Electrify America announced Monday an agreement with TravelCenters of America (TA) to install EV fast chargers at the latter’s rest stops.
TA and Electrify America hope to install 1,000 stand-alone DC fast charging stations at 200 locations along major highways within five years, with the first stations coming online in 2023, according to a joint press release.
According to the companies, the work will lead to “next-generation fast chargers at 50-mile intervals nationwide.”
Electrify America DC Fast Charger – CCS and CHAdeMO
TA will purchase the chargers from Electrify America, but Electrify America will install, operate and maintain them. Customers can also find and pay for charging through the Electrify America app, just like other chargers wholly owned by the company.
Like other chargers, units installed at TA locations will provide up to 350 kW of charging power and plug-and-play connectivity, allowing drivers of compatible vehicles to simply plug in to start charging and be automatically billed.
2022 Hyundai IONIQ 5 at Electrify America DC fast charging station
As part of Volkswagen’s solution to cheating on diesel emissions, Electrify America aims to have more than 1,800 charging stations and more than 10,000 individual chargers in the US and Canada by 2026. To achieve this goal, the company has been seeking outside funding from backers such as Siemens to supplement the $2 billion pledged by VW.
It turns out that travel centers are perfect for EV charging because they take up necessary curbside real estate and provide amenities for drivers waiting to charge. Electrify America announced an agreement in 2020 to install EV chargers at Love’s Travel Stops, albeit on a smaller scale than the new TA agreement. GM has partnered with rival charging network EVgo to install 2,000 chargers at 500 Pilot and Flying J stations starting this year.