Jolt has announced that it will acquire a substantial portion of the Volta EV charging and media network beginning in early 2026.

This gives a new life to Volta’s charging points after Shell was ready to close the network and dismantle chargers. Volta operated under a unique business model in which charging points also featured large displays for advertising. The charging points were usually free to use, while the ads were the primary source of revenue.

Jolt has a similar approach and even describes itself as the global digital out-of-home (DOOH) and electric vehicle charging network. The company operates across Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. With the acquisition of Volta, Jolt enters the US market.

We don’t know how many Volt charging points were acquired or will be available for EV drivers, but the potential is for a few thousand (mostly AC, with a small portion DC). Some of them are already working under the Jolt network, although they may require using the dedicated Jolt app.

Our colleague Kyle Conner (@itskyleconner / X) recently had an opportunity to test a former Volta charging point under the Jolt charging network. Spoiler alert: charging wasn’t free.

First time using the Jolt charging network

These have taken over the Shell / Volta stations

Bad reviews and it doesn’t seem fully setup yet (credit card reader doesn’t work)

But once I filled out the 9+/- pages of questions and info I did get the unit to deliver power! That’s… pic.twitter.com/gl8uQQspEL

— Kyle Conner (@itskyleconner) January 10, 2026

It will be interesting to see the final shape of the network, its pricing, and whether it will survive, as the AC charging business has never been easy.

Meanwhile, in Canada, Jolt received a $194 million CAD loan to build up to 1,500 DC chargers.