If you’re one of those people considering an EV but worried about charging, here’s some news that might surprise you.
Fast charging DC ports are being deployed at the highest pace ever in the U.S. in 2025. That’s according to Paren, which is an analytical firm that tracks and studies real-time charging data.
Tesla alone installed 646 new Supercharger ports in May. Most modern-EVs can now use newer Supercharger stations with adapters.
Perhaps more importantly, Paren reports there’s strong growth among a wide variety of charging networks that include Walmart, Pilot Flying J, ChargePoint and others.
Paren Chief Analyst Loren McDonald points out that it’s actually the second half of 2025 where the really strong growth is likely to happen since companies like IONNA, Mercedes-Benz and others will be scaling up their charging station deployments.
As someone who has owned EVs since 2014, I can personally tell you the days of worrying about finding a working charger or place to charge are pretty much over in many parts of the country.
Last month I took my Zero Motorcycles SR/F EV on a nearly 1,400-mile ride through rural areas of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. That’s something I would have never attempted when I bought it in 2019.
I’ve also driven my Ford Mustang Mach-E across to more than 20 states, racking up more than 54,000 miles.
When I first got my Mach-E in 2022, charging when traveling was a bit of an adventure between stations that didn’t work right or there only being one fast-charge location in a city or town. These days it’s more common to find a variety of locations, especially near interstates.
Using my own Jacksonville, FL neighborhood as an example, the Electrify America station in the photo is a ten minute walk from my house.
More apartment complexes are also starting to install chargers, such as this one, which is about a five minute walk from the pictured Electrify America station.
The Pew Research Center found 64% of Americans live within two miles of a public charging station. That report is now more than a year-old so the percentage has almost certainly gone up since then.
More exciting, many of the newest EVs can charge at peak speeds of 200 kWs or more, which translates to many cars being able to add 100 or more miles of range in ten minutes at the fastest DC charging stations.
Among American automakers, the fastest charging vehicle currently is the Lucid Gravity SUV, which can add about 190 miles of range in 10 minutes when using a 400 kW DC charging station.
Chinese automaker BYD is currently the production-car fast-charge record holder on the world stage. BYD’s Han L sedan and Tang L SUV can add nearly 250 miles of range in 5 minutes using BYD’s 1000V Super e-platform.
While I still occasionally run into stations that are either full or have a port that’s not working when traveling in different states, the difference is those scenarios are becoming more rare. and if it does happen, these days it’s often easier to regroup by rerouting to another nearby charging location.
Most modern EVs have built-in navigation systems that will automatically add suggested charging stops to your routes when traveling outside of your vehicle’s range.
If you’ve got any questions about charging EVs, fire away in the comment section of this video on the EV Rider YouTube channel and I’ll do my best to answer them.