America Reaches 80,000 Public Fast-Charging Ports for the First Time
The US has passed 80,000 public fast-charging ports for the first time, adding 4,106 in the third quarter, a 12% drop compared to the previous year. The EU, in contrast, boasts 212,439 public DC points, with nearly 18,000 new ones added in four months.
The third quarter saw a slowdown, with ports falling 12% and stations 20% year-over-year, according to data from Paren reported by InsideEVs, after Washington withdrew its EV support. Tesla led the quarter with the most new ports, adding 1,287, though this was 533 fewer than the previous year.
California, Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia were the top states for new openings, accounting for 42% of new stations in five states and 10% in rural areas. Ionna came in second with 378 new ports, nearly triple its year-earlier rollout, followed by Walmart with 344.
The shift is towards higher power outputs. Some 73% of new ports now deliver at least 250kW, up from 60% a year earlier, with 400kW being the most common choice for new sites. China is even further ahead, with BYD’s Flash Charging connectors delivering up to 1,500kW per connector, and its network passing 10,000 stations in August.
Europe mandates power by law. Since the end of 2025, AFIR has required a charging pool every 60km on the core trans-European network with at least 400kW and one 150kW point, rising to 600kW and two by the end of 2027.
A Finnish manufacturer claims that the variable that matters least is power output. Kempower found that utilization was 3% on 100kW sites compared to 5% at 400kW, while going from two plugs to eight increased utilization from 2% to nearly 10%.
Subsidies follow power requirements, with California offering up to $100,000 per port above 275kW, while the EU provides $55,000 for 150kW to 275kW ports.
Geography, not kilowatts, largely determines Europe's distribution, with the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, and Belgium accounting for about 66% of the continent's public points, and Germany having roughly 7.5 times the Dutch DC count.
Demand is outpacing both regions. America logged a record 17.6 million public fast-charging sessions in July.
By Darius Popa
Technology enthusiast and intern at The Next Web, contributing to research-backed content and investigating new technologies and global events.