More EV Charging Stations For The US, Despite The War On EVs

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US President Donald Trump has been rather busy of late, what with taking undisclosed medical treatments on a regular basis, pasting cheap gilt flourishes all over the walls of the Oval Office, building a new ballroom, and sending troops from former Confederate states to invade the Union once again. Meanwhile, he has apparently forgotten all about his war on electric vehicles. In fact, the US has been adding more EV charging stations by the bucketful all this year, indicating that the EV movement is here to stay regardless of Trump’s fossil-friendly energy policy.

Putting EV Charging Aside For The Moment, Let’s Revisit The Civil War

To be clear, there is nothing funny about the current situation. It’s 2025 and the person who occupies the White House has styled himself as a modern-day Jefferson Davis, with his Secretary of Defense playing the role of Robert E. Lee.

For reasons best known only to themselves, other news media has failed to connect the dots, leaving it up to us clean tech reporters to spell it out for them. Okay, we will spell it out for them. In August, the President ordered troops from five Republican-controlled former Confederate states — Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and South Carolina — to invade Washington DC, a feat they failed to perform during the first Civil War lo these many years ago, costing much bloodshed along the way.

In his efforts to foster a modern-day takeover of DC by the former Confederacy, Trump also took a detour over to Ohio and West Virginia, two non-Confederate states currently under Republican control. However, that was just a matter of convenience. The President reverted to the theme of a Confederate takeover this week, sending troops from the former Confederate state of Texas willy-nilly into parts north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Sheetz Keeps The EV Charging Momentum Going

So much for connecting the dots. This article was supposed to be about EV charging, so let’s get to it. The sharp U-turn in federal energy policy notwithstanding, stakeholders in the travel plaza, quick-serve restaurant, and gas-plus-convenience store areas have played a defining role in the expansion of the public EV charging network in the US this year, with the family-owned business Sheetz front and center.

The latest news from Sheetz is particularly significant because builds on the company’s ongoing relationship with Vontier, a leading global mobility tech firm headquartered in the US.

“Vontier Corporation…announced today that Driivz, a Vontier company and leading global software supplier to electric vehicle (EV) charging operators and service providers, will partner with Sheetz, one of the fastest-growing, family-owned and -operated convenience retailers in the United States, to power its growing EV charging network with advanced EV charging and energy management software,” Vontier announced somewhat cumbersomely on October 7.

As noted by Vontier, Sheetz has already set up 125 EV charging stations among its operations, through third-party providers. The partnership with Driivz slaps the Sheetz brand on its charging station network, supported by the Sheetz mobile app.

Trevor Walter, the EVP of Petroleum Supply Management at Sheetz, put on his EV charging hat to explain the new arrangement with Driivz. “EV drivers already choose our stores because of the amenities and services we provide,”  Walter explained in a press statement. “This partnership allows us to build on that trust— making charging a seamless extension of the Sheetz experience, while delivering the same consistency and value customers expect each time they visit.”

It’s Not Just Sheetz

No word yet on how many more charging stations Sheetz expects to crank up under the new partnership with Driivz, so stay tuned for more on that. Meanwhile, another ripe opportunity for new EV charging stations has been cropping up in the multi-unit residential market.

For the latest development in that area, let’s turn to The Solomon Organization, a leading real estate operator with more than 22,000 residential apartments in its portfolio, which spans New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

On October 1 the up-and-coming EV charging investment firm 3V Infrastructure announced a new partnership with TSO, under which 3V will install Level 2 EV charging stations at more than 60 TSO properties in nine different states.

The new charging stations are being installed under the Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) model, in which neither the property owner nor the tenants pay any up-front costs. “Through the partnership, 3V will fund, install, and operate smart Level 2 EV charging infrastructure powered by SWTCH,” 3V explained in a press statement.

“We built 3V to remove the financial and operational barriers for property owners by fully funding, installing, and managing charging infrastructure long-term,” emphasized 3V CEO Aubrey Gunnels.

3V began surfacing on the CleanTechnica radar in August of 2024 and they have been very busy since then, including a financial assist from GDEV Management’s recently closed Fund II venture, so keep an eye open for more activity where that came from.

Fine Tuning The EV Experience

Growing the nation’s network of EV charging stations is just one way to push the vehicle electrification movement forward. Also helping things along is new technology that finally puts EV range anxiety to bed once and for all. In that regard, check out the new “State of Mission” model under development at the University of California-Riverside. Rather than simply announcing the battery’s current state of charge, the SOM model will factor in traffic patterns, hilly terrain, and other elements specific to the driver’s route.

“The model learns from how batteries charge, discharge, and heat up over time, but it also respects the laws of electrochemistry and thermodynamics. This dual intelligence lets it make reliable predictions even under stress, such as a sudden temperature drop or a steep uphill climb,” UC-Riverside explains.

With range anxiety falling by the wayside, EV affordability continues to be an obstacle. In August, Ford and GM both announced plans to address that issue in the coming years, partly with the aid of the new LFP (lithium-iron-phosphate) battery formulas.

On October 7 Tesla also rolled out its affordable EV plan, consisting of “cheaper versions” of two existing models, marketed under the somewhat unflattering title, “Standard.” The new Standard EVs offer less battery range among other budgetary features.

So far the news has provoked little more than a collective yawn from the fourth estate, with Associated Press providing a representative sample from the general media.

“The new Model Y, costing just under $40,000 with a stripped-down interior, follows a slump in Tesla sales covering most of the past year due to anti-Elon Musk boycotts targeting the company. The company is also offering a cheaper version of its Model 3 for under $35,000,” AP reported on October 7, referring to the automaker’s recent brand reputation woes.

Among members of the automotive press, Motor Trend chipped in its two cents:

While they are well below $45,000, a slightly used 2025 model year version of either vehicle can be had for equal or even less money, and you’ll get all the content lost to create the Standard trims.

You’ll also get all the battery range of the 2025 model year, or nearly so. Today’s batteries practically outlast the rest of the car, making used EVs an attractive alternative for bargain hunters.

If you have any thoughts about that, drop a note in the comment thread. Better yet, find your representatives in Congress and drop them a note about, well, everything.

Image (cropped): Activity in the EV charging station space continues to build, indicating that the vehicle electrification movement will long outlive the fossil-friendly shift in federal energy policy (courtesy of US Department of Energy).