evVG Building Out the EV Charging Network

The April 2025 evVG virtual meeting featured a deep dive into infrastructure, consumer behavior, technology and regulatory challenges.

Building Out the EV Charging Network evVG VISION REPORT NO. 3 JUNE 2025

evVG MEMBERS

Kaysey England City of Phoenix Aviation Department

Gabe Klein U.S. Joint Office of Energy & Transportation (former)

Srijata Chattopadhyay Shell Recharge

Garrett Fitzgerald Smart Electric Power Alliance

Tom Healey Nouria Energy Corporation

Chad Kiesow Stewarts Shops

John Kwon CATL

Deb Peck Kelleher Alliance for Clean Energy NY

Chris Normandeau FirstService Energy

Kimberly Okafor Trillium - A Love’s Company

Darren Palmer Ford Motor Company

Francisco Pineda The New School

Laura Renger CalETC

Janine Robar State of Michigan

FEATURED SPEAKER

FACILITATORS

Sophia Schuster Michigan EIBC

Jay Smith Charge Ahead Partnership

Bonnie Trowbridge Drive Clean Colorado

Kate Wright Climate Mayors

Fred Yonghabi Sr. Con Edison

VISION GROUP NETWORK CO-FOUNDERS

Garrett Fitzgerald Senior Director of Transportation Electrification, SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance)

Mike Austin Executive Editor, Road and Track Magazine

Nathan Niese Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group

Myra Kressner Kressner Strategy Group

Eva Strasburger StrasGlobal/Compliance Safe

Roy Strasburger StrasGlobal/Compliance Safe

The main topics in this evVG Vision Report:

We are Electric Vehicles Vision Group (evVG), a group of invited stakeholders from across the EV industry who have volunteered our time to help our fellow retailers, solution and product providers, and public and private sector professionals. The only reason we gather is to discuss, debate and share our experiences and ideas. Each of us is offering our personal opinions. We are not looking for “group think.” We make our conversations available to everyone in the industry through evVG Vision Reports. These reports will help you better understand current challenges, solutions, and opportunities while giving you access to different opinions and perspectives. Electric Vehicles Vision Group is part of the Vision Group Network, whose mission is to gather the best minds in the industry, put them in a virtual room, and let the ideas and opinions develop. This evVG Vision Report includes evVG Views , a summary of the conversation with additional resources. In The Room With evVG transcript and Garrett Fitzgerald’s presentation, “The EV Charging Puzzle: Building Both the Grid and the Chargers” are online and searchable by topics. The full meeting transcript is available, so that you can be “in the room” with us, rather than only having access to selected quotes and paraphrasing. We highly recommend that you read all three components.

The EV Charging Puzzle: Building Both the Grid and the Chargers

Current infrastructure

Demand Charges and Grid Constraints

Practical Realities for Retail: Is The ROI Worth It?

Excuses Excuses…EVs Are Ready for Drivers, But Misconceptions Remain

Bridging the EV Education Gap

NEW!

International and Regional Comparisons

Lightning Round Review

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evVG

VIEWS AN ELECTRIC VEHICLES VISION GROUP DISCUSSION

The April 2025 Electric Vehicles Vision Group (evVG) virtual meeting took a hard look at the electric vehicle landscape. The meeting featured a deep dive into infrastructure, consumer behavior, technology and regulatory challenges, followed by a lively discussion by evVG members on the challenges and opportunities on the horizon.

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The EV Charging Puzzle: Building Both the Grid and the Chargers

He also presented data showing most charging points are private - Level 2 char- gers at homes or workplaces- with public fast charging representing a smaller portion of the infrastructure. Currently, about two-thirds of charging happens at home, though this may shift as EV ownership becomes more mainstream and includes more people without home charging access. Focusing on infrastructure, Fitzgerald explained why EV loads are challenging for utilities: “EV loads are substantially different than other residential loads, and also other commercial loads, in part because they’re growing quite fast. They’ve been doubling every two to three years, which is much faster load growth than any other discrete load growth source. They’re significantly higher power than any other residential load.” For commercial charging, he highlighted the mismatch between utility planning cycles and charging infrastructure deploy- ment timelines. For example building a stadium with 5 megawatt capacity takes years of planning, while installing 20 DC fast chargers with the same 5 megawatt power requirement can happen in months. He emphasized that most EV load is inherently flexible. Vehicles are typically connected to chargers longer than needed to complete charging, creating opportunities for managed charging programs. In a nutshell, he explained, “there’s a number of different ways that we’ll charge your vehicles and we’re going to be using a mix of all of those.” Fitzgerald also detailed the utility regulatory structure, explaining that utilities are regulated monopolies with an obligation to serve all customers with reliable, affordable power. On the flip side, regulators must balance consumer needs with utility business requirements. He described how investor-owned utilities earn profits through regulated returns on capital investments, creating financial incentives for infrastructure spending that regulators must balance to prevent

The evVG virtual meeting, held on April 30, 2025, was facilitated by Mike Austin , executive editor of Road and Track Magazine , and Nathan Niese , managing director & partner, Boston Consulting Group. Garrett Fitzgerald , senior director of transportation electrification at SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance) and evVG Member, kicked off the meeting with his presentation “The EV Charging Puzzle: Building Both the Grid and the Chargers.” Throughout the presentation, members actively engaged in discussion based on their unique perspectives in various industry sectors. Fitzgerald, who has been in the EV industry for about a decade, is now at

“ We’re really dealing with a mismatch in the planning and building cycle of what loads used to look like and what loads are looking like now. Garrett Fitzgerald , Senior Director of Transportation Electrification, SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance)

SEPA, a nonprofit with about 1,000 members including electric utilities, hardware, and software vendors in the energy transition space. First he introduced the paradigm shift in refueling, noting that EV charging offers multiple options at various locations,

asserting that “charging integrates into your life rather than the other way around. “You have to integrate into where the fueling infrastructure is.”

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Current infrastructure

Gabe Klein , former executive director of the U.S. Joint Office of Energy & Transportation, emphasized that EV charging should fit seamlessly into daily life rather than require major behavior changes. As an EV owner since 2018, he noted he’s used DC fast chargers only about 20 times, mainly on road trips. While charger deployment is progressing, reliability remains a key issue as some systems have failed up to 35% of the time. EV chargers are categorized into three main types based on charging speed and power level: 1. Level 1 (120V) – Uses a standard household outlet; slowest charging, adds 2–5 miles of range per hour. Best for overnight home charging. 2. Level 2 (240V) – Requires a dedicated circuit; medium speed, adds 10–60 miles of range per hour. Common at homes and public stations. 3. DC Fast Charging (Level 3) – Uses high-voltage direct current; fastest charging, adds 60–100+ miles in 20 minutes. Found at commercial or highway locations.

than needed by 2030 and is optimistic that non-Tesla fast chargers are filling that gap. He believes home charger installation will need to rapidly increase, that infrastructure and utilities will need to keep up, and ultimately, “collaboration across the utilities, the automakers and charging providers will be key to solving” these complexities. His presentation concluded with technical informa- tion about vehicle charging curves. He demonstrated that vehicles cannot maintain maximum charging rates throughout a session, with power declining as batteries fill. This has implications for site infra - structure planning. For example, ten 350kW chargers don’t necessarily require 3,500kW of capacity. His modeling revealed that anything beyond 150kW chargers may not significantly improve user experi - ence or impact upstream distribution infrastructure with current vehicle technology, though he says, “As new vehicle models come out with higher charging capacities over a longer state of charge, this is going to change.”

overbuilding. Due to rapid growth with EVs and data centers, utilities and regulators are now at odds - weighing growth versus building and costs. Bringing it back to a supply and demand equation for charge point operators and customers, he noted that operator’s revenue is tied to charger utilization, but demand charges, a significant operating cost, remain fixed regardless of utilization levels. This disconnect between revenue and costs becomes more pronounced with higher-powered chargers: “The bottom line for revenue is utilization of your chargers and achieving a high enough utilization that you earn enough revenue but not such a high utilization that folks are queuing up and having a bad experience. And so, revenue is almost linearly tied to utilization, but costs are not.” Fitzgerald also shared global data showing the U.S. lags behind many countries in EV adoption and charging infrastructure. While the U.S. is on track with building DC fast charging ports based on current projections, he disagreed with forecasts suggesting the country will have more fast chargers

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“ I think we put so much pressure on DC fast chargers. Some rightfully so. Some maybe we’ve over indexed. And I will admit at the federal level, we didn’t put enough emphasis on low-speed public charging, city streets, municipal garages, so on and so forth. We need a balanced system. Gabe Klein , Former Executive Director, U.S. Joint Office of Energy & Transportation

To address this, the government’s ChargeX Consortium which includes Ford, GM, and over 100 companies, was formed to boost reliability, with new hardware now aiming for 97% uptime. Klein added that public perception has been shaped by both real concerns and unfamiliarity with EV use. Since only 2% of U.S. trips exceed 50 miles and 52% are under 3 miles, most charging will happen at home or work. He cited Norway’s EV success despite fewer chargers per vehicle than in the U.S. and said up to 95% of U.S. charging will rely on Level 1 and 2 stations in public. Klein also thinks the U.S. has under-invested in Level 2 public charging, unlike Europe, where curbside and streetlight charging is

utility to ensure equitable access and concluded, “unfortunately, EVs have been politicized. I think that’s changing. Maybe we can thank Elon Musk for that, sort of balancing that a bit.” Francisco Pineda , COO and EVP for business and operations at The New School, shared his experience from his time overseeing real estate for New York City, where even with federal and state incentives, projects were slowed by stakeholder complexity, lack of technical expertise, and local resistance. He described a shift to outsourcing EV charger deployment to third parties to overcome operational challenges.

common. Since cars are parked 95% of the time, he said slower charging is sufficient if it’s accessible. Fitzgerald echoed that existing electrical infrastruc- ture already reaches most parking areas and just needs to be tapped. Fitzgerald agreed with Klein, noting that home and workplace charging is far more cost-effective, up to 10 times cheaper than public fast charging. Still, he raised equity concerns for those in multi-unit dwellings who depend on public infrastructure and face higher costs. Klein also noted that EV infrastructure rollout has varied by state, with some lagging due to political resistance. He advocated viewing EV charging as a

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Fitzgerald agreed and added that if users want high- speed (e.g., 500 kW) charging, there will eventually be tiered, premium pricing models, though none exist at scale yet due to the complexity of educating customers on this approach. Roy Strasburger , CEO of StrasGlobal, president of Compliance Safe, and Vision Group Network co-founder, asked whether demand charges will drive more charging sites to include battery storage. Fitz- gerald responded that storage is indeed increasing, not to avoid charges per se, but to deal with capacity limits and long utility upgrade timelines; issues worsened by transformer shortages from China. He clarified that demand charges weren’t intended as a deterrent but as a cost-recovery mechanism for infrastructure upgrades, especially on the distribution side of the electric system. Chris Normandeau , director of FirstService Energy, noted that many utilities are actually moving toward more demand-based pricing rather than away from it, especially as more users consume power at higher levels. He asked how widespread load sharing or throttling can be implemented given the fragmented utility landscape. Fitzgerald responded that real-time management is technically feasible, particularly in cabinet systems that dynamically allocate power, but that public fast charging is rarely seen as a flexible

Demand Charges and Grid Constraints Jay Smith , executive director for Charge Ahead Part- nership, noted concerns about demand charges (costs imposed based on peak electricity use), which make it hard for businesses to predict and manage energy bills. He suggested a shift to a volumetric (per kWh) pricing model might better serve both retailers and consumers. Garrett Fitzgerald noted this idea has been debated for over a decade but emphasized that with 3,300 utilities across the U.S. with each setting their own rates, there’s no national move away from demand charges. While some utilities offer support for make-ready infrastruc - ture to ease costs, the industry is instead seeing more investment in managed charging, on-site storage, and flexible interconnection solutions to work around high demand periods. Ford Motor Company’s Global VP Electric Vehicle Programs Darren Palmer shared firsthand experi- ence from Ford’s dealership network, where demand charges, even if triggered once a month, can create unexpected costs. He warned that if these rates persist, site operators will manage energy use more aggres- sively, potentially degrading the customer experience.

Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) is a nonprofit organization that envisions a carbon-free energy system that is safe, affordable, reliable, resilient and equitable. Featured speaker Garrett Fitzgerald noted that SEPA’s website contains a lot of free information including case studies, a technical reference library and more. Visit SEPA.org to explore their robust library.

grid resource. By contrast, fleets and residential users are adopting load control and bidirectional solutions more quickly, thanks in part to emerging programs and evolving technology. Palmer added that Ford’s connected data shows over 80% of customers charge at home, and their vehi- cles are capable of scaling charging speeds or even returning power to the home. He envisions a near-term future where bidirectional systems require less costly installation, making residential energy balancing more accessible. He also noted that the most progress in smart, flexible energy use is happening on the residen - tial side, where utilities are actively rolling out programs to manage grid strain without major overbuilds.

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there is significant customer resistance to paying higher rates as many have become accustomed to free charging. Palmer observed that free charging offers from auto- makers have contributed to this expectation, creating uncertainty about whether customers will pay for faster, more convenient charging options in the long term.

Practical Realities for Retail: Is The ROI Worth It? Members focused on the challenges of implementation, particularly at legacy convenience store and gas station sites. Robert Hampton , director of strategic growth and initiatives for Vision Group Network, noted that while his previous employer, Jacksons Food Stores, is actively rolling out EV chargers, many legacy locations face hurdles such as limited power availability and the risk of triggering costly soil testing when breaking concrete near underground tanks. Nouria Energy Corporation’s VP, Facilities Tom Healey echoed this, adding that space constraints a re another obstacle at older sites. Both agreed that installing chargers is more feasible at new locations where infrastructure can be integrated from the outset. Concerns around the business case for fast charging were also prominent. Healey explained that the lower frequency use of public DC fast charging, given that most drivers charge at home, makes it harder to recoup costs. He added that while grant funding has helped with initial investments,

Check out these other Vision Reports to read more about convenience retailers’ reactions for EV charging implementation: CTVG Road to EV Charging Infrastructure , July 2023 CLVG The Business Case for EV Charging: Is It for You? , March 2023 CLVG Currents of Change , January 2023

Smith and others raised concerns about competition, particularly when free charging is offered by municipalities or utilities. Smith questioned how private operators could be expected to invest in fast chargers when customers have access to free charging nearby, suggesting this dynamic is limiting the number of chargers being installed at gas stations. Palmer suggested a freemium-style model, like Spotify, could work, where free Level 2 charging introduces users to the system, but they later pay for faster charging on the go. Agreeing, Fitzgerald emphasized that the prevalence of free charging may be harming the long-term sustainability of the market. He also tied this to funding changes, especially when operators lack a financial incentive to maintain chargers once initial grant support is used. He pointed to underused or broken Level 2 chargers at retail locations as a symptom of this issue.

“ The level two at the grocery store that is free and there’s zero motivation to fix it once you’ve got that grant to install it. So we think about how do we sustain those beyond just the folks who took the grant, got it in there, and then it just gets dust. Garrett Fitzgerald , Senior Director of Transportation Electrification, SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance)

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They’re not realizing that benefit because they focus on this trip and won’t work on a trip. And they also don’t really know that for those trips, say 500 miles, you stop for 20 minutes and you have to stop anyway for comfort, get a coffee and a doughnut. By the time you’re out, it’s charged. People who own them already know this and that’s what we see. We’re seeing really high satisfaction percentage of people owning these cars. So once they own one, they tell everybody, tell 10 people, but it’ll take years and years with the replacement cycle. It will take years to get across the country, but it will come gradually. Darren Palmer , Global VP Electric Vehicle Programs, Ford Motor Company

He emphasized high satisfaction rates among EV owners and the role of word-of-mouth in spreading adoption, but acknowledged that the slow vehicle replacement cycle means widespread adoption will take time. On reliability, Palmer said that while 97–98% of EV drivers now successfully receive a charge when they need it, many still encounter reduced charging speeds. He said this can lead to long wait times and customer frustration, espe- cially when users don’t realize they’re charging at a reduced rate. He called for better data transpar- ency so drivers know what to expect from each charger. Fitzgerald echoed Palmer’s points, saying the framing of the EV experience matters. He ques- tioned whether people would still go to gas stations if they could fill up at home for less. He also noted that non-EV owners often invent edge-case reasons EVs won’t work for them. For instance, a non-user might point to a hypothetical reason like: “Well, it won’t work for me because five years ago I towed a boat, and I would’ve needed 500 miles of range. And you’re like, well, do you even own a boat? No.”

offering over 300 miles of range, electric vehicles are already a strong fit for most households, partic - ularly as a second car. He said more people could benefit from EVs than they currently realize. While affordability is often cited as a barrier, Palmer pointed out that pricing is now close to gasoline vehicles, thanks to competitive deals across brands. Palmer said people often don’t appreciate the everyday convenience of EVs such as starting each day with a full battery because they focus on rare long-distance trips. He added that even long trips are manageable, since most include breaks for food or rest, during which charging can occur.

Excuses Excuses… EVs Are Ready for Drivers, But Misconceptions Remain Palmer agreed with earlier comments about EV readiness, noting that with over 80% of EV charging being done at home, and with many vehicles

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Niese wondered how close the vehicle industry is to offering personalized EV recommendations based on individual use cases such as a specific driver who commutes with a Level 1 charger and travels to rural areas. He asked whether dealership tools could soon combine local utility data and charger network forecasts to help buyers determine whether an EV fits their needs. Palmer addressed the issue of dealer preparedness, stating that OEMs like his have trained thousands of salespeople, though he acknowledged that customer concerns about range and convenience persist. He shared that once people adopt EVs, they’re generally very satisfied and become strong advocates. He said, “It took 10 years for the smartphone, like an iPhone, to go from small and specific groups to everybody. 10 years….Could take 30 years…We’ve concentrated on just clearing barriers away. Just keep taking the excuses away until there’s no more left. Then more people will buy them and they’ll tell their friends.” Palmer described initiatives like Ford’s “Power Promise,” which includes providing and installing a home charger, as a way to reduce barriers and increase confidence. He reported that 90% of drivers only drive around 100 miles a week, yet many still demand longer ranges and fast refueling, driven by habit and perception.

Bridging the EV Education Gap

Members coalesced on the point that a major barrier to EV adoption remains - the widespread misunderstanding of how electric vehicles function in daily life, particularly regarding home and multi- unit dwelling charging. Klein emphasized the need for a national public education campaign, ideally supported by automakers and government, to demy- stify EV ownership and correct misinformation. He suggested showing “a day in the life of an EV owner” to demonstrate how effortless EV ownership can be. Normandeau echoed Klein’s point, saying education is crucial, especially when working with condo boards and multifamily dwellings. He noted that behavioral change is slow, but familiarity and reduced fear can drive greater adoption. Sophia Schuster , policy principal at Michigan EIBC, added that dealerships also play a key role. She recently bought an EV but found her salesperson unprepared to answer basic questions, highlighting a disconnect in the dealer education process that could discourage uncertain buyers.

“ I could see a series where we do have a day in the life of an EV owner. Just show us how effortless it is. There’s really nothing to it. I plug my car in once a week at night, and that’s it. And my electric bill hasn’t even gone up. I got 9 solar panels, put in a charger, my electric bill went down when I got an EV. But we don’t tell people this. Gabe Klein , Former Executive Director, U.S. Joint Office of Energy & Transportation

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Smith responded by suggesting that widespread level 2 availability could reduce the incentive for gas stations to install fast chargers, since most EV drivers don’t need rapid charging for daily use. Klein countered that both could coexist if demand grows, emphasizing that visible, frequent charging builds consumer confidence. He argued that the U.S. hasn’t reached a tipping point in adoption largely because people don’t see chargers in public, which reinforces hesitation. Palmer supported the European approach and introduced the concept of “grazing,” where drivers casually top off their batteries throughout the day by plugging in wherever they happen to be at stores, salons, or other destinations. These level 2 chargers are often in prime parking spaces and may be free or low cost. He pointed out that many new EV owners don’t yet understand the differences between charger types, highlighting the continued need for education. Pineda added that building a charging network in the Northeast U.S. is particularly challenging and often depends on action from municipalities rather than private landowners, reinforcing Klein’s point about the critical role of local governments in infrastructure development. Final Reflection EV charging infrastructure faces a dual challenge: rapidly scaling both the electrical grid and the charging network to meet fast-growing demand while coordinating utility timelines with charger deployment. Most EV charging occurs at homes or workplaces, but expanding public charging, especially cost-effective Level 2 options, is key to supporting broader adoption, particularly for those without access to home charging. Long-term success will require flexible grid solutions, utility collaboration, sustainable business models, and public education to address misconceptions and support consumer confidence.

Fitzgerald questioned the idea of relying solely on data at the dealership to help customers determine EV fit, clearly stating, “I don’t trust a dealer to tell me what is or isn’t going to work when they’re trying to sell me a car.” He advocated for extended test drives or rentals as a more practical way to help potential buyers understand whether an EV meets their needs. Austin added that automakers may be reluctant to promote lower-capacity EVs, even if they meet the needs of many drivers. He noted that while this isn’t usually intentional, there’s a preference to sell higher-range vehicles. He concluded by saying that once infrastructure is visible and widespread, like dedicated bike lanes, public perception is likely to shift and that improving understanding remains key. International and Regional Comparisons Fitzgerald presented that the U.S. is lagging behind many countries in widespread adoption. Klein shared observations from his trip to Europe, where he visited Paris, Amsterdam, and London to meet with city and national governments. He noted the widespread presence and high utilization of level 2 public chargers, often built into infrastructure like light poles or placed in residential areas such as along canals in Amsterdam. He noted a BP Pulse station in a parking garage which conveniently targeted a car rental facility in that building. These installations were thoughtfully integrated into cities that have actively reduced car presence through policies like congestion pricing and street design. Klein stressed that similar progress in the U.S. is lacking, aside from a few pilot programs in cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Portland, and called for a stronger national effort led at the municipal level.

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Review LIGHTNING ROUND

In the Lightning Round Review, Mike Austin asked participants to share their thoughts since the previous February 5th evVG meeting which focused on the rapidly evolving landscape of EV sales, charging infrastructure, and regulatory shifts. Roy Strasburger noted that that previ- ous presentation may have underestimated the impact of newly announced tariffs on both imported and domestically assembled vehicles, as well as the broader supply chain for EV infra- structure. He expressed interest in any updates on regulatory changes since the last meeting. Gabe Klein , drawing on his recent experience in government, clarified that while a significant portion (around 80%) of federal funding for EV infrastructure has already been obligated and in many cases spent, the remaining 20% is

Jay Smith shifted focus to the retail infra- structure side, emphasizing that while federal programs like NEVI play a role, the real driv- ers of EV charging network expansion are EV demand and fair policy frameworks. Klein and Smith agreed that federal funding was designed to fill infrastructure gaps, especially in under - served areas, and catalyze private sector invest- ment, not to fully fund the national charging buildout. Both concluded that while public fund- ing remains valuable, broader market dynamics and policy clarity will ultimately determine the pace of progress. To read the complete presentation and discus- sion from the February 5th meeting, download the evVG Vision Report, “The Changing EV Policy Landscape: How Does It Affect You?”

still being reviewed under new administrative priorities. He stressed the distinction between already committed funds and those potential- ly subject to change. Austin echoed concerns about market uncertainty but pointed to contin- ued momentum in vehicle offerings and EV adoption. Darren Palmer provided insights from the manufacturing side, noting that while growth forecasts have tempered, EV sales continue to rise steadily. He highlighted growing interest in affordable EV options, a segment where inter - national competitors, particularly China, have gained traction. He cautioned that ongoing tariff uncertainty may influence future investments in this space.

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“ In the context of EV charging, you can think about if one of you is building a new store or a new DC fast charging hub that requires a feeder upgrade, a transformer, or maybe a substation, who pays for that? Is that going to be the company that covers that cost? Is that going to be the utility? Or is that going to be all rate payers or a subset? And those are the decisions that the regulators are tasked with overseeing, and how it works is a utility will propose a program or a process and the regulators will assess it and see if it is just and reasonable. Garrett Fitzgerald , Senior Director of Transportation Electrification, SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance)

NOTABLE AND QUOTABLE “ So at the end of the day, I do think that as momentum grows, people start to understand more from your point, Gabe, yes, an education piece. But more so when something is less scary or less unknown, they’re going to be more likely to feel more receptive to change. And when you see stories in the news about EV growth slowing, it’s still a drastically growing industry regardless of what’s going on anywhere in any sector of the U.S. economy. Chris Normandeau , Director, FirstService Energy

“ Up until now, we have seen increases continuously. It’s just a matter of how fast and some of the earlier projections had extremely steep ramp…We’re seeing projections updating that are showing less growth, but it’s still growth. We are still seeing that quarter over quarter, a month- over-month growth over the past year. That’s still continuing. Darren Palmer , Global VP Electric Vehicle Programs, Ford Motor Company

“ I can imagine that if it were any other customer who doesn’t know, who is afraid, who is nervous about this transition, that it could have absolutely led to them returning that car. So I guess I just wanted to kind of plus up the whole education component because the dealers, a lot of Americans still really depend on the dealers to provide accurate information, and if the salespeople can’t do that, we have a huge problem. Sophia Schuster , Policy Principal, Michigan EIBC

“ What we have to understand is that we’re in the very, very early days in terms of penetration and adoption. And so it’s chicken and the egg. If you see these up and down your block, you’re like, “Oh, there is charging everywhere.” And that’s what people want to know. Then you get the massive adoption you see in Norway or you see in China and the gas station’s also going to be busy. Our problem is we’re not getting to that tipping point and a lot of people aren’t buying because they don’t see charging. Gabe Klein , Former Executive Director, U.S. Joint Office of Energy & Transportation

“ I just want to pick up on two things because I’m pretty passionate about them as well. One, you talked about folks thinking they need the gas station experience for all charging . But if you pivoted it and said, if you had a gas dispense r at home, would you ever go to a gas station and by the way it was a dollar a gallon? They’d probably say, of course not. Why would I do that? So some very slight pivots and sort of how you think about things can be helpful. Garrett Fitzgerald , Senior Director of Transportation Electrification, SEPA (Smart Electric Power Alliance)

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Building Out the EV Charging Network evVG VISION REPORT NO. 3 JUNE 2025

TRANSCRIPT AND PRESENTATIONS

In The Room Transcript The full meeting transcript is online and can be searched by keyword so that you can be “in the room” with us, rather than only having access to selected quotes and paraphrasing

Meeting Presentations and Demonstration Videos

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VISION GROUP NETWORK CO-FOUNDERS Myra Kressner President, Kressner Strategy Group

Eva Strasburger President, StrasGlobal; CEO, Compliance Safe

Roy Strasburger CEO, StrasGlobal; President, Compliance Safe

Mike Austin evVG Facilitator and Executive Editor, Road and Track Magazine

Nathan Niese evVG Facilitator and Managing Director & Partner, Boston Consulting Group

MEMBERS

Srijata Chattopadhyay VP: Americas EV Charging, Shell Recharge

Chad Kiesow COO, Stewarts Shops

Gabe Klein Former Executive Director, U.S. Joint Office of Energy & Transportation

John Kwon General Counsel, CATL

Chris Normandeau Director, FirstService Energy

Kaysey England Sustainability Program Manager, City of Phoenix Aviation Department

Garrett Fitzgerald Senior Director,

Tom Healey VP, Facilities, Nouria Energy Corporation

Transportation Electrification Smart Electric Power Alliance

Kimberly Okafor General Manager of Zero Emission Solutions, Trillium - A Love’s Company

Darren Palmer Global VP Electric Vehicle Programs, Ford Motor Company

Deb Peck Kelleher Deputy Director, Alliance for Clean Energy NY

Francisco Pineda COO and EVP for Business and Operations, The New School

Laura Renger Executive Director, CalETC

Janine Robar Associate Director Mobility Innovation, State of Michigan

Sophia Schuster Policy Principal, Michigan EIBC

Jay Smith Executive Director, Charge Ahead Partnership

Bonnie Trowbridge Executive Director, Drive Clean Colorado

Kate Wright Executive Director, Climate Mayors

Fred Yonghabi Sr. Specialist, Con Edison

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The Electric Vehicle Vision Group (evVG) brings together stakeholders from across the EV industry. evVG participants represent all aspects of the EV eco system in order to bring the big picture into focus. evVG is designed for networking and thought-leadership discussion on strategic issues, practical implementation, and future trends that impact the development of the EV infrastructure. evVG operates under the Vision Group Network, which gathers the collective knowledge and ideas of its members to create a legacy of sharing within the retail community. For more information and to sign up for future Vision Reports, visit our website: vgnsharing.com/vision-report-library

A part of Vision Group Network

For more information about Vision Group Network email us:

Myra Kressner myra.kressner@vgnsharing.com

Eva Strasburger eva.strasburger@vgnsharing.com

Roy Strasburger roy.strasburger@vgnsharing.com

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