An electric vehicle charging network is a system of charging stations that help recharge electric cars. The term electric vehicle infrastructure (EVI) can mean all charging stations or the network of stations in a country or area.
The increase in charging stations can be caused by companies that build them or by government funding. This is an important factor in how people switch from gas-powered cars to electric cars. In the past, companies that provide charging networks had special systems that only worked with certain car brands, like Tesla. Now, these companies usually provide energy to all electric vehicles, no matter which brand they are.
Maps
Charging station mapping services usually show the location, power, network, and type of connectors at publicly available charging stations. More advanced services also include the cost and whether a station is available at the moment. Large charging networks often provide maps of their own stations for customers to use.
PlugShare is a map that includes public, private, and residential charging locations. The site uses Google Maps to display locations and its own database to help users search by charging type. Public, private, and residential charging spots are listed. The service offers an app for iOS and Android devices that helps users find nearby chargers. An account is required to view private charging locations, which are at the homes or businesses of PlugShare members. PlugShare was bought by EVgo in 2021. PlugShare is one of many important sources for finding charging stations, though many public and private stations are not updated in the app.
Open Charge Map is a free service that provides information about electric vehicle charging stations. Its goal is to be a single, reliable source of information in a field with many different and sometimes conflicting data sources.
Zapmap is a charging mapping and payment service in the United Kingdom. It shares its data with the Department for Transport, and many local governments recommend it to residents for finding charging stations.
OpenStreetMap is a free, open-source map of the world that includes detailed information about charging stations. The map can be used by anyone, as long as it follows the ODbL license.
Infrastructure providers
- American Facilities Professionals installs and connects EV chargers to existing building systems to support long-term environmental goals.
- Blink Charging manages a network with more than 50,000 public EV charging stations in the United States, Europe, and the UK. The company also makes chargers for private use.
- ChargePoint offers public charging stations, a subscription plan for customers, and technology that helps manage electricity use for utility companies. As of 2023, ChargePoint had over 27,000 locations in the United States and additional stations in other countries.
- Connected Kerb is a UK-based company that provides EV charging solutions. Founded in 2017, the company aims to make EV charging affordable and accessible for everyone. In 2021, it planned to install 190,000 on-street residential charging stations in the UK by 2030. The company’s CEO is Chris Pateman-Jones.
- ChargeFinder is a mobile and web app that helps EV drivers find public charging stations.
- Elektromotive was a UK-based company that made and installed EV charging stations. It partnered with companies like EDF Energy and Mercedes-Benz. Elektromotive was later absorbed into Chargemaster, now known as BP Pulse.
- Electrify America is a DC fast charging network in the United States. As of March 2022, it had about 730 charging locations. The company was created by Volkswagen Group after the US Environmental Protection Agency accused the company of using illegal technology in its diesel vehicles.
- EVgo is one of the largest EV charging networks in the United States.
- EV Trail is an American company that focuses on improving access to EV charging in rural areas of Colorado.
- FLO operates an EV charging network in the United States and Canada. Its charging stations are built in Michigan and Quebec.
- Francis Energy is a company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that plans to expand to 40 states in 2023. It aims to install 50,000 EV charging ports by 2030 through partnerships with cities, car dealers, Tribal Nations, and businesses.
- Gridserve is a UK-based network of fast chargers at gas stations. It acquired many of these stations from Ecotricity’s Electric Highway brand.
- Hypercharge is a North American company that provides smart EV charging solutions for homes, apartment buildings, businesses, and vehicle fleets. Hypercharge was the first Canadian EV charging network to go public.
- Park & Charge is a European company that started in 1992. It operates EV charging stations in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Italy. Locations are listed in the LEMnet database, which Park & Charge manages.
Automobile manufacturers
The Renault–Nissan Alliance made agreements by 2010 to support clean transportation in France, Israel, Portugal, Denmark, and the U.S. state of Tennessee. By 2026, this partnership became the "Alliance 2030," a $25 billion investment by Renault, Nissan, and Mitsubishi to create 35 new electric vehicles worldwide. These vehicles will use the North American Charging Standard (NACS) platform in North America, enabling them to access Tesla’s charging network. As of 2026, Nissan has installed high-speed charging stations at 90% of its dealerships in Japan.
Tesla Motors, a major American company that makes electric vehicles, operates a network of DC fast chargers for its cars and increasingly for other vehicles. The first Tesla Supercharger stations were introduced on September 24, 2012. As of April 2026, Tesla has 8,537 open Supercharger stations: 3,497 in the Asia Pacific region, 3,359 in North America, and 1,681 in Europe. There are 80,266 open Supercharger stalls globally. Tesla also added credit-card readers to its V4 Supercharger stations, allowing non-Tesla owners to charge their vehicles.
Initiatives by region
South Africa has a small but growing network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. This network includes several high-capacity DC chargers, such as three 400 kW chargers at Zero Carbon Charge's N12 North West facility, a 200 kW station at the Mall of Africa in Midrand, and a 150 kW station at Canal Walk in Cape Town.
The country's charging network includes the following initiatives:
• Public charging stations through a partnership between Eskom and BYD: 0 active charging stations, 55 planned with a 2-year timeline
• National Automobile Association of South Africa: 0 active charging stations, 100 planned with a 5 to 7-year timeline
• Zero Carbon Charge's solar-powered stations, supported by a R100 million investment from the Development Bank of Southern Africa: 1 active charging station, 120 planned for passenger vehicles along major highways (at 150 km intervals), and 120 planned for electric trucks
China's first large EV charging station, the Tangshan Nanhu EV Charging Station, opened on 31 March 2010. Five cities in northern Hebei province—Tangshan, Zhangjiakou, Qinhuangdao, Langfang, and Chengde—planned to build three charging stations and 100 charging poles in 2010.
Shandong province, home to many car manufacturers in China, planned to start a charging station for 45 cars in May 2010. According to China's State Grid Corporation, 75 EV charging stations were planned in 27 cities across China by the end of 2010. Additionally, 6,209 charging posts and some battery replacement stations were planned for 2010. The State Grid Corporation announced success in distributing 7,031 charge poles in Hangzhou-Jinhua and planned to add 211 more charge poles in 2011 along with 173 charging stations.
China aims to install 10 million EV charging stations by 2020. The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011–2015) included plans to deploy 2,351 charge and battery replacement stations and 220,000 charge spots. This effort aims to reduce reliance on crude oil imports, which account for 54% of oil usage, with cars consuming 40% of national oil consumption in 2010.
As of June 2024, China had 10.2 million EV chargers nationwide, a 54% increase from the previous year. By October 2024, charging infrastructure in China totaled 11.88 million units, including 3.39 million public chargers and 8.49 million private chargers, according to a report by the China Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Promotion Alliance.
India has a growing EV charging ecosystem. Primary providers include Tata Power, Joulepoint, and Fortum.
Infrastructure planning includes:
• Better Place and Nissan for Yokohama
• Robert Bosch and Keppel Energy for Singapore
The AVERE / European Association for Battery, Hybrid, and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles was founded in 1978 and is part of the World Electric Vehicle Association. AVERE also oversees CITELEC and Eurelectric. The European Commission funded the "Green Cars Initiative" starting in November 2008. In March 2011, the European Commission and 42 partners launched the "Green eMotion" initiative, funded with €41.8 million under the Seventh Research and Development Framework Programme. The goal was to create an interoperable electromobility framework to align regional and national efforts. At the same time, the "Transport 2050" plan aimed to halve the number of conventionally fueled cars in cities by 2030 and phase them out by 2050.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association recommended using IEC 62196 Type 2 Mode 3 connectors for public charging stations, with transitional solutions allowed until 2017. However, multiple socket types (IEC 60309-2 Mode 2, IEC 62196 Mode 3, Chademo, and standard home sockets) were already in use. The EU planned to set a single standard by law in 2013 if market efforts failed. In January 2013, the European Commission proposed using only the Type 2 connector as the standard. Common charging point standards across Europe were required to be designed and implemented by December 2015.
In the EU, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) sets minimum rules for deploying fast-charging stations along the core TEN-T network.
Power supplier ČEZ announced 50 recharging stations by the end of 2011. By June 2012, the company had installed 14 public and 6 private charging stations, with more planned at Skoda facilities in Mlada Boleslav. These stations use a combination of 230 V mains connectors (Type E) at 16 A and 400 V three-phase Mennekes connectors (Type 2) at 16 A or 32 A.
Denmark has two major charge point operators: E.on, which focuses on fast chargers at freeways, and Clever, which installs both fast and rapid chargers in city centers. Both companies participate in installing rapid chargers at freeway lay-bys, with Clever installing 4 and E.on installing 20 at 10 locations. Local energy companies also install free-to-use charge points with CEE plugs, requiring users to bring their own EVSE boxes.
Infrastructure planning included Better Place and Coulomb Technologies for Copenhagen. Denmark implemented policies that offer tax benefits for zero-emission vehicles to encourage the switch to electric cars. Better Place planned to complete its network by December 2012, but the system was shut down in June 2013 due to bankruptcy. By April 2013, the network had 700 public charging spots, 1