In context: Although electric vehicles are faster and more efficient than ever, long-distance transit is still a bit tricky. Fortunately, Electrify America has been working hard to make cross-country road trips easier by installing a network of charging stations throughout the USA.
As of today, Electrify America (EA) has hit a significant milestone in this area: it has finished work on its first coast-to-coast EV fast-charging route. According to the company, the route spans a total of 11 states and 2,700 miles.
This route takes drivers right through the middle of the United States, starting in California and ending in Washington, DC. Due to the close proximity of each station – EA says they're only about 70 miles apart on average – range anxiety shouldn't be a major concern for any EV owners who choose to drive along this route.
EA hopes to complete a second cross-country charging route by the end of September 2020. When that route is finished, it will guide drivers along the southern coast of the United States. Like the first route, it begins in California, but it ends on the east coast of Florida.
EA executive Anthony Lambkin issued the following statement regarding the company's latest accomplishment:
Electrify America's primary goal has always been to advance electric vehicle adoption in the U.S., and that starts by instilling feelings of confidence and freedom in consumers when it comes to EV ownership. The completion of our first cross-country route is a significant step towards that goal - by making long-distance travel in an EV a reality, we hope to encourage more consumers to make the switch to electric.
In total, EA has erected more than 1,900 fast EV chargers, spread across "more than" 435 charging stations. The company hopes to roughly double those numbers by the end of 2021, and we look forward to seeing whether or not they will be able to do so.