Pilot Travel Centers, GM, EVgo Open First Locations of Fast EV Charging Network
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After recently making plans for a national electric vehicle charging network, Pilot Travel Centers, GM, and EVgo have opened their first 17 charging locations across 13 states.
Each site features the same amenities as existing Pilot and Flying J travel centers, now with multiple fast-charging stalls that may deliver 350 kilowatts of power. As the charging network continues to grow, the three companies aim to create a practical, accessible charging experience for EV owners during long-distance travel.
The companies said that by the end of this year, at least 25 Pilot and Flying J travel centers will include EV fast charging, expanding to about 200 locations by the end of 2024. Once completed, the network will feature up to 2,000 chargers at over 500 travel centers in both urban and rural communities across the country. Sites for the network are reportedly being chosen based on highly traveled corridors of the United States.
Customers may be able to easily find charger locations through any GM vehicle brand app, the Pilot myRewards Plus app, the EVgo app, and other digital applications made for EV drivers.
“As GM continues to advance its vision of an all-electric future, we’re collaborating broadly to accelerate access to convenient charging at home and on the go, offering additional confidence to prospective single vehicle customers considering an EV,” said Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy. “This new network will provide EV drivers with a quality charging experience and greater peace of mind during road trips.”
EVgo Deployment Model May Allow for Quicker Network Expansion, Accelerate EV Adoption
Early this year, President Biden announced plans to rapidly expand EV charging availability across the country, to build 500,000 EV chargers by 2030.
As EV charging networks expand to meet rising EV demand, such as this one and the Tesla Supercharger network, the speed at which chargers are made available has become increasingly important.
EVgo recently adopted a new EV charging station prefabrication process that may cut installation times by half and save about 15% in station construction costs for eligible sites. This development may allow for faster EV network expansion, responding to the cited top concern of consumers considering purchasing an electric vehicle — a shortage of publicly available EV chargers.
