Answer
Aug 04, 2020 - 07:51 AM
According to PlugShare, there are over 300,000 charging stations in the United States. There are more charging stations than you think, you just have to know where to look.
There are several different apps and websites that can help you find stations as well as provide real time information about availability of charging stations, cost to charge, charging speed, and whether a parking fee is also required. These include: U.S. Department of Energy, PlugShare, ChargePoint, and ChargeHub. If you have a Tesla, you will not need to use a charging station app to find stations as Tesla's navigation system has the locations of Tesla's dedicated charging network built in and will automatically plan your charging stops for you.
Charging stations can be categorized by the type of need they fill:
1. Local Charging Stations: Stations located in parking garages, parking lots and other locations around your community. These are important if you do not have a home charger. If you have adequate charging at home, you will almost never need to use these as you will take care of any charging you need for driving around town when you are plugged in at home. If you do not have a home charger, you will need to know where your local chargers are.
2. Highway Charging Stations: Stations located along the highway for charging. These are important if you are going on a trip that is longer than the range of your car and will need to charge along the way – you can still go on road trips with your EV! For Tesla, there are over 6,500 very fast charging stations that can only be used by Teslas located along every major highway in the US. These are close enough together that you can go anywhere in the country without having to worry about finding a place to charge. Charging at one of these fast charger stations is about as convenient as going to a gas station, although it will take you 10 to 20 minutes to charge vs. just 5 minutes to fill up your tank. Chargers for other EVs are also increasingly prevalent along highways – check the links above.
3. Destination Chargers: Stations located at common destinations like hotels and ski resorts. If you are going on a longer trip and will need to recharge before going home, destination chargers may be a convenient option for you. Many hotels and resorts, places that you are likely to stay for the day or overnight, have installed charging stations so that their visitors can recharge their cars. Check in advance to find out if the place you are headed has destination chargers.
