Charging build-out keeps pace with 2025 record despite EV sales slump

New stations add more plugs, faster chargers, better locations

U.S. charging companies are on track to install about as many public electric-vehicle plugs this year as in 2025, the industry’s record year, despite electric-vehicle sales in the U.S. falling by half compared with last year, according to The Wall Street Journal. The U.S. added nearly 2,000 charging stations with more than 12,000 plugs by early October, roughly on pace with last year, which ended with 3,885 new stations and 19,839 plugs, according to charging-industry data firm Paren. The country now has more than 80,000 public fast-charging plugs, the data shows.

Charging executives say they aim to serve longtime EV owners looking for easier road trips and buyers flocking to used EVs, while preparing infrastructure for a future day when EV demand might bounce back. “I still think people are breathing into paper bags,” Rick Wilmer, chief executive of the charging company ChargePoint, said of the industry’s mood amid the downturn. “But the growth is real. The EV-driving community wants more chargers in the world.”

Optimism has been in short supply for the EV industry since President Trump eliminated tax credits and fuel-economy regulations aimed at moving Americans away from gas-powered cars, according to The Wall Street Journal. Automakers have backed away from their most ambitious pro-EV goals, canceling models and dropping planned ones, and have recorded multibillion-dollar write-downs as they retool their investments and pivot back to gas.

Bill Ferro, co-founder and chief technical officer of Paren, said charging providers are learning from the mistakes of the past that often frustrated EV owners. New stations have more plugs on average, cutting down on wait time; chargers are becoming more powerful to refuel EVs more quickly; and the industry is working on its real-estate game, adding stations near restaurants and busy areas rather than in distant parking lots far from restrooms or other amenities. “I’ve started calling it the Great American Build-Out,” Ferro said. “You don’t realize you’re in it until you’re in the middle of it.”

The build-out targets a chicken-and-egg problem that has accompanied EVs since their earliest days: without adequate charging infrastructure, people won’t buy the cars. But charging providers are building to meet future demand that still may never materialize. Today, the American EV sector remains a long way off from the lofty goals of the Biden administration, whose policies targeted 50% of U.S. car sales to be electric, hydrogen or plug-in hybrid models by 2030. Demand for the cars never reached levels projected by the auto industry; EV sales peaked around 12% of the new-car market in the third quarter of 2025 before the tax credits went away, and have hovered around 6% this year. Auto-industry executives frequently say they expect EV demand to eventually rise again in the U.S., especially as less expensive electric models come to market.

Charging providers still have a long way to go to reach consistent profitability as they contend with high capital costs. ChargePoint, one of the world’s largest operators, reported that revenue grew 18% year over year to $116 million in its second quarter, above its guidance range, while the company posted a net loss of $35.6 million. EVgo reported a net loss of $46.3 million in the second quarter. Wilmer said losses are narrowing and the company has seen growth across all its business lines, including public stations and among fleet customers. Autonomous vehicles, which are overwhelmingly electric, are expected to drive charging demand.

Wilmer and other charging industry executives say there are not enough plugs to properly serve America’s current fleet of EV drivers, let alone the ones who might join later on. Growth is primarily concentrated in coastal states like California and New York, although Ferro said Texas and Florida are scaling up quickly.

The industry has recent success stories. Ionna, the charging network backed by Hyundai, Toyota and other automakers, recently reported that it has more than 180 public fast-charging sites online since launching early last year. Walmart in late August opened its 100th fast-charging station, ideal for shoppers looking to recharge or road-trippers in need of snacks and a restroom, with more stations planned.

Tesla remains the leader by a wide margin. According to Paren, the company has added more than 3,500 fast-charging plugs this year, for about 40,000 total across the U.S. While Elon Musk insists Tesla’s future lies in robotics and AI, not selling cars, the company continues to scale its charging network. Tesla does not break out charging revenue in its financial reports but lists it as part of a services business that brought in $4.6 billion in the second quarter. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

Some industry executives are keeping a close eye on how gas prices might affect consumer behavior. The Wall Street Journal reported that prices have been driven up more than 50% this year by the war with Iran. Tiya Gordon, co-founder of It’s Electric, a startup that recently secured an exclusive contract to build curbside, public charging stations across New York City, said sustained higher fuel costs could mean a “pendulum swing” is coming for EVs — so much so that she recently got a tattoo of the Strait of Hormuz. “We know that the cost of everything is going up, and it’s because of the price of oil,” Gordon said. She thinks that could lead more people to reconsider what powers their cars. “You start to see more of your neighbors driving EVs, and you understand the benefits of it,” she said.