The United States has surpassed 80,000 public fast-charging ports for electric vehicles, as new stations are designed to accommodate more vehicles and provide higher charging capacities. At the same time, prices on Tesla’s Supercharger network rose during the third quarter of 2026, while prices on most other networks remained roughly stable.
According to the third-quarter 2026 report from charging-data platform Paren, operators added 4,106 fast-charging ports at 664 stations between July and September, bringing the total to 80,964 ports distributed across 14,614 locations. This expansion was lower than in the second quarter, which saw 4,618 ports added. The number of new ports fell by about 9% and the number of stations by about 20% compared with the same period a year earlier.
Larger Stations and Higher Capacities
Despite the slower pace of expansion, new sites have become larger. The average number of ports at sites operated by networks other than Tesla rose to five, compared with 4.1 ports a year earlier. Sites with one or two ports also accounted for less than one-third of new stations, after previously approaching half of them.
Charging capacities also improved: 73% of new ports were rated at 250 kilowatts or more, compared with 60% a year earlier. Outside Tesla’s network, ports rated at 400 kilowatts or more accounted for 35% of new additions, compared with just 10% a year earlier.
Tesla Leads as IONNA Accelerates
Tesla added about 1,287 ports during the quarter, along with 124 ports through its Supercharger for Business program, making it the leading network in terms of growth. IONNA came second, adding 378 ports—more than double its additions in the previous quarter—followed by Walmart, which added 344 ports.
A significant portion of IONNA’s growth resulted from the conversion of former Circle K charging sites, including 44 stations during the quarter. The report notes that Paren counts some replaced chargers as new facilities when another operator takes over a site and replaces its equipment.
Tesla’s new stations averaged 13.1 ports, and the company opened 11 sites with at least 24 stalls each, including a site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with 48 stalls.
Usage and Reliability Are Not Evenly Distributed
The platform recorded 50.4 million fast-charging sessions during the third quarter, a 26% year-over-year increase, while July set a monthly record of 17.6 million sessions. However, average national utilization changed little, rising to 15.9% from 15.8% in the second quarter.
The averages conceal clear geographic differences: utilization at the 30 largest charging markets reached 21.1%, compared with 11% in other areas, and Los Angeles led major cities at 31.8%. The national reliability index remained at 93.9, with 50 of the 52 states and territories recording ratings of at least 90. Oklahoma and Vermont remained below that level.
Supercharger Prices Rise
The national average fast-charging price rose to 54 cents per kilowatt-hour, an annual increase of 2.7%, with the report primarily linking the increase to Tesla pricing. The average price for non-member Supercharger customers rose 15% to 56.9 cents per kilowatt-hour, while the member price increased 9% to 39.6 cents.
By contrast, the average price on networks other than Tesla remained close to 53.3 cents per kilowatt-hour for the fifth consecutive quarter. Charging time also played an important role: the average price during peak periods at stations using time-based pricing was 63.7 cents, compared with 43.8 cents during off-peak periods.
What Is Changing in Practice?
The figures present drivers with a mixed picture: port availability is improving, and new stations offer more charging points and higher capacities, but prices have not moved in the same direction across all networks. In addition, 90% of new stations were built in urban markets, while rural markets received only 68 of the 664 stations added, leaving coverage outside cities an ongoing challenge. Price comparisons remain dependent on the network, the user’s membership status, and charging time, while the report does not establish that greater rated capacity necessarily means an identical experience at every site.