It is pretty much fact that electric vehicles (EV) are here to stay, and while newer cars offer a good enough range on a single charge for daily driving, taking a lengthy road trip can be unsettling. That is why Volkswagen and BMW joined forces with ChargePoint, a California-based company that builds out EV infrastructures, to seed the most popular coastal highways with charging stations that should take the fear out of long distance driving.
There are now around 95 direct current (DC) charging stations available along the East and West Coasts — From Portland to San Diego along Interstate 5 and Highway 1, and From Boston to Washington, DC via Interstate 95.
The Express Charging Corridors Initiative, which will be available to a wide range of vehicles and not limited to only BMW and Volkswagen, is also been seen as an attack against Tesla’s Supercharger network, which is compatible with the company’s own cars only.
Also, unlike some of the other charging stations across the country, these coastal chargers promise to provide a much faster charge time so that drivers can quickly get back to their trip. In most cases, within 20 minutes, drivers should be able to obtain an 80 percent charge.
Charging stations are placed in increments of about 50 miles, so planning a stop should be a lot easier and eliminate those white knuckle moments in the car.
