Electrify America Stations Go Dark. Here's How To Not Get Stuck

If you rely on Electrify America stations, don’t learn they’re down at 8% battery. Check status before you leave. Pick a backup stop. Keep enough range to pivot without panic.

How to Check Electrify America Stations Fast

Electrify America says it plainly: stations can go down for planned work and system upgrades. Some sites also drop offline for damage, vandalism, or cable theft. So “the charger should be there” is not a plan.

Start with the Electrify America Network Updates notice. It lists sites hit by planned work and other issues, plus date windows when they can share them. Treat it like a flight board. Quick check, then decide.

Next, don’t bet on one network. If your stop shows up on that list—or you’re headed into a thin charging zone—use the DOE charging station locator to spot other fast chargers on your route. Don’t pick one backup. Pick two. Keep them close enough that you can reach either one without white-knuckle math at 70 mph.

Before you commit, zoom in and check the address and hours. Some chargers sit behind gates or inside lots that close at night. That’s a brutal surprise on a late drive.

Now the part that saves you. Leave a bigger buffer than you think you need. Don’t plan your last stop on fumes. When chargers go down, you don’t just lose time. You lose options. Cold can also slow charging and stretch a “quick” stop into a long one. Roll in at 25% and you can adapt. Roll in at 8% and you’re stuck.

This is not anti-EV. It’s road-trip basics. Even a high-range EV can end up hunting for a working stop when plans change. In Men’s Journal’s Lucid Air road-trip story, the driver expected plenty of Electrify America options nearby. He didn’t get them. He had to use the car’s nav to find an EA station that was actually usable.

Do this every time: check the notice, pick backups, and give yourself range to breathe. That’s how fast charging stays what it should be—freedom.

My Verdict

If you use Electrify America stations, don’t wing it. Check the Network Updates page before you roll. Pick two backups on the Alternative Fuels Data Center locator. Arrive with a real buffer. Options feel like power. A dead site at 8% feels like regret.