TravelCenters of America (TA) sticks to its tradition of serving long-distance drivers by investing in Electrify America’s DC (direct current) fast chargers. By 2028, it plans to install about 1,000 individual EV chargers in 200 of its 284 locations in 44 states.
It’s a win-win for both companies. With growing consumer pressure for faster, more convenient EV charging stations, Electrify America (EA) hits ambitious goal of 1,800 total charging stations and over 10,000 individual chargers by 2026 Therefore, we need more site hosts. EA is the largest open DC fast charging network. In the United States, 8,800 contractor employees who service chargers nationwide install and operate TA’s charging stations. TAs, on the other hand, must keep up with the competition. Last year, Pilot Co. announced it would add fast-charging EV stations to 500 Pilot and Flying J locations by 2025.
TA brings another great value addition to EA’s charger network. Looking at the World Economic Forum’s current map of EV charging locations, the majority of options are concentrated in urban areas. This means that many consumers see EVs as more of a city car rather than a reliable option for road trips.
In fact, California alone owns 29% of the EV charging stations in the US, almost twice as many stations as the next three states (New York, Florida and Texas) combined. This is partly because California and New York plan to ban the sale of gasoline cars by 2035, he said. Addressing consumer concerns about the convenience of charging stations, now known as “range anxiety,” has become paramount for automakers as other states are beginning to follow suit. According to a survey by the American Automobile Association (AAA), 91% of electric vehicle owners said they had at least one concern before purchasing the vehicle.
However, TA claims to be the nation’s largest publicly traded full-service travel center network. Its locations span the continental United States, unlike EA’s other site hosts such as IKEA, Banks, and Walmart Centers. The TA Hub offers truck repair, restaurants, convenience stores, and overnight parking. An experiment on EV charging reliability by Consumer Reports notes that the majority of his DC fast-charging locations do not have the same advantages as gas stations. There’s no roof to protect drivers from the weather, no windshield cleaning supplies, no trash bins to throw out roadside trash. Not to mention, the Electrify America app allows EV travelers to map long-distance trips and connect to TA’s highway stops. Resolving this range anxiety could help many customers eventually switch to his EVs.
I don’t think this is true, and it may be. EV charging customers already complained on twitter That EA should stop rolling out new charging stations until the reliability issue can be addressed. According to his April 2022 study from the University of California, Berkeley, 19% of Electrify America’s EVSEs (electric vehicle service equipment) were not working when tested. That’s better than competitors ChargePoint (36.4%) and EVgo (25.5%), but it’s too risky if you’re relying on a specific EV station for long drives. Tesla chargers were excluded from the study because they cannot be considered public and work only with Tesla vehicles. However, according to the same group’s survey, only 4% of Tesla owners reported having major problems with their closed DCFC (direct current fast charging) system.
EA is still new to the space, as it won’t get its first outside investor until June 2022 with a $450 million investment from Siemens. Founded in 2016 as a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group of America, the automaker launched EA as part of its efforts to offset emissions.
This is not a well-meaning campaign either. The promise to launch a public EV charging network is part of a civil settlement after the US EPA accused the Volkswagen Group of hiding excess emissions from regulators with a neutralization device. was. Also as part of this concession, Volkswagen is promoting brand-neutral zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) education, including EA’s marketing campaign “As Seen on EV,” to debunk myths about range and access to charging stations. and committed to promote awareness campaigns.
