Electrify America is expanding a white-label charging model that allows retailers to own and brand public EV charging stations while relying on the charging company for much of the development and operational work.

The program, called Powered by Electrify America, launched in 2020 and has grown to more than 100 stations with nearly 600 chargers. Costco and Wawa are among the companies using the service.

Retailers control the customer-facing network

Rather than simply hosting an Electrify America site, a retailer using the program can create a charging network under its own name. The retailer owns the equipment and controls elements including station branding, pricing, and site design.

Businesses can also connect charging with their existing loyalty programs and access information about station usage, charging sessions, and customer behavior. That gives retailers a direct relationship with EV drivers instead of leaving the charging experience entirely under a third-party brand.

Electrify America can manage much of the work required to build and operate the sites. Its responsibilities may include evaluating site feasibility, obtaining permits, handling construction and commissioning, and providing ongoing maintenance.

Charging hardware and network scale

The company’s current hardware supports charging rates of up to 350 kilowatts. Electrify America also says its infrastructure is being prepared to support the NACS/J3400 connector.

The Powered by Electrify America network remains considerably smaller than the company’s branded operation. Electrify America has more than 5,600 chargers at over 1,080 stations, compared with nearly 600 chargers across the white-label program.

Longer customer dwell times

The model offers retailers a potential advantage over conventional refueling stops. While a driver may spend about five minutes filling a gasoline vehicle, Electrify America says a typical EV charging session lasts between 20 and 30 minutes.

That longer stop can provide additional time for customers to shop at the host business. Retailers can also set their own charging prices, apply their branding to the equipment, and potentially incorporate charging into membership or loyalty benefits.

That approach may be particularly relevant to businesses such as Costco, where membership is a central part of the customer relationship. For Electrify America, the program creates another way to provide charging infrastructure and expertise. For retailers, it offers a path to operate branded charging networks without managing every stage of site development and maintenance themselves.