Over the next several years, up to 500 DC fast-charging stations will be installed across the country at Pilot and Flying J travel centers, as part of a collaboration with GM and EVgo announced Thursday. 

While the number of chargers at each station will vary, all will be 350-kw CCS-format, with the bulk of them installed from 2023 to 2025, and the whole project will involve about 2,000 chargers. 

In what will sound familiar to anyone following the $7.5 billion federal EV charging infrastructure buildout, as specified by the U.S. DOT, the project is targeting 50-mile intervals. In proposed rulemaking, minimum standards for the network have asked for four connectors per DC fast-charging site. 

GM and Pilot coast-to-coast charging fast-charging network

Hardware installation, as well as uptime and reliability will be managed by EVgo, but employees at the travel centers, all open 24/7, will be available to help troubleshoot charging with common U.S. charger issues like payment validation, it was suggested. 

“This is the world we live in every day, right? We have pumps breaking down, we have challenges with pumps all the time," Shameek Konar, Pilot Company CEO, said during a Q&A session—essentially treating electricity as a fuel. "The benefit of this network and the 24/7 is that you at least will have people around to help you all the time. This will be a fully manned set of locations.”

Those who charge on the network will be able to earn points at Pilot travel centers, and most of them have a wide range of food options, expanded seating and lounge areas, souvenirs, showers, and free wi-fi. GM will be providing discounts through individual brand apps, and this is the automaker’s first foray into the retail side of charging. 

BMW i3 charging at EVgo fast chargers at Chevron station in Menlo Park, California

The network will be co-branded with “Pilot Flying J” and “Ultium Charge 360”—the latter being GM’s branding for aggregated EV services—but will be available to drivers of a range of brands' EVs.

GM says that many of these sites will have overhead canopies to protect motorists from the elements, and some of them will have pull-through capability to accommodate larger electric pickups or SUVs towing trailers. 

Fuel retailers and the convenience store industry have been making a similar appeal for getting charging out to rural communities—that, like Pilot locations—are uniquely positioned with roadside services. 

Travis Hester, GM EV Growth Operations chief, told Green Car Reports that the company is using “some really powerful tools to look at where to put chargers on which corridors,” while it’s also employing its dealerships for input. 

The companies made clear that while they plan to invest their own funds in the network, they’ve conceived the idea around the potential to incorporate public funds—specifically, “intended government grant and utility programs”—in the project. 

GM and EVgo expand major-metro fast charging

Perhaps because of the nature of the plan, and the hope for public funds, GM would not disclose the amount of the investment, but it said that this is part of its nearly $750 million investment in EV charging infrastructure. That already includes a collaboration with EVgo to build out a network of 3,250 fast-charging charging stalls in major metro areas by 2025. It’s also looking to its dealerships to help with the installation of 40,000 publicly accessible destination chargers (Level 2) in communities. 

Pilot already hosts some Tesla Supercharger sites, Konar said, but called it “challenging” that only Tesla owners could use them, adding that the intent is to expand the number of chargers per site as demand increases. 

Installations for the network start this summer, with the first chargers due to be operational by early 2023.

Sign up to get the latest green car and environmental news, delivered to your inbox daily!

I agree to receive emails from Green Car Reports. I understand that I can unsubscribe at any time. Privacy Policy.

The US Postal Service gives in to pressure and makes a major boost in the number of electric mail delivery trucks it’s ordering. The Porsche Taycan gets better range, plus a bunch of other updates. And Ford lays out the battery and supply chain pieces leading to a dramatic boost in EV production. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. Ford this morning confirmed some of the battery and supply-chain details for how it intends to ramp up supply of electric vehicles—like the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E—to meet demand. The plan includes plans to “localize”...

The Postal Service now plans for 25,000 EVs from an initial purchase of 50,000 new Next Generation Deliver Vehicle (NGDV) mail trucks from Oshkosh Defense.

A series of business decisions aimed at battery and raw materials supply will help put Ford in the position to build a much higher number of EVs than previously targeted.

Wireless Android Auto, Spotify, improved voice recognition, and better charging-station search functionality are among the 2023 improvements—plus a boost in range.

Volkswagen shifts its top U.S. executive over to Scout. Solid-state batteries could help give EVs a lighter carbon footprint. Hyundai is working on a cheap electric small car. And GM confirms electric police vehicles. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. This week’s reveal of the 2024...

Solid-state batteries achieved an overall reduction of 24% based on the technology alone, and 39% with sustainable materials, according to a company that does lifecycle analysis.

Minicars can be a tough sell for profitability, even in Europe—although expressive design plus the price tag could make such an urban car a hit on either side of the ocean.

GM's “purpose-built” Police Pursuit Vehicle (PPV) models based on the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS might be right-sized for fleets.

Scout could play a large role in VW's North American push, with the appointment of VW's U.S. CEO Scott Keogh to head the brand.

Volkswagen’s ID.4 is shifting to American-made and becoming more affordable. Porsche is working on a flagship electric SUV. And the Chevy Blazer EV will cover a wide range of wants and needs. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV has been revealed, and it shares...

The "luxury, all-electric SUV" would join the sports car maker's electric lineup after the smaller Macan SUV and an electric 718 sports car.

Volkswagen is shifting production of U.S.-bound ID.4 electric crossovers to Chattanooga—and an affordable version is due to arrive before the end of the year.