EV Fast-Charging Sessions Up Nearly 50% Thanksgiving Week

Thanksgiving Week Fast-Charging Sessions Increase Nearly 50% YoY

During the Thanksgiving travel week, public fast charging stations in the US experienced nearly a 50% increase in charging sessions versus the same period in 2023. However, the actual utilization declined slightly due to a nearly 50% increase in the number of additional new fast charging ports available.

We analyzed data across public fast charging "travel" stations for Thanksgiving week, Monday through Sunday. Black Friday 2024 saw a 54% increase in charging sessions compared to 2023. The overall average YoY increase for the week was 48%.

The Saturday After Thanksgiving is the Busiest Charging Day of 2024

When looking at the top 10 days year-to-date (YTD) in 2024 for charging sessions at public DC fast chargers, Thanksgiving week was clearly the "Super Bowl of Charging" — capturing eight of the top 10 days. The Saturday after Thanksgiving saw the most charging sessions, with a nearly 24% increase over the average number of daily charging sessions throughout the year.

Charger Reliability is Also Improving

The Paren Reliability Index increased by 3.4 percentage points, reaching 85.5%, signaling better experiences for EV drivers compared to last year. While many CPOs claim "uptime" rates meet or exceed the 97% NEVI minimum requirements, that metric typically only captures whether the charging system was turned on, not whether a driver was actually able to complete a charging session.

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