Introduction

The first full week of April 2026 closes with a fresh wave of EV charging infrastructure data and network announcements that together paint a picture of an industry scaling faster than at any point in its history. The total number of public DC fast charging stalls in the United States has surpassed 71,000, Tesla has reported a record-breaking first quarter for its Supercharger network with more than 53 million charging sessions, the Ionna joint venture has crossed the 1,000-stall threshold and overtaken Rivian's Adventure Network to become the ninth largest fast charging operator in the country, Electrify America has announced a major retail deployment with WS Development properties, and XCharge North America has teamed up with JOJO Superfast to launch a new fast charging network across Illinois starting with nine sites. For Los Angeles property owners, fleet operators, and developers planning EV charging projects, these milestones reinforce that infrastructure decisions made today need to anticipate a charging landscape that is doubling in capacity every two to three years. Working with a licensed electrical contractor like Shaffer Construction, Inc. ensures that your installation is engineered to support the latest connector standards, power levels, and reliability expectations.

US DC Fast Charging Network Surpasses 71,000 Public Stalls

The American DC fast charging buildout has reached a new milestone, with the total number of public DC fast charging ports across all connector standards surpassing 71,398 as of April 1, 2026. According to the latest network data published by EV Charging Stations, the country is now adding more than 1,000 new fast charging stalls every month, with the first quarter of 2026 alone bringing roughly 3,500 new ports online across more than a dozen networks. That pace represents a meaningful acceleration from the deployment rates seen during 2023 and 2024, when supply chain constraints and uneven NEVI program rollouts kept the industry from reaching its full potential.

The geographic distribution of this growth matters as much as the headline number. California continues to lead the country in both total stall count and new deployments, with the Los Angeles metro area accounting for a disproportionate share of the state's commercial fast charging additions. As we noted in our coverage of the 70,000 stall milestone reached just one quarter ago, the trend lines point toward an additional 12,000 to 14,000 stalls being added by the end of 2026 if current deployment rates continue. For Los Angeles commercial property owners, this means that the competitive bar for EV charging amenities is rising quickly, and properties without modern fast charging risk losing tenants and customers to better-equipped neighbors.

Tesla Supercharger Network Logs 53 Million Q1 Sessions and 2,500 New Stalls

Tesla released its first quarter 2026 Supercharger network update this week, and the numbers confirm that the company's charging business is continuing to grow at a remarkable clip even as competing networks expand more aggressively than ever. According to the Q1 2026 Tesla Supercharging report, the network handled more than 53 million individual charging sessions during the quarter, a 26 percent year-over-year increase that reflects both the growing Tesla fleet and the steadily expanding number of non-Tesla EVs gaining access through the NACS connector rollout. Tesla also brought roughly 2,500 new Supercharger stalls online globally during the quarter, a 19 percent increase compared to the same quarter in 2025, pushing the total installed base past 80,000 stalls at more than 8,500 sites worldwide.

Building on our recent coverage of the 80,000 stall milestone, the new Q1 utilization data demonstrates that growth in raw stall count is being matched by even faster growth in actual usage. That has important implications for site design in commercial markets like Los Angeles, where peak hour congestion at popular Supercharger locations is increasingly the norm. New installations need to be sized for sustained throughput, with electrical infrastructure capable of supporting full power delivery at every stall simultaneously rather than the lower averages that older designs assumed. Shaffer Construction provides comprehensive electrical load studies and service upgrade design for Los Angeles properties hosting Tesla and third-party fast charging hardware, ensuring that the electrical service can deliver full rated power even during peak demand periods.

Ionna Crosses 1,000 Stalls and Becomes Ninth Largest US Fast Charging Network

The Ionna joint venture, which is backed by eight major automakers including BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Toyota, has officially crossed the 1,000-stall threshold and surpassed Rivian's Adventure Network to become the ninth largest DC fast charging network in the United States. Industry data published this week shows that Ionna has been deploying its Rechargery flagship sites at an accelerating pace, with more than 50 Rechargeries now operational and an additional pipeline of more than 100 sites under construction or in advanced permitting across major US metropolitan areas.

What makes Ionna's growth significant is the network's consistent commitment to high-quality site amenities, including covered canopies, multiple ultra-fast 350-kilowatt stalls per site, and integrated retail and rest area features that distinguish it from the bare-bones approach taken by some early fast charging operators. For commercial property owners in Los Angeles and surrounding markets, the Ionna model demonstrates that customers increasingly expect more than just functional charging hardware. The combination of fast charging, comfortable waiting areas, and complementary retail offerings is becoming the standard that all new commercial charging deployments will be measured against, and properties that invest in this kind of holistic approach will see meaningfully higher utilization and customer satisfaction.

Electrify America Expands With WS Development Retail Properties

Electrify America announced a major new retail deployment partnership this week, confirming that it will install fast charging stations at WS Development retail destinations across the United States. According to Electrify America's announcement, the partnership will bring DC fast charging to high-traffic shopping centers, mixed-use developments, and lifestyle retail properties operated by WS Development, one of the largest privately held retail developers in the country. The deployment fits within Electrify America's broader Q1 2026 expansion, during which the network added more than 260 new stalls and reached a total of 5,610 fast charging ports at over 1,080 locations across the United States and Canada.

The retail-focused expansion strategy reflects a fundamental shift in how commercial property owners are thinking about EV charging. Rather than treating charging as a stand-alone amenity, leading retail developers are now viewing it as a core driver of foot traffic, dwell time, and tenant attractiveness. As we covered in our analysis of grocery and retail charging deployments earlier this quarter, properties that integrate charging with retail experiences are seeing both higher charger utilization and meaningful increases in retail sales from EV-driving customers. Los Angeles shopping centers, lifestyle retail, and mixed-use developments stand to benefit from the same dynamic, and Shaffer Construction works with property owners to design and install commercial charging systems that meet the demands of high-traffic retail environments.

XCharge North America and JOJO Superfast Launch Illinois Fast Charging Network

In a sign that competitive entry into the US fast charging market is far from over, XCharge North America has partnered with JOJO Superfast to launch a brand new DC fast charging network across Illinois, starting with nine sites and a stated plan to expand significantly throughout 2026. The new network will deploy XCharge's Net Zero Series and C7 fast chargers, which combine high power delivery with integrated battery storage that allows the chargers to draw power from the grid at lower rates and during off-peak hours, then deliver high-power charging sessions without overwhelming the local electrical service.

The integrated battery storage approach is particularly relevant for properties in load-constrained urban areas like Los Angeles, where utility service upgrades can be expensive and time-consuming to permit. Battery-buffered fast chargers offer a way to deliver 150-kilowatt or higher charging speeds from a much smaller utility service connection, dramatically reducing both project cost and time to deployment. As detailed in our coverage of recent reliability and connectivity innovations, the entire fast charging industry is shifting toward solutions that combine raw charging power with smarter grid integration. Shaffer Construction can evaluate whether battery-buffered charging is the right approach for a specific Los Angeles site, weighing factors like existing electrical service capacity, available utility incentives, expected utilization patterns, and total project economics.

Conclusion

Taken together, this week's developments highlight an EV charging industry that is scaling on every dimension at once. The 71,000 stall milestone reflects sheer infrastructure growth, Tesla's 53 million quarterly sessions demonstrate that utilization is keeping pace with deployment, Ionna's rise into the top ten validates the joint venture model and the higher-amenity site design that customers are demanding, Electrify America's WS Development partnership shows that retail integration is now central to commercial charging strategy, and the XCharge Illinois launch confirms that battery-buffered solutions are giving operators new ways to deploy fast charging in load-constrained markets. For Los Angeles property owners, the consistent message is that EV charging infrastructure is no longer optional or experimental. It is a core component of competitive commercial real estate, and the right design and installation partner makes the difference between a project that delivers value for a decade and one that needs expensive retrofits within a few years.

Ready to install EV charging infrastructure that meets the growing demand from electric vehicle drivers across Los Angeles? Shaffer Construction, Inc. provides expert design, permitting, and installation services for residential and commercial charging systems, electrical load studies, and complete project management that helps you capture available incentives including the federal 30C tax credit and LADWP rebates before their respective deadlines.

Shaffer Construction, Inc.
325 N Larchmont Blvd. #202
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Phone: (323) 642-8509
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Website: www.shaffercon.com