The Weekly EV Charging Briefing.

US Fast Charging Passes 80,000 Ports While Prices Climb, Arizona Opens Its First Federally Funded Stations, Texas Has 22 Open and 321 More Funded, and Seattle Takes Requests for Curbside Chargers

Paren's third-quarter report counts 80,964 fast-charging ports at 14,614 US stations, with 50.4 million sessions in the quarter, up 26% from a year earlier, and an average price of 54 cents per kWh; Tesla's non-member price rose 15% to 56.9 cents. Arizona opened its first three NEVI-funded stations on October 14 in Tucson, Green Valley, and Wellton, and proposals for 49 more stations are due January 15, 2027. TxDOT says 22 of its first-phase stations are open and it has awarded $226 million for 321 more. Seattle City Light and SDOT are taking requests for up to 200 curbside Level 2 chargers by 2030, with applications open through fall 2027.

California Opens $28 Million for Public Fast Chargers at Up to $100,000 a Port, Electrify America Lets Retailers Run Their Own Branded Networks, Pilot and Tesla Open Their First Semi Megacharger Site, and Tesla's Home Backup Feature Reaches the Model 3 and Y

California's Fast Charge California Project opened its first application window on October 7 with at least $28 million available, up to $100,000 per port, and applications accepted through January 14. Electrify America is marketing its Powered by Electrify America program, which already supports more than 100 stations and nearly 600 chargers, as a way for retailers to run their own branded networks. Pilot and Tesla opened their first Megacharger site for electric semis on October 8 in Ellabell, Georgia, with six stalls rated up to 1.2 MW. And Tesla's Powershare home backup feature is now available on the Model 3 and Model Y, but it needs a Powerwall 3 and a Wall Connector, and only cars ordered after October 1 are guaranteed to support it.

Oregon Is Two Years Into NEVI With Zero Fast Chargers Open, EVgo Previews a 750 kW System for 2027, Tesla Posts a Record Supercharging Quarter, and IONNA Passes 180 Sites With New Automaker Discounts

OPB reported on October 2 that Oregon, set to receive more than $52 million in NEVI money over five years, still has no federally funded fast chargers open two years in, though ODOT expects at least one station to start construction this month. EVgo previewed a 750 kW charging system on September 29, built with Delta Electronics, that could charge the fastest EVs sold today in about 10 minutes; deployment slips to 2027, later than the second half of 2026 EVgo projected in 2024. Tesla's third-quarter Supercharging figures show a record 69 million sessions and 2.4 TWh delivered, both up 29% from a year earlier. And IONNA topped 180 U.S. fast-charging sites, with Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz drivers joining BMW in getting a 10% discount through Plug & Charge as of October 1.

California Signs a Six-Bill Package to Cut EV Charger Permitting Red Tape, Colorado Awards $23.2 Million for 270 More Fast-Charging Ports, PSE&G's Off-Peak Charging Credit Sunsets This Week, and NYC Taps a Brooklyn Startup to Triple Its Curbside Chargers

Governor Newsom signed six bills on September 20 that streamline EV charger inspections, extend streamlined permitting to related site work, and cap permit fees for Level 2 charging at multifamily housing from mid-2027 (2028 in smaller cities and counties) through 2036. Colorado awarded $23.2 million on September 22 to build 270 more fast-charging ports at 35 locations, a 16% jump in the state's existing network. PSE&G's Off-Peak Charging Credit for New Jersey EV owners ends October 1, closing out a program the utility stopped accepting new enrollments for in January. New York City hired Brooklyn-based It's Electric to install more than 600 new curbside Level 2 chargers across the five boroughs over the next three years, nearly tripling the city's pilot network. And the Alliance for Automotive Innovation's Q2 report, released September 24, shows EV sales posted their best quarter since the federal tax credit expired, though volume is still down 20.5% from a year ago.

Congress Quietly Defused the September 30 NEVI Funding Cliff, Pennsylvania Opens Its Fourth and Final NEVI Round for $32 Million, UL Launches a Vehicle-to-Grid Certification Program, and EV Realty Locks In Grid Power for a 27 MW Truck Charging Hub

The September 30 deadline this newsletter has tracked for weeks turned out to already be resolved: President Trump signed a continuing resolution on September 2 that extends Highway Trust Fund contract authority through September 30, 2027, so NEVI and other formula programs will not lapse next week, though the deal drops the IIJA's advance appropriations and a full five-year reauthorization still is not written. Pennsylvania opened the fourth and final region of its $100 million NEVI Community Charging buildout on September 17, making $32 million available across 18 eastern counties, the same day the state's 50th federally funded charging station opened in Harrisburg. UL Solutions launched a certification program for vehicle-to-grid bidirectional chargers, giving installers and utilities a recognized safety standard to specify against. And EV Realty confirmed a 9 megawatt grid power reservation with Southern California Edison for a future truck charging hub in Ontario, California, bringing its planned Inland Empire capacity to 27 megawatts.