General Motors is helping its dealers install Level 2 EV chargers with ‘triple the power’

GM will help cover some of the costs associated with the Level 2 charging installation. The automaker is working with Flo, a Canadian company that makes Level 2 chargers that dispense up to 19 kW of power.

General Motors is working with its dealers to install Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations that have “triple the power” of typical L2 stations, the company said today.

Last year, the automaker announced a new program to help fund the installation of Level 2 chargers in collaboration with Chevy, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC dealers. The chargers would be built in the communities in which the dealers operate, casting a positive sheen on both GM’s brands and its dealer network that it needs in order to facilitate the transition to electric vehicles.

Now the company has selected Flo, a Quebec-based EV charging company, as one of its partners in the effort to install 40,000 chargers across the country. Flo will work with dealers to install Level 2 chargers that are almost three times as powerful as the typical Level 2 chargers that are in operation today. Most Level 2 chargers in the US put out 7 kW of power or less; GM says that Flo’s Level 2 chargers will dispense up to 19.2 kW of power.

“This Flo charger will be deployed to GM’s vast network of dealers and thereby expand access to public charging, particularly in underserved communities where there is limited charging today,” said Hoss Hassani, GM vice president of EV Ecosystem, in a briefing with reporters.

The cost of installing the chargers will be split between GM and local dealerships. The automaker has said it would spend $750 million on EV charging infrastructure, which includes working with Pilot and Flying J truck stops on a coast-to-coast network of DC fast chargers (DCFC).

A quick note on EV charging types: the key difference between Level 2 and DCFC is how fast each will charge an EV’s battery. Level 2 chargers can supply, on average, 150 miles of range in four to eight hours of charging time, while a DCFC can get an EV that same 150 miles of range in 15–30 minutes. The exact time varies based on the kW rating of the DCFC and the vehicle’s charging capability.

Of course, when you’re talking about charging, much depends on how much power an EV can receive. Many EVs on the road today max out at 11.5 kW. Some of GM’s next-gen EVs, like the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevy Silverado EV, can receive up to 19.2 kW of Level 2 charging.

The automaker will give each of its dealers up to 10 Level 2 charging stations to install throughout their communities, but the automaker does not plan on paying for all 40,000 chargers. Rather, it will work with its dealers and community leaders to find the appropriate financing.

GM declined to share the cost of installing each of the chargers. According to the company, dealers will be responsible for pedestals, cable management, dealer branding, networking, maintenance, and warranty. Property owners that host the new charging stations will be responsible for permitting, installation, and energy costs. “Beyond that, we are not providing a breakdown of costs by stakeholder,” a GM spokesperson said.

Level 2 EV chargers typically cost between $700 and $2,000 and are far less expensive than the installation of a DCFC station, which can cost as much as $150,000. The chargers will be co-branded with GM’s “Ultium Charge 360” logo and the name of the local dealer.

In addition to working with dealers on community chargers, GM is working with EVgo on the installation of 3,250 chargers, which the automaker has said will be completed by the end of 2025. The Biden administration recently approved the first tranche of $5 billion in infrastructure funding for EV charging installation to improve the US’s intensely broken and fragmented charging network.