While many of today’s EV owners charge at home most of the time, drive an electric car long enough, and eventually, you’ll need to find a plug in the wild. Yes, that experience can occasionally be fraught with system failures and other headaches, but American charger availability is improving quickly.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the number of available public chargers in the U.S. has more than doubled over the past five years, from 57,000 in 2018 to 168,000 in 2023.

But before you go, it's good to know your options and, perhaps even more important, how you'll pay for them. Yes, that last part seems like it should be easy, but even that can be a little complicated.

Don't worry, we have all the information you need.

What are the differences between charging at home and on the road?

There are two main differences between charging at home and at a remote charger.

The first is cost, a complicated topic we'll cover in more detail in just a moment. But unless you can find a free charger out in the wild (they do exist), suffice it to say it'll usually be much cheaper to charge at home.

The other big difference is speed. There are three primary categories of EV chargers when it comes to charging speed: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3. We cover them all in great detail here, but the important thing to know is the higher the number, the faster the charge.

The vast majority of home chargers are either Level 1 or Level 2. A Level 1 will take upwards of a week to charge a modern EV, while a Level 2 can usually recharge a drained battery overnight.

Level 3 is much, much faster, capable of giving an 80 percent charge in as little as 20 minutes. These chargers are almost exclusively available at roadside, public charging locations.

More:Toyota pushes back EV production plans in America

What is a charging network?

A charging network is simply the number of chargers operating under the same banner or brand—even if some of the chargers themselves have independent operators.

Think of it like how Mobil, Sunoco or Texaco provide fuel and services to stations nationwide. Still, they don't necessarily own the facilities where that fuel is dispensed.

With a charging network, though, things are a lot more complicated. A fuel pump just needs to pump a liquid into a hole, stop pumping when that hole is filled and then process payment.

An electric charger, on the other hand, needs to go through a delicate dance with the EV in question to figure out how much juice it can take and how quickly. That dance, called a handshake, requires the digital exchange of information, and the charger then needs to adjust its energy output to suit.

That communication continues throughout the charging process, with the car requesting current depending on factors such as battery capacity and temperature. Since these charging sessions can last an hour or more, keeping that communication open throughout the process is key.

And yes, those chargers also need to handle payment, a process that, for a few reasons, is far more complicated than it is at a gas station. We'll get into that in a moment.

What is a charging service?

A charging service is an entirely different beast. Here, you're talking about a service where someone will come to charge you wherever you are. Often, this is in an emergency, like when your hypermiling skills fail, and you're stuck a few miles from the nearest stationary charger.

While these charging services are still relatively rare, they are increasing, and one of the biggest providers in the U.S. is a familiar one: AAA. Mobile charging service is part of AAA's roadside assistance offerings, with members getting up to 15 minutes of free roadside charging. It's only available in 24 cities right now, but David Bennett, senior repair manager at AAA, said they're watching customer demand for future expansion.

Across the pond, Allianz runs a mobile charging service in Europe with more than 100 trucks. Available in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, the trucks can provide charging at up to 75kW and are themselves electric.

More:GM suspends sales of Chevy Blazer EV due to quality issues

What are the biggest charging networks?

ChargePoint

ChargePoint is among the longest-running charging networks globally, and it's far and away the largest, with over 315,000 chargers globally. ChargePoint covers everything from residential to commercial installations, and last year saw an 83 percent increase in active charging sessions over the year prior.

ChargePoint's network includes a mixture of high-speed, Level 3 chargers and lower-speed, Level 2 chargers. So, although its coverage is broad, not every charger here is suitable for a quick recharge on an extended road trip.

ChargePoint's app is its primary payment method, through which you can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and even PayPal. Some chargers also accept credit card payments directly.

Tesla

Tesla's Supercharger network is surely the most famous and highly regarded set of chargers in the United States. The company has aggressively been expanding its network to match the growth of its car sales, and now that more and more manufacturers like Ford and General Motors are announcing they'll also use Tesla's NACS port, there's even more expectation for that network to grow.

Tesla says it has over 50,000 Superchargers operational worldwide, and while it doesn't break that number down by country, roughly half of those chargers can be found in the U.S. That means about 25,000 high-speed chargers are available for NACS-compatible vehicles.

Payment is through Tesla's app, where owners must provide a payment method. If you drive a Tesla, your car connects directly to your account, and payment happens automatically.

The details are still being figured out for other manufacturers as they start supporting NACS. With Ford, for example, once a method is provided in the FordPass app, payments will be handled automatically once you plug the car in.

Blink

Blink is one of the largest networks worldwide, with over 85,000 charging ports deployed globally at the end of 2023. Like the Supercharger network, Blink doesn't break that down by nation. Still, it's easily one of the biggest networks operating here. It is growing strongly, adding over 4,000 new charging locations in the second quarter of 2024 alone. It's also partnered with the United States Postal Service to provide charging services as our mail system switches to electrification.

Blink offers a variety of charger types with different payment procedures, including in-app payments, direct payment via credit card or over the phone.

Electrify America

Electrify America is another network focused on high-speed charging. Its first station back in 2018 offered 350-kilowatt speeds, and it continues to offer a mix of 150- and 350-kW charging at its 4,250 chargers across 950 stations.

For payment, users can make direct credit card payments at the charger or in-app payments from the EA app. The company's chargers also support plug & charge, meaning payment happens automatically if you pull up and plug in with a compatible EV.

Other charging networks

Those are some of the top networks in the U.S., but there are plenty more. Other major players include Blink, EVgo and Shell Recharge, but there are some smaller players worth watching, too.

That includes networks developed by automakers along the lines of Tesla, such as Rivian's Adventure Network, which is aiming to add high-quality chargers with nearby amenities across the U.S. Only about two years old, the network has nearly 500 high-speed chargers so far, with plans for 3,500 chargers at 600 sites.

And then there are thousands of non-network chargers out there, as well, scattered around at various businesses. Many of them are free. How do you find them? PlugShare is a great app to have on your phone, or you can always check our listing of EV chargers near you.

How much does it cost to charge?

At home, charging your EV is quite affordable. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity in the U.S. is $0.18. That means, for an average EV with an 80-kWh battery, roughly the size of the pack powering the Tesla Model Y, you're looking at $14.40 for a full charge from empty.

Charging out in the wild? Prices are all over the place. Slower, Level 2 chargers at many businesses are still free, which means if you can find one and don't mind leaving your car there all day (or night), you can get away with a free charge.

You'll pay a lot more for faster, Level 3 charging. Rates vary widely between networks and locations, but expect to pay upwards of $0.50 per kWh, meaning the same 80-kWh charge would run you about $40.

Expensive, yes, but it still beats gas.

And there are ways to reduce those fees. Many credit cards now offer the same rebates or bonus points on EV charging they do on fuel purchases.

Additionally, many networks offer some sort of subscription plan, often reducing the per-kWh cost in exchange for a fixed monthly fee. This includes Pass+ from Electrify America, which, for $7 monthly, gives you a 25 percent discount on charging rates.

But there are other fees, too. Idle fees are a growing trend, with networks charging drivers who leave their cars sitting at chargers for too long. At Tesla's Supercharger network, anyone using a charger is given five minutes to clear out after their charge is complete. After that, if that Supercharger location is at greater than 50 percent capacity, another $0.50 per minute is added to your bill, or $1.00 per minute if the station is completely full. That'll add up quickly if you decide to go watch a movie!

How do you pay for charging?

With gas, you usually pull up, swipe or tap a credit card, pump your fuel and then drive away. Easy.

EV charging is usually a bit more complicated. As mentioned above, different networks support different payment methods. While some EV chargers do offer credit card readers, making the process quite easy, plenty of others require the use of something else.

Most often, it's an app of some sort. Charge an EV in public often enough, and you'll find your phone littered with icons from a half-dozen networks, each with its own login credentials and security procedures. If you don't use a password manager already, this is a very good excuse to finally sign up for one.

Why is it so much more complicated to pay? There are a few reasons. Partly it’s because of the fees mentioned above, which might mean added charges to your card after your charge is completed.

Another reason is that, by using an app to pay, these charging networks can learn more about your habits. They can create a profile of data about you, what you drive and when you're most likely to charge. Ideally, this can be used to help them build a better network. But it's also potentially valuable trend data that could be sold to others looking to learn about the habits of EV owners.

Finally, most charging networks would prefer you to use in-app payments to reduce their operating costs. By doing things through an app and pre-charged accounts, networks can better bundle charges together to avoid per-transaction fees. These can be substantial when you're talking about a flurry of small charges.

Once you have all the apps and plan your route, you should be good to go. Make sure you check out our guide for EV charger etiquette, because nobody wants to be rude at the plug. But other than that, it should be clear charging.

Photos by manufacturer