use the company’s proprietary North America charging standard (NACS) to open up access to 12,000 supercharger stations across the U.S. and Canada.
Additionally, Ford is adding 1,800 public fast-chargers and locations to its network by early 2024.
These fast-charging stalls will work within the holistic Ultium Charge 360 initiative, which is GM’s proprietary lithium-ion battery modular infrastructure. The duo is also working to include at the charging stations health checks across the network and customer education through GM’s dealer network for new EV buyers to navigate public charging for the first time.
The 1,000-charging unit was installed in Woodridge, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was placed in a shopping mall in a location near interstate highways. Illinois is accelerating its EV adoption with the goal to reach 1 million registered EVs by the end of the decade.
The state is also creating EV vehicles and charging infrastructure incentives as part of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), which will spend $148 million on EV charging stations along interstate corridors over the next five years.
