Charging Ahead: Three Years of Public Fast Charging Growth
Public fast charging has come a long way in three years: more stations, greater reliability, and a better experience for drivers. Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging (MB HPC) has helped power the next wave of electrification in North America, growing into one of the top-ranked networks in the United States.1
Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging Increases Charging Ports by 30x in 3 Years2
Let’s take a look back at the years in review.
The Industry
How public DC fast charging across the U.S. & Canada changed from 2023 to 2026.
The Reliability Reckoning
In 2023, one in five public fast-charge attempts failed. By 2026, that dropped to about one in eight, a 40% reduction in failed attempts, as the success rate climbed to 88%, the highest in the history of JD Power’s EVX study.1
The public charging experience is becoming more consistent as the market matures thanks to a focus on reliability from new entrants, upgrading legacy hardware, and standardizing protocols.
New Entrants Lead Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction growth across the DC fast charging (DCFC) industry may appear consistent; however, a new wave of charge point operators (CPOs) is driving a sharp increase, unseating the 3-year incumbent in 2026.1
In 2025, Mercedes-Benz Charging Network and Rivian Adventure Network reached parity with the industry leader. By 2026, IONNA, Mercedes-Benz Charging Network, and Rivian Adventure Network took the top-3 spots, gaining nearly 80 points on the previous year’s score.1
Future-Proofing the Industry
As reliability increased, so did network density – doubling in size over 3 years.3
Ports grew faster than stations year over year at a consistent 17% increase, signaling a broader shift to denser multi-stall hubs.3
Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging
How our network grew over the same three years, and why it matters.
Three Years in Review
Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging opened its first station in November 2023. Just three years later, the network hit a milestone with 100 locations and over 1,000,000 charging sessions.2
With a keen eye on elevating the amenity offerings available at charging stops, Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging steadily added capacity before doubling its footprint in 2025. Now, and in many regions for the first time, 400kW charging became available in key travel corridors and premium shopping centers.
The message from customers was clear in 2023: quality charging is paramount to drive widespread EV adoption.
Near-perfect uptime alone doesn’t guarantee a seamless experience. Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging made first-time success, a charge that starts on the first attempt, its guiding star. To keep it high, the network hosted Driver Dialogues to test and refine new products with customers before they went live.
Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging has grown to 28 U.S. states and British Columbia, Canada, successfully powering over 245,000 customers from nearly every make and model of EV available on the market today. And the network is future-proofed for the next generation of EVs, with native North American Charging Standard (NACS) cables currently available at 93% of Alpitronic charging stalls.2
Why It Matters
From Available to Effortless
The first chapter of public fast charging was defined by availability. Networks raced to add locations, and uptime, the share of time a charger is powered and ready, became the industry’s standard measure of reliability. Today, that question has largely been answered, with uptime becoming the baseline expectation rather than a differentiator.
The more meaningful measure is whether a session begins when a driver plugs in. First-time success captures what uptime cannot: the moment when vehicle, charger and payment must work together without a second attempt. For drivers new to electric vehicles, that first interaction shapes confidence in the technology itself. Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging built its network around this measure, refining new products with drivers before they went live and consistently raising first-time success.2
Speed has followed the same arc. Charging technology has advanced steadily, with each generation of hardware delivering more power and shorter stops as vehicles have become able to accept it. Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging was the first network to deploy 400 kW charging across its entire footprint, helping redefine what a public charging stop can offer while laying the foundation for faster charging overall.
The result of Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging’s work on both fronts is a simple promise to drivers: plug in once, and get on with the journey. It reflects the ethos that guides Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging: innovation in service of the customer, so that every driver can plug in with confidence. The next chapter of public charging will be defined less by how many chargers exist, and more by how effortlessly each one works.