Electrify America has opened its biggest fast-charging station yet, in Orlando, Florida, with 24 stalls that each deliver up to 350 kilowatts. Every stall uses the older CCS1 plug, so if you drive a car with a NACS port, you'll want an adapter in the trunk.
The site sits near Interstate 4, Orlando International Airport, Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, which makes it a handy stop for travelers as well as locals. There's also a shopping center nearby, Sand Lake Corners South, with places to eat and shop while the car charges.
The plug problem
NACS is the compact connector Tesla uses. All Tesla and Rivian EVs sold in the US have it, and General Motors, BMW, Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz are among the automakers adding it to their electric models. The shift gathered pace once Tesla let rival brands use its Supercharger network, which uses NACS plugs exclusively.
So a brand-new flagship for the biggest non-Tesla fast-charging network launches with the connector the industry is moving away from. It's not a dealbreaker, since an adapter solves it for many drivers, but it's a nuisance on a road trip. The source doesn't say whether Electrify America plans to add NACS cables to this site, or why it chose CCS1 only, and we haven't confirmed either.
A bigger format
The Orlando site follows what Electrify America calls large-format stations, launched earlier this year. These can serve at least 20 EVs at once, with each stall capable of up to 350 kW. The company already has a handful in California, including one where a 1.9-megawatt battery helps balance the grid.
Florida is a sensible place to build. The Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center shows it has the second-highest number of registered EVs after California, according to InsideEVs.
Anthony Lambkin, Electrify America's vice president of operations, said the station reflects the company's "continued commitment to bringing fast, reliable, and convenient charging to Florida."
What to watch
With most major automakers adding NACS, the next large-format sites will show whether Electrify America is standardizing on the connector the industry has chosen. If NACS cables show up at flagship stations like this one, that would be a clear signal. If they don't, adapters stay part of the road-trip kit. Do you carry an adapter yet, or are you still plugging in the old way?
Sources
Reported by the WattsUpNext desk from the sources linked below. Spot an error? Tell us at corrections@wattsupnext.com.
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