Volkswagen Outlines Plans to Build More Than 2,800 EV Charging Stations

As part of Volkswagen’s settlement with the U.S. federal government over its use of illegal emissions-cheating software, the German automaker agreed to spend $2 billion building electric vehicle charging stations across the country. To handle that EV infrastructure investment, VW created an organization called Electrify America. Today, that organization announced it’s moving forward with plans to add more than 2,800 Level 2 charging stations by June of 2019.

The stations will be built in 17 of the country’s largest cities across 500 different sites, with each site offering multiple charging stations. Electrify America says it chose each site to be near business or residential areas, allowing customers to charge their EVs while at home or at work. Approximately three-quarters of the charging stations will be located near offices, with the remaining quarter built in apartment complexes and condominiums.

“One of the biggest barriers to the mass-market adoption of electric vehicles is access to chargers,” said Mark McNabb, CEO of Electrify America. “Having chargers where people work–and live–will help them see that an electric vehicle can be their primary vehicle because charging is convenient and reliable at the places where they spend time.”

Adding between 20 and 25 miles of range per hour, these Level 2 stations aren’t intended for a quick stop and a top-off. They’re intended more to make owning an EV viable for larger numbers of people. According to Electrify America, employees with electric charging stations at work are six times more likely to own a plug-in electric vehicle. But with $2 billion to invest over the next 10 years, expect to see more fast-chargers built along busy highways that connect other major cities.

California will get the first round of charging stations, with Fresno, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose all being chosen. Electrify America will then branch out to other cities such as Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, Raleigh, Seattle and Washington, DC.

Source: Electrify America