Slowly But Surely Electrify America Begins To Expand Its Charging Options

For years, Electrify America had taken a "below the radar" go-slow approach to expanding its charging options. Now, EA has begun to get bolder.

Electrify America One Of First National Attempts At Charging

If you have been following electric vehicles (EV) for over a few years, you probably remember an early attempt at providing a nationwide charging network called Electrify America. It was part of the Blue Oval Charging network and has been a partner of Ford for some years.

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As a partner of Ford, Electrify America has provided a “select amount of complimentary charging for the Mustang Mach-E and Ford F-150 Lightning owners,” says the Ford Authority, a rather unique information source of info about Ford.

For the most part, Electrify America, which began with lots of fanfare about half a dozen years ago, has been flying under the radar as it provided resources for the Blue Oval. Recently, Electrify America has been coming out of its self-imposed shell, and it has announced some expansion plans.

Adding NACS Capacity

It intends to add “North American Charging Standard (NACS) capacity to Ford " and other automakers. Indeed, according to FA, Electrify America is planning to “switch from the Combined Charging System (CSS).” Indeed, Electrify America has “opened its first indoor charging” facility.

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The first of its kind, the new charging station is “located two blocks from the famous Bay Bridge in San Francisco.” The facility is offering the “first-of-its-kind” charging features that will let up to provide up to 20 individual fast chargers providing up to 350 kW of power, as well as a temperature-controlled lounge with food and beverage offerings, restrooms and free WiFi for those taking advantage of those units.”

Open Seven Days A Week

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the new facility reportedly has security and monitoring services to ensure that users don’t have to worry about their safety, according to FA.

This is the first “EA charging station.” It may also be the beginning of Electrify America’s (EA) first moves at “converting existing facilities moving forward – including those reflecting its new flagship design with larger spaces and more chargers for customers to use.”

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“We’re committed to making EVs accessible to all, particularly in dense urban areas like San Francisco,” said Robert Barrosa, president and CEO of Electrify America. “Our expertise in building over 250 stations in California and more than 900 in North America uniquely positions us to bring high-quality charging infrastructure directly into communities where people live and work and support EV adoption across the state.”

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Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971. His automotive articles have appeared in venues including Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.