Electric vehicle fast charging in the United States has improved considerably since 2023, with more available chargers, broader access to Tesla’s network and higher station reliability. The progress addresses a major barrier for prospective buyers, more than half of whom identified public charging infrastructure as a concern in a 2025 AAA survey.
A recent 600-mile journey to Montreal in an Audi e-tron showed how much the experience has changed. Three charging sessions lasted about 20 minutes each and were completed during meal or rest stops, without waiting for the vehicle.
Road Trip Requires Few Charging Compromises
The journey was originally planned in a Kia EV9, which has a range of nearly 300 miles, but an air-conditioning problem required the use of an Audi e-tron with about 220 miles of range. The shorter range did not cause significant delays.
Charging stops were planned with A Better Routeplanner, which considers weather, vehicle specifications, battery condition and other factors. The first stop was a Rivian site near Lebanon, New Hampshire, with six operational 300-kilowatt chargers.
The charger accepted a credit card without requiring an app and delivered more than 140 kilowatts, close to the Audi’s maximum charging rate. The same location provided a similarly smooth experience during the return journey.
A Circuit Électrique station outside Montreal presented the trip’s only problem because its card reader did not work. Charging began after the network’s app was downloaded and loaded with 20 Canadian dollars, while a hotel charger worked without difficulty during the stay.
Earlier Journey Required Customer Support
The experience differed sharply from a 350-mile journey in the same Audi three years earlier. One charger failed shortly after the session began and remained connected to the account, preventing another stall from starting until customer support intervened.
At another site, the network’s app showed that two of four plugs were operational, but only one worked. The driver contacted customer service three times during roughly seven hours on the road.
Charger Availability More Than Doubles
The United States had around 32,000 public DC fast-charging ports in July 2023. Data from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation now shows that the number has more than doubled as Tesla and competing operators continue adding locations.
Access has also expanded beyond Tesla owners. Tesla says selected Superchargers are available to compatible non-Tesla vehicles equipped with the North American Charging Standard connector or an approved adapter.
Reliability has improved alongside network growth. Charging data company Paren reported that its national reliability score reached 93.5 in the first quarter of 2026, compared with a broader range of roughly 85% to 92% across most states a year earlier.
Tesla continues to lead in reliability, but other operators are improving as older hardware is replaced and repairs become faster. Network gaps and broken chargers remain, though long-distance journeys increasingly require fewer delays and customer-support calls.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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