Tesla Won the EV Plug War, but Everyone BenefitsEVgoTesla and its North American Charging System (NACS) have clearly won the US plug-in wars. EV owners will only benefit as that available-to-everyone national Supercharger network—already pretty good—continues to expand. Major charging provider EVgo recently announced that, starting this fall, it will dramatically expand its fast-charging network across the US with hundreds of new Tesla-produced and -maintained V4 Superchargers.EVgo, one of the largest public networks, currently operates more than 1,200 stations (mostly CCS but an increasing number of NACS), for a total of 5,380 ports. The company is adding charging locations in 47 states, with plans to triple its footprint (to 15,000 to 17,000 ports, also known as stalls) by 2030. The new EVgo-branded Superchargers (capable of adding 200 miles of range in 15 minutes) will be integrated into in-car Tesla navigation, and owners can be automatically routed to them through the Tesla Trip Planner. The first EVgo Supercharger will go online in the second half of this year.An EVgo NACS-capable charging station.EVgoSara Rafalson, executive vice president for external affairs at EVgo, told Autoweek, "Zooming out, we can see that the industry is transitioning to NACS, and we expect to install hundreds of those Superchargers, in a program that extends into 2027." She said that, to increase utilization, EVgo installs units mostly in major metropolitan areas with available multi-family housing.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe EVgo network currently has 240 NACS stalls on its network, with plans for 500 by the end of the year. "We're seeing a demand for more fast-charging stations, with more individual stalls at each one," Rafalson said. "And as we install new stations, we're also decommissioning old equipment." She said grocery store locations, including at Whole Foods, are working well in terms of how often they're used. EVgo's chargers overall have a nearly 20 percent utilization rate, which spokeswoman Katie Wallace said is industry-leading.Tesla V4 Superchargers.TeslaThe new Tesla V4 Superchargers are capable of charging at 500 kilowatts, but EVgo is also retrofitting some 350-kilowatt Tesla units at existing company stations. And it is also working on its own next-generation fast chargers in conjunction with Delta Electronics. Rafalson said the first of these will be deployed by the end of 2026. EVgo claims 95 percent uptime; Tesla says 99 percent for its own network.Just in 2026, EVgo expects to install 1,300 to 1,575 new stalls of various types, Rafalson said. The company also has chargers along major highway corridors at more than 300 Pilot Flying J truck stops, helping on long-distance trips. According to Paul Scott, a founder of advocacy group Plug In America, "EVgo installing hundreds of NACS is an acknowledgement that Tesla's connector is the superior technology. Having other providers spending money building infrastructure helps everyone, since making it easy to charge sells more EVs. Tesla can't do it all by themselves. We need everyone on board."EVgo chargers at a Pilot gas station.EVgoBy the end of this year, there will be more than 35 vehicle models available with NACS ports/stalls, including more than three million Teslas. Tesla itself has more than 3,000 Supercharger stations open for business in the US, with 37,000 individual charging ports. Globally, there are more than 8,000 Supercharger stations and 80,000 ports in more than 50 countries.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe charging network continues to expand, despite zero support from the Trump administration. There are more than 96,000 public fast DC stations with 295,000-plus ports now open to the public in the US. In addition to Tesla, there are more than 1,080 Electrify America DC stations (with 5,600 ports), more than 3,870 locations and 4,700 fast-charging ports via major player ChargePoint (which has been primarily a Level 2 AC network),150 from IONNA (with 1,375 ports via a consortium of eight auto companies), and 3,762 from EV Connect (as of last May). All these companies are adding chargers rapidly, so the August 2026 numbers are probably higher.Though the federal map of EV charger locations in the U.S. now looks like a dense forest, a closer look reveals that the outlets are not evenly spaced around the country. Zoom in on the map and it gets a bit sparse in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, western Texas and northern Nebraska. Asked about those holes in the map, Rafalson said, "We build where the demand is." Still, it's entirely possible to drive an EV either across the U.S. or take the north-south route on either coast.EVgo also recently announced a new large charging station in Warren, Michigan, across from GM's Global Technical Center, built in partnership with General Motors and retailer Meijer. It has 12 CCS and NACS stalls, and 350-kilowatt fast-charging capability. Working with GM, EVgo will build 100 flagship stalls across the U.S., with a focus on California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Texas.Photo Captions:A rendering of a EVgo station, coming this fall, that will deploy company-branded Tesla Superchargers. (EVgo graphic)END