Electrify America Just Made EV Charging Easier By Ditching An Ann

Home News Charging Electrify America Just Made EV Charging Easier By Ditching An Annoying Policy Account top-ups will be phased out in the coming weeks, making way for a simpler billing system

What's Happening

Photo by: Electrify America Iulian Dnistran By : Iulian Dnistran Jun 3, at 3:52am ET Add InsideEVs as a preferred source in Google Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail copy Share Comment Electrify America is changing the way customers pay for EV charging. The American company is removing account balances in favor of simpler direct billing. For occasional EA users, the change should make life easier on the road. Electrify America, one of the largest EV charging networks in the United States, is changing the way customers pay for their electric vehicle charging sessions.

Why This Matters for EV Owners

• In the next weeks, the operator will phase out the app-based account balances and auto-reload features in favor of direct billing for each session
• The change removes one extra step from the EV charging experience, which is always welcome, especially for customers who rarely stop by EA stations
• Until now, Electrify America customers had to preload funds into an account, and the smartphone app would then automatically refill the account with a preset amount of money when the balance ran low
• An Electrify America station with CCS1 and NACS connectors

The Bigger Picture

Photo by: RivianTrackr The problem with this approach is that occasional users have to go through the trouble of requesting manual refunds for the remaining balance on their accounts. It’s not hard, but it’s just an extra step to go through. Moving forward, the company will place an automatic but temporary authorization hold on the customer’s payment card in $20 increments at the start of each session. At the end of the session, the money that has not been used will be returned to the payment card. For instance, if a session costs $17, the remaining $3 will be returned automatically.

EV Comparison: How Do These Models Stack Up?

Among these models, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range leads in efficiency at 14.4 kWh/100km, while the Tesla Model 3 Long Range offers the longest range at 602 km WLTP.

Model	Battery	WLTP Range	Efficiency
Tesla Model 3 Long Range	75 kWh	602 km	14.4 kWh/100km
Tesla Model Y Long Range	75 kWh	533 km	16.9 kWh/100km
Hyundai IONIQ 5 Long Range	77 kWh	507 km	16.8 kWh/100km
Rivian R1S Large Pack	135 kWh	516 km	25.6 kWh/100km

Data sourced from EVRoutes' vehicle database covering 60+ EV models. Ranges are WLTP-rated and real-world results may vary by 10-20% based on driving conditions.

Charging Infrastructure: Paris, France

Paris benefits from France's growing TotalEnergies and Ionity network. Highway charging is well-covered, with urban charging averaging €0.30-0.50/kWh.

EVRoutes indexes over 500,000+ charging stations across 30 European countries, aggregated from providers including Tesla Supercharger, Ionity, Fastned, Allego, and more.

What This Means for Your Wallet

Based on current European charging rates, DC fast charging costs between €0.30-0.65 per kWh depending on the network and country. This translates to roughly 40-60% savings compared to equivalent petrol costs. A typical fast-charging session takes 20-45 min (10-80% DC fast) — enough time for a coffee break on a long trip.

What to Watch Next

The company says that EV owners who still have funds in their app accounts will see that money go to the next charging session, with any remaining amount billed to the registered card. It’s a good change, and it makes EA’s charging experience more similar to that of Tesla’s Supercharger, which needs a smartphone app, but bills charging directly to a credit or debit card. View Comments Electrify America operates over 1,100 EV charging stations in the United States, with a combined 5,800 charging ports, according to the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center. The vast majority of locations offer DC fast chargers capable of delivering 350 kilowatts, while 140 stations scattered throughout the country feature a total of 170 Level 2 charging ports.