U.S. EV Fast‑Charging Network Grows, Boosting Long‑Distance Trips

A 600‑mile family road trip from New Hampshire to Montreal demonstrated that public EV charging in the United States has become more reliable and widely available. The driver stopped at a Rivian site with six 300‑kilowatt chargers that were all free, and the Audi e‑tron accepted a charge of more than 140 kW. The only hiccup was a card‑reader failure near Montreal, which was resolved by pre‑loading funds through the network’s app. The experience contrasts with a similar 2023 drive that faced broken stalls and multiple service calls.

Industry data show the number of DC fast chargers in the U.S. has more than doubled since 2023, reaching over 64,000 stations, and the reliability index has risen into the mid‑90s. At the same time, operators face new tax obligations. Public‑charging businesses fall into either an integrated‑operator model, where the station owner charges the driver and collects state sales tax and any EV‑specific taxes, or a split‑role model, where a separate e‑mobility service provider handles driver billing while the station owner may be responsible for tax registration and remittance. Tax liability is generally determined by the charging‑station location, not the driver’s address.