Electrify America, one of the largest DC fast-charging networks in the United States, recently invited State Of Charge to visit its new Technology Campus in Ashburn, Virginia. It was a unique opportunity for our very own Tom Moloughney to not only tour the facility (as the first journalist ever invited to do so) but also interview the company’s representatives about the present and the future of the network.

The new Center of Excellence, established in 2023, is not only larger than the previous one but also much more advanced. Together with the development lab, it’s the heart of Electrify America from a technological standpoint.

During a 45-minute interview with the company’s Director of Product & Program Management, Mike Buff, and its Senior Director of Quality, Ken Tennyson, Tom covered multiple topics, including network reliability, charger testing, the transition to NACS, and the future of the network.

Technology Campus

The new Center of Excellence has an amazing collection of 18 DC fast chargers — basically all types ever used in the Electrify America network. There is also a fleet of various EVs, which enables the testing of vehicles with various chargers. That’s especially important as both the chargers and vehicles are getting software updates or new services, which have to be tested before market launch.

That’s not all, as the site is equipped with a DC emulator, which can “create” a digital version of a vehicle (a rare one or an older one) and simulate its charging sessions.

The testing of EV charging concerns services like Plug & Charge and charging sessions in extreme temperatures (up to 122°F / 50°C).

Electrify America Expansion

The Electrify America network already has more than 5,000 DC fast chargers installed at over 1,000 sites in 47 US states and seven Canadian provinces (Electrify Canada branch).

That’s the largest DC fast-charging network available to all EVs in the US (at least until the Tesla Supercharging network opening is completed).

According to the in-depth interview, the company’s focus is on high-voltage, high-power 350 kW chargers (potentially higher power in the future). An interesting fact is that roughly 75% of the chargers are 350 kW, which really stands out.

The current network’s average is about five charging stalls per station. However, in the case of new sites, the minimum target is 10 stalls per station. In some cases, there will be 20 or 30 stalls at a single location. In August 2025, Electrify America opened its first station with 20 Hyper-Fast 350-kW chargers in Santa Monica.

Overall, Electrify America is expanding, building more and larger stations. At the same time, the company is upgrading its older infrastructure. It was quite surprising that last year, some 900 dispensers were upgraded, and so far this year, an additional 700 dispensers have already been upgraded.

Regarding the expansion of existing stations, Electrify America takes one of two routes: adding stalls or building a new site nearby, depending on which is more effective.

Electrify America’s First Charging Station in Santa Monica. (Source: Electrify America)

Reliability

During the first several years, Electrify America (and many other charging networks) struggled with reliability. There were many issues, as the network must serve a broad lineup of EVs from all manufacturers, since the implementation of the CCS1 charging standard varied. One of the biggest problems was the involvement of four DC fast charger suppliers and early issues with some of the equipment (such as those encountered from the first 350-kW chargers on the market).

In recent years, the reliability of Electrify America has noticeably improved, and it’s reflected in independent studies. J.D. Power reports that Electrify America’s satisfaction is in the middle of the pack (slightly above average for third-party networks), but still a step behind OEM-branded networks.

The reliability is expected to improve further as the new chargers are better and designed for service. Additionally, the company has much more advanced diagnostic services.

Transition to NACS

Electrify America’s transition from the CCS1 to SAE J3400 (NACS) charging standard started with a small pilot in March 2025. The company deployed Alpitronic HYC400 chargers with NACS connectors at two locations.

The network’s customers are usually drivers of CCS1-compatible EVs, so the pilot will be used to gather data and decide about the strategy of NACS deployment — what chargers to use, the most practical CCS1/NACS ratio, etc.

Electrify America NACS (SAE J3400) Pilot Charging Stations (Source: Electrify America)

Adapters

Electrify America has a strict policy regarding DC fast-charging adapters — NACS-to-CCS1 or CCS1-to-NACS. According to the company’s terms and conditions, only UL-certified adapters are allowed at Electrify America chargers (like the new Lectron Vortex Plus).

Interestingly, even the adapters supplied by EV manufacturers should be UL certified (and they are expected to get such certification soon, according to Electrify America).

Congestion Reduction

Another topic of the interview was Electrify America’s Congestion Reduction Pilot program, which earlier this year expanded to over 100 stations. It’s aimed to reduce wait times by limiting DC fast charging to only 85% state of charge (SOC). Any charging done above 80% SOC is usually very slow.

Electrify America only applies the 85% SOC charging limit to some larger and busier stations, which have alternative charging sites nearby. The feedback so far is “great”.

Another indirect way of reducing congestion is the pilot of time-of-use pricing. The cost of charging is higher during peak periods, which should encourage some drivers to seek charging opportunities outside these times.

Plug & Charge Challenges

Tom Moloughney asked Electrify America about the Plug & Charge service, which is now available for EVs from eight manufacturers. This number is expected to grow, making DC fast charging seamless (after the initial configuration of the account and payment method).

However, Electrify America and EV manufacturers have had technical difficulties in fully combining their systems and including rebates. Tom uses his Ford F-150 Lightning as an example. Ford’s Plug & Charge works fine, but it does not get the reduced pricing, even though Tom also has an Electrify America membership. That’s something that still hasn’t been solved (for a few years now).

Info About the Stalls

One question arose concerning power limits (derating) at some chargers, which could sometimes negatively surprise EV drivers. According to Electrify America, the latest version of the app displays info if there are issues with chargers at particular stations.

Goal: Sustainable Business

Volkswagen created the Electrify America network as part of its settlement after the emissions scandal in the US. The German manufacturer agreed to invest $2 billion in the company by the end of 2026. In 2022, Siemens joined the network, investing a low triple-digit million USD in Electrify America.

The main question is what will happen with the Electrify America network once the primary source of funding dries up. Electrify America’s representatives explain that from the beginning, the focus was to build a sustainable business.

Electrify America is not going away, and this is just the beginning. That’s good news and an indication of interesting competition between several networks, including Tesla Superchargers, Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint (which has a bit of a different approach with distributed ownership of the chargers), and new players like Ionna.

Video timestamps:

04:05 The interview begins
09:00 Extreme environmental testing
11:20 How many sites and chargers does Electrify America currently have?
12:29 How many chargers per site is Electrify America installing?
14:09 Will Electrify America add additional chargers to older sites?
16:13 What has Electrify America done to improve station reliability?
19:48 Will Electrify America add chargers that are more powerful than 350 kW?
23:06 When will Electrify America add NACS connectors?
24:55 What is Electrify America’s policy on adapters?
28:05 Electrify America’s Congestion Reduction Effort
31:07 Linking the customer’s Pass+ account with Plug&Charge
34:00 How can Electrify America lower the cost to its customers?
36:45 Improving the app functionality
38:45 Has Electrify America considered a Customer Advisory Board?
42:15 What will the company do after Cycle four ends on 12/31/26?
46:05 Summary