Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations come in two varieties: networked and non-networked. Networked stations allow site hosts to control various aspects of the charger such as pricing, access, hours of operation, charging session limits, and more.
On the other hand, non-networked chargers do not have these functions. Instead, they are rather “plug n play” where anyone can pull up and charge. There is no payment processing, access restrictions, or charging limitations with non-networked charging stations.
In some instances, a non-network charger may be the solution, however, most public charging stations go for a networked station for the reasons listed above. There are many public Level 2 charging networks in the U.S. Each of these are increasing in numbers each and every year as EVs become popular.
Most Popular EV Charging Networks by Station Count
Per the Alternative Fuel Data Center, the most popular public Level 2 EV charging network is by far Chargepoint followed by SemaCharge, Blink, and Volta. As you can see in the charts below, Chargepoint has over 21,400 stations. About 37% of which are located in California–the most popular EV state. The next closest public charging network is SemaCharge and Blink with 1,700 and 1,200, respectively. Notably, Tesla is not included as their chargers are not open to all EVs.
Most Popular EV Charging Networks by Port Count
When looking at the number of ports or connectors, Chargepoint retains the lead with nearly 40,000. In second and third are SemaCharge and Blink with 5,000 and 3,000, respectively. Notably, EV Connect jumps to fourth place when looking at total number of ports whereas when looking at total number of stations EV Connect is at sixth place. This is because EV Connect has more ports per station than some other competitors.
Closing Thoughts
Selecting the right EV charging network can be challenging. There are many different options with each having different features and price points. If you or your business are looking to add charging stations, ask us for a free quote! We are an EV charging consultancy where we help businesses install commercial charging stations. We’ll work with you, the design team, the contractor, the utility, and the local jurisdiction to get the job done right. Plus, we’ll even search and apply to available rebates saving you as much money as possible. Get started with a free quote today!
Hi there! I’m the founder and project manager at Charged Future: the EV charging consultancy. Charged Future helps businesses achieve their EV charging goals. Specifically, I serve as the project manager for your EV charging project, which can save you both time and money! Additionally, I can search and apply to all eligible rebate applications, which can typically cover a large portion of the project cost.
It should be reiterated that these are public stations and the counts do not reflect fleet units or other units that are not on the public charging map (like an office building that limits access to its own employees).
Yes, good point. This article addresses public charging stations only.