ChargePoint is ramping up the power for its next-generation DC fast charging architecture to 600 kW for passenger vehicles, and up to 3.75 megawatts (3,750 kW) for heavy-duty trucks — enough to power an entire football stadium.
Most EVs on the road aren’t able to accept more than 350 kW of power while charging, but ChargePoint CEO Rick Wilmer said the idea was to future proof its charging infrastructure in anticipation of the arrival of higher powered EVs. Another consideration is China, which is beginning to roll out EVs with higher-voltage battery architectures that can handle increased power levels. But while China continues to set the standard for ultra-fast EV charging, the Campbell, CA-based charging company said its important for America to keep pace.
“We’ve got to catch up,” said Wilmer in an interview.
The new architecture is not only more powerful, but also less expensive to install and operate, Wilmer said. The new Express chargers will be 30 percent less expensive to install and 30 percent less expensive to operate than the current generation of DC fast chargers. They will also have a 30 percent smaller footprint, with Wilmer claiming the Express chargers can be “pre-built” on a concrete slab and delivered on a flatbed truck to an installation site.
“We’ve got to catch up.”
ChargePoint hasn’t said where it will be install its beefy new charging stations, though it did say it will be in conjunction with “participating utilities,” hinting at the heavy lift that’s required to supply this kind of power. Unlike like regular EV chargers, these new high-powered units can’t be installed just anywhere, as they demand high electrical capacity to operate at full load.
That said, ChargePoint says its partnership with power management company Eaton will develop solutions that can overcome grid restraints. The two companies announced their intention to work together earlier this year, with a particular focus on the US, Europe, and Canada. The new Express chargers will feature both companies’ logos.
One configuration of this new architecture is what Wilmer calls a “power block,” a 600kW charging cabinet that can support AC (alternating current) to DC (direct current) conversion as well as DC to DC conversion. He described how one power block can be used to power a variety of different EVs: “You can now divide that into 12 simultaneous ports. So imagine doing 12 vehicles at 50 kilowatts, six vehicles at 100 kilowatts, four vehicles at 150 kilowatts — do the math any way you want.”Aggregating three blocks can deliver 1.8 MW of power for heavy-duty electric trucks.
ChargePoint and Eaton were able to achieve these higher power outputs by eliminating the AC-to-DC conversion in some configurations, and just having the architecture convert DC to DC while connected directly to a microgrid, Wilmer said. This improves efficiency by “putting more power in the box.” Wilmer acknowledged that there aren’t many DC-only microgrids available to power the new architecture, but noted that Eaton was in the process of bringing more online.
As such, ChargePoint plans on being “very selective” in how it rolls out the new architecture starting in the second half of 2026. But Wilmer envisions power moving seamlessly between the grid, EVs, stationary batteries, and more through a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) power management system.
“It’s very elegant with this DC architecture to move that energy around to where it’s needed on the site and then into the fixed battery and then back to the grid when it’s needed by the grid,” he said.
The news comes on the heels of ChargePoint’s announcement of higher powered Level 2 chargers for homes and businesses. Taken together, Wilmer says that improved EV charging can help prevent sales from sliding too far off track after federal incentives are phased out.
“You’ve got to lower the cost, lower the cost to operate it, allow it to be deployed more quickly at less costly, and hopefully in shorter timeframes,” he said.
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