TLDR
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.
California Opens $28 Million for Public Fast Chargers, Up to $100,000 a Port
The California Energy Commission opened the first application window of its Fast Charge California Project on October 7, according to electrive and Electrek. At least $28 million is available in this window, with incentives of up to $100,000 per charging port. Businesses, nonprofits, public agencies, and eligible California tribes can apply, and the chargers must be open to the public. The window closes January 14. The CEC announced $55.2 million for the overall project in May, and a second window with a lower cap of $55,000 per port is scheduled to open February 24, 2027 and run until May 2027.
Ready to build means ready to build. Incentives can cover up to 100% of eligible installation costs, but only for projects that already have their permits and a final utility service design in place. Funds are reserved in the order eligible applications are received, and projects in disadvantaged, low-income, and tribal communities get priority. The program is run through CALeVIP, administered by the Center for Sustainable Energy.
What this means for commercial site hosts. The binding constraint is the utility service design, not the application. If you do not have a final design from the utility yet, start that request now; it is usually the longest step. If you are not ready by January, the second window pays roughly half as much per port, so a project that can make the first window has a real reason to hurry. Check the CEC's program page for the full eligibility rules before you plan around the reported figures.
Electrify America Pitches Retailers on Running Their Own Branded Networks
Electrify America is promoting a turnkey program called Powered by Electrify America, which lets a retailer put its own brand on a charging site that Electrify America builds and maintains, according to electrive on October 5 and Carscoops. The company says the program, which launched in 2020, already supports more than 100 stations and nearly 600 chargers. Wawa and Costco are named users.
How the work is split. The retailer sets the branding, pricing, and loyalty features. Electrify America supplies the equipment, software, and maintenance. Wawa, for example, is adding eight Wawa-branded fast-charging sites in Pennsylvania in 2026, five rated up to 400 kW and three at 350 kW, according to Charged EVs and InsideEVs.
What this means for commercial hosts. If you own a retail or convenience site and do not want to operate chargers yourself, a white-label arrangement is one way to get a branded product without building an operations team. The questions to put in writing are who sets and keeps the revenue, who pays for utility upgrades, who carries the maintenance obligation and uptime commitment, and what happens at contract end. The program details above come from coverage of Electrify America's own description; confirm commercial terms with the company directly.
Pilot and Tesla Open Their First Megacharger Site for Electric Semis
Pilot Travel Centers and Tesla opened their first co-located Megacharger site at Pilot #1390 in Ellabell, Georgia, off Interstate 16 west of Savannah, on October 8, according to Electrek and CCJ. It has six stalls, each able to deliver up to 1.2 MW, which Tesla says lets a Semi recover 60% of its charge in about 30 minutes. Twelve more Pilot and Flying J locations are under construction, with three nearing completion in Tulare, California, Fort Stockton, Texas, and North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Why the location matters. Truck charging works only if it sits where drivers already stop. Putting stalls at an established travel center brings parking, restrooms, and a driver routine that a standalone depot lacks. The Tesla-specific list of public Megacharger sites was reported to show three sites before this one, so the network is still very small.
What this means for fleet operators and hosts. A 1.2 MW stall implies a very large utility connection; a six-stall site is a multi-megawatt load. If you are weighing depot charging against public truck charging, count the real route stops and dwell times before assuming public stalls will be available when you need them. For landowners near freight corridors, the opening is a reminder that heavy-duty sites live or die on grid capacity.
Tesla's Vehicle-to-Home Backup Reaches the Model 3 and Model Y
Tesla announced that its Powershare Home Backup feature, which lets a car power a house during an outage, is now available on the Model 3 and Model Y, according to Notebookcheck and Not a Tesla App, with CleanTechnica covering it on October 11. Tesla says cars ordered in the United States and Puerto Rico after October 1 support it, and some earlier cars may too, depending on hardware. Tesla says the Model 3 and Model Y Standard can provide up to two days of backup, and Premium and Performance trims more than two days.
The fine print. The car alone is not enough. Owners need a Powerwall 3 and a Wall Connector; Powerwall 2 and Powerwall+ support is described as planned but not yet available. This is backup only: sending power back to the grid (vehicle-to-grid) is not enabled on these models. It is available in the US and Puerto Rico, not Canada. Some outlets have described the eligibility cutoff as a build date; Tesla's own wording, as reported, is an order date, so check the in-car Powershare support indicator rather than assuming.
What this means for homeowners. If outage resilience is why you want bidirectional charging, price the full set of equipment, because the Powerwall 3 and Wall Connector are most of the cost, and ask your installer whether your panel and service can support them. If you already own an older Model 3 or Y, do not buy on the assumption that a software update will add the feature; Tesla has not said it will.
By the Numbers
$28 million: Minimum funding in the first Fast Charge California application window, which opened October 7, per electrive and Electrek.
$100,000: Maximum incentive per charging port in that window, falling to $55,000 per port in the second window opening February 24, 2027, per coverage of the CEC announcement.
100+ stations, nearly 600 chargers: Size of the Powered by Electrify America program, per Electrify America as reported by electrive.
1.2 MW: Per-stall power at the new Pilot and Tesla Megacharger site in Ellabell, Georgia, per Electrek and CCJ.
117 locations, 986 stalls: Walmart's DC fast-charging network at the end of September, up eight stations in the month, per EVChargingStations.com (a single tracker report; we could not confirm a later reported 1,000-stall milestone against a second source).
Sources: Electrek and electrive.com (Fast Charge California, October 7 to 8, 2026), the California Energy Commission, electrive.com, Carscoops, Charged EVs, and InsideEVs (Powered by Electrify America and Wawa, October 2026), Electrek, CCJ, and EVwire (Pilot and Tesla Megacharger, October 8 to 9, 2026), Notebookcheck, Not a Tesla App, and CleanTechnica (Tesla Powershare, October 2026), and EVChargingStations.com (Walmart network count, October 5, 2026). evcharginghelp.com is editorially independent and receives no compensation from any company mentioned.
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