Electric Vehicle Charging Networks

The Alternative Fueling Station Locator includes electric vehicle (EV) charging stations from a variety of sources, including networked stations and non-networked stations. For more information about networking, see Procurement and Installation for EV Charging Infrastructure.

Terminology

The following definitions apply for networked stations in the Station Locator:

Charging Network

A group of EV charging stations connected by a dedicated platform (mobile app or website). The stations cannot be part of another network.

Network Service Provider

An entity that provides software as a service for EV charging station operators and drivers. The software must enable communication between stations so operators can manage access, set fees, monitor station health, and access utilization data. The software also must enable drivers to find stations, view the real-time status of stations, start charging sessions, and pay for charging (if payment is required).

Station Operator

An entity that runs one or more EV charging stations—also called a charge point operator (CPO).

Network service providers may serve as station operators, charging equipment manufacturers, and/or proxy service providers (white-labeled networks) for entities that do not have their own software platform.

Data Collection Methods

The Station Locator includes data on EV charging stations through three methods:

Daily API Import

For charging networks with an application programming interface (API), the Station Locator imports data from a direct connection daily. Networks should provide data using the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) protocol.

Periodic CSV Import

For charging networks without an API connection, the Station Locator imports data from spreadsheets on a regular basis depending on how frequently the network service provider shares the data.

Bi-Annual Manual Entry

For non-networked EV charging stations, the data collection team adds stations to the Station Locator manually as they are identified and verifies the stations every other year.

Charging Network Details

This table summarizes the EV charging networks in the Station Locator and their last import date. To access the data, use the developer APIs or the data download tool.