Public EV charging infrastructure continues to expand across the United States, with high-power stations growing even as electric vehicle sales face a slower market.

U.S. charging infrastructure keeps expanding

The American EV market is going through a complicated period.

Electric vehicle sales have softened, but public charging infrastructure continues to grow. The result is a rapidly expanding network that is becoming more important for drivers who cannot rely entirely on home charging.

As of August, the U.S. had more than 80,000 public charging locations and over 250,000 individual charging ports, according to the data cited in the source material. Thousands more ports are being added each quarter.

The growth matters because access to charging remains one of the key concerns for people considering an EV.

An EVgo fast-charging installation operates at a Meijer location as charging networks expand across the U.S.

The industry is also building larger charging sites.

In Warren, Michigan, EVgo and General Motors opened a 12-stall flagship charging station at a Meijer store. The site supports both CCS and NACS connections and can deliver up to 350 kW. EVgo says compatible vehicles can recover a full charge in as little as 15 minutes, depending on the vehicle and conditions.

The station is part of a broader expansion.

EVgo says more than 40 flagship stalls were already operating nationwide in August, with more than 100 expected by the end of 2026. GM is supporting the expansion as part of its effort to improve EV charging access.

Not all chargers work the same way

Charging speed depends heavily on the type of equipment.

There are three main charging levels.

Level 1 uses a standard 120-volt household outlet. It is the slowest option and is generally better suited to long charging sessions at home.

Level 2 uses 240-volt power. It is much faster and is commonly installed at homes, workplaces and public destinations.

DC fast charging, sometimes called Level 3, is designed for much shorter stops. Depending on the vehicle and charger, a significant amount of range can be added in minutes rather than hours. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that DC fast equipment can reach power levels of up to 500 kW.

EVgo is expanding its fast-charging network with larger sites designed to improve access and reliability.

That distinction is increasingly important.

A driver making a long-distance trip needs a different charging experience from someone leaving an EV connected overnight at home.

Public DC fast chargers are therefore becoming a major part of the national charging strategy.

More chargers could help EV adoption

The relationship between charging infrastructure and EV sales is not simple.

More chargers can reduce range anxiety. They can also make EV ownership easier for drivers who live in apartments or homes without dedicated charging.

The 2026 JD Power EVX Ownership Study found that satisfaction with public-charging availability increased substantially year over year. The study said availability was the most improved public-charging factor for both premium and mass-market BEV owners.

But charging is not the only obstacle.

Vehicle price remains a major issue for many shoppers. A larger charging network can solve one barrier without necessarily solving affordability.

That creates a two-part challenge for automakers and charging companies: make charging easier while also bringing EV prices closer to what mainstream buyers can afford.

Retail locations are becoming charging destinations

One of the biggest changes is where chargers are being installed.

Large retail locations can offer several advantages. Drivers can shop, eat or use other services while the vehicle charges.

That is exactly what EVgo and GM are doing with the Meijer flagship site in Michigan. The location combines high-power chargers with access to groceries and other amenities.

EVgo is also expanding its relationship with Meijer across the Midwest.

The companies announced plans for up to 480 additional fast-charging stalls at as many as 60 Meijer properties across Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

Large public charging sites are increasingly being integrated into shopping and commercial areas.

This model also addresses one of the practical problems with charging.

A long charging stop does not necessarily have to mean sitting in a parking lot.

When chargers are located at supermarkets, restaurants, hotels or shopping centers, drivers can use that time for other activities.

Reliability matters as much as speed

More chargers do not automatically mean a better charging experience.

The 2025 JD Power EVX Public Charging Study found that non-charging visits had fallen to their lowest level in four years, suggesting that reliability was improving. However, the study also found that satisfaction with DC fast charging remained sensitive to cost and payment experience.

That is an important distinction.

A broken 350-kW charger is still a problem.

A functioning charger that is too expensive can also discourage repeat use.

For charging networks, the next phase is therefore not only about adding more hardware. It is also about reliability, availability, payment systems and location convenience.

Charging infrastructure is growing despite a softer EV market

The U.S. charging network is expanding during a period of uncertainty for EV demand.

That may seem contradictory, but infrastructure projects often take years to plan and build. Companies are making decisions based not only on today’s sales but also on the number of EVs expected to use the network in the future.

EVgo and GM are one example.

Their new flagship sites use more stalls, higher charging power and better access to nearby amenities. The idea is to make public charging feel more like a normal stop during a road trip.

The Department of Energy also continues to describe a robust public charging network as an important part of wider EV adoption in the United States.

EV charging still has room to improve

The U.S. network is much larger than it was several years ago.

Yet the industry still has major work ahead.

Drivers want chargers that are available, reliable, fast and affordable. They also need infrastructure in the places where they actually live, work and travel.

That includes apartment-heavy areas, highways, shopping centers and smaller communities.

The U.S. EV charging network is clearly expanding, even as EV sales face a period of slower growth. The next challenge will be making that larger network consistent enough that charging becomes a routine part of owning an electric vehicle rather than one of the biggest concerns surrounding the technology.

Waymo says its driverless vehicles recorded 82% fewer injury-causing crashes than human-driver benchmarks after more than 271 million autonomous miles.

Waymo reports a large safety gap

Waymo has published its latest autonomous driving safety data. The analysis covers more than 271.3 million rider-only miles through June 2026.

The company compared its driverless vehicles with human-driver benchmarks in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix and San Francisco. Waymo says its vehicles were involved in 82% fewer injury-causing crashes than the human benchmark.

The analysis also points to a larger difference in more serious crashes.

Waymo reports 95% fewer crashes involving serious injury or worse. That represents a roughly 20-fold reduction compared with its human benchmark.

Waymo’s autonomous vehicles operate commercially in multiple U.S. cities, including San Francisco.

Waymo’s current safety dashboard provides more detail.

Across all five operating areas, the reported rate for any injury-related crash is 0.67 incidents per million miles. The corresponding human benchmark is 3.77 incidents per million miles.

For serious-injury-or-worse crashes, Waymo reports 0.01 incidents per million miles. The human benchmark is 0.21.

The figures also vary by city.

In San Francisco, for example, Waymo reports 0.67 injury-related incidents per million miles, compared with a human benchmark of 6.64.

Pedestrians and cyclists also show lower rates

Waymo’s analysis covers more than vehicle occupants.

The company reports 93% fewer pedestrian crashes involving injuries compared with human drivers. Cyclist injury crashes were down 86%, while motorcycle-related injury crashes were down 82%.

Those categories matter because pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists have less physical protection in a collision.

The latest Waymo analysis estimates that 841 injury-causing crashes were avoided over the 271 million autonomous miles, using a conservative assumption of at least one injured person per prevented crash.

Waymo continues to expand its autonomous service while collecting safety data across different road environments.

The results should still be read with some context.

Waymo’s comparison covers five metropolitan areas, not every road in the United States. The human benchmark is adjusted to account for differences in the types of roads and driving exposure represented in Waymo’s operations.

Waymo also points out that autonomous vehicles and human crashes are reported differently.

Automated-vehicle operators must report physical contact that results, or allegedly results, in property damage, injury or death. Many human crashes are not reported to police.

That is one reason Waymo emphasizes injury-related outcomes rather than simply counting every collision.

Independent research also found fewer crashes

Waymo’s findings have also been examined independently.

A July 2026 study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that Waymo vehicles operating in San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Austin had 68% fewer police-reportable crashes per vehicle mile than human drivers.

The IIHS also highlighted a limitation.

Its researchers said current federal systems for tracking automated-vehicle safety are not yet strong enough for continuous monitoring as deployment expands.

That makes the quality of the underlying data increasingly important.

Waymo uses sensor-equipped vehicles and its Waymo Driver system to operate fully autonomous rides.

Waymo is also expanding its U.S. service

The safety data comes as Waymo continues to expand its commercial operation.

During 2026, the company added public rides in Denver, San Diego, Tampa and Las Vegas, among other markets. Waymo said in September that it was providing fully autonomous trips in 14 cities.

The company is also preparing for international expansion.

Waymo announced plans to introduce fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing in Singapore in 2028 and has outlined plans for London and Munich.

That expansion will provide new operating environments and more data.

For now, however, the latest U.S. figures show a clear pattern in Waymo’s five-city analysis: 0.67 injury-related crashes per million autonomous miles versus 3.77 for the human benchmark.

The Waymo safety data therefore points to substantially lower injury-crash rates than the company’s human-driver comparison. At the same time, independent research and Waymo’s own methodology both show why the figures need to be monitored as autonomous vehicles operate across more cities and road conditions.

Porsche is rolling out wireless home charging for the Cayenne Electric, with 11 kW of power and automatic charging after the SUV is parked over its floor pad.

Wireless charging reaches the Porsche Cayenne Electric

The Porsche Cayenne Electric is taking another step into the future of home charging.

Porsche Wireless Charging is now available to order in Germany and other European markets. The system is also coming to the United States, where Porsche lists it as an option for the Cayenne Electric with availability from the second half of 2026 at the earliest.

The idea is simple.

Instead of connecting a cable, the driver parks the Cayenne Electric over a dedicated charging pad. Once the vehicle is in Park and correctly positioned, charging starts automatically.

The Cayenne Electric automatically begins charging after it is positioned over the Porsche Wireless Charging floor pad.

The system uses a vehicle receiver and a ground pad.

Porsche says the wireless connection can deliver up to 11 kW of AC charging power. Energy transfer efficiency reaches about 90%, despite the physical gap between the two charging components.

That makes the system much more practical than the slow wireless chargers commonly associated with consumer electronics.

The Cayenne does not need a charging cable

Porsche designed the system as a one-box solution.

All the necessary charging hardware is contained in the floor-mounted pad. The setup does not require a separate wallbox or external control unit.

The pad can also be installed outdoors.

Porsche says it is weather-resistant and designed to withstand being driven over. A qualified electrician is required for the electrical installation.

There is another important detail for buyers.

Wireless Charging cannot simply be added later to every Cayenne Electric. Porsche says the Wireless Charging Preparation must be selected when the vehicle is configured. Retrofitting is not possible without that preparation.

The dedicated floor pad contains the hardware needed to transfer energy to the Cayenne Electric.

Positioning is handled with help from the Cayenne’s technology.

Porsche says the standard 2D Surround View system can provide guidance when approaching the pad. Once the vehicle reaches the correct position, the charging process starts automatically.

The system can also detect problems.

Foreign Object Detection prevents charging if a metallic object is detected in the charging area. Living Object Protection stops power transfer if movement from an animal or person is detected.

11 kW is enough for overnight charging

The 11-kW output is important because it matches the type of power expected from a home AC charging setup.

The Cayenne Electric uses a battery with around 113 kWh of gross energy capacity. Porsche also supports much faster DC charging, with up to 400 kW under specific conditions.

Wireless charging serves a different purpose.

It is designed primarily for convenience at home. Rather than plugging in every night, the driver can simply park in the correct position and let the vehicle handle the rest.

That could make daily EV ownership feel more like using a gasoline vehicle.

The Cayenne Electric combines wireless home charging with a high-power 800-volt charging system for longer trips.

The Cayenne Electric is also built around an 800-volt electrical architecture.

Porsche says the SUV can charge at up to 400 kW DC under specific conditions, while a 10-to-80 percent charge can take less than 16 minutes under optimal conditions.

That gives the Cayenne two very different charging solutions.

Fast DC charging is designed for road trips. Wireless AC charging is designed for the daily routine at home.

U.S. availability is arriving in 2026

For American customers, the technology is no longer just a European showcase.

Porsche’s U.S. website lists the Cayenne Electric Wireless Charging System as an available option from the second half of 2026 at the earliest. Porsche Cars North America had also identified late 2026 as the expected U.S. launch window.

The current U.S. Cayenne Electric lineup starts at $109,000 for the 2027 model year, before destination, taxes, options and other charges.

Porsche has not published a separate U.S. price for the wireless charging hardware in the information currently available.

The technology does add another level of convenience to the Cayenne Electric. The driver can park, select Park and leave the vehicle without handling a cable.

The Porsche Cayenne Electric wireless charging system therefore moves from demonstration technology into customer availability, with Europe receiving the system first and the United States listed for availability from the second half of 2026.